Atlases: Part 1, What is an Atlas and why should I use one?

Most people if they are familiar with Atlases at all think of the Rand McNally Road Atlas which shows maps of the major roads and routes one can take while driving through the United States. However, Atlases contain much more information than maps and cover many more subjects than the location of the nearest highway.

There are several types of Atlases, ranging from the general purpose map atlas to a wide range of specialty Atlases covering differing locations, historical periods and events. The one thing they all have in common is a copious use of charts, maps and other illustrations containing a variety of information designed to illustrate the relationship between a geographic location and a given topic. An Atlas graphically illustrates the interrelationship of a location’s geography and geology to its history and economic development. Some of the many topics covered by atlases include agriculture, business and industry, climate, geology, history, languages, population, religion, and the natural resources found in a geographic area.

Atlases can be used as visual aids to more easily explain a topic in a speech, paper or other presentation. Hewes library has numerous Atlases covering several different areas and they will be covered in this series of Research Tips.

But first, a little history of the Atlas. The first Atlas was printed in the 16th century by Gerardus Mercator, the inventor of a technique now known as the Mercator projection which is used to design the maps used by navigators to plot a straight line course to and from any location. On his first published book of maps, he placed a picture of the Greek Titan Atlas, holding the world on his shoulders, as the frontispiece of the book. This led to the title “Atlas” being used to describe any collection of maps, charts and other information that visually explain a given geographic area.

The Hewes library atlases are found on a tall desk to the right of the door to the Information systems office in the library. They can all be used in the library, but are not available for checkout. The next tip will discuss traditional Atlases found in the library.