Guide to Finding Sanborn Insurance Maps in University Libraries

Guide to Finding Insurance Maps in University Libraries on GRMC Web Page

University Libraries contains a large collection of cartographic resources for education and learning. The collection's most notable maps of cities and towns known for giving detailed, accurate information about the history of buildings and other structures are the Sanborn® Fire Insurance Maps.

Sanborn® Fire Insurance Maps are an ideal source of information about the structure and use of buildings. Sanborn maps consist of a uniform series of large-scale (one inch=50 feet), detailed maps depicting the commercial, industrial, and residential sections of cities. The maps were produced by the Sanborn Company beginning in 1867 and were designed to assist fire insurance agents in determining the degree of hazard associated with a particular property.

Researchers can now access a finding guide for Sanborn® Fire Insurance Maps in University Libraries on the GRMC Web page. This guide identifies the location of the various maps throughout the Library—either in the GRMC, Archives and Special Collections, Microforms, or through the Digital Media Repository.

The guide is available on the GRMC Web page at http://www.bsu.edu/library/collections/gcmc/

The GRMC Web page also includes an online tutorial for using the Sanborn maps under “Online GRMC Map Tutorials.”