New Atlases in Ball State University Libraries

What’s New in the Atlas Collection?

The Ball State University Libraries Atlas Collection is located on the second floor of Bracken Library. Atlases are an invaluable cartographic resource, and the maps and other illustrations can be easily scanned for presentations or for inclusion in documents. Thousands of atlases in the collection cover nearly every country in the world and offer information on a myriad of subjects.

Some of the new atlases in the collection provide new insight into some of the world’s most important challenges: World Atlas of Great Apes and Their Conservation, Atlas of Climate Change: Mapping the World’s Greatest Challenge, and The State of Health Atlas: Mapping the Challenges and Causes of Disease are some of the newest atlases added to the collection. Ocean: An Illustrated Atlas is new to the Atlas Collection and includes charts, diagrams, and information about marine biology.

Some of the new materials provide researchers information about numerous topics: The Penguin State of the World Atlas provides a visual survey of current events and global trends. This new edition presents maps created with the latest statistics on trade, food and water, energy resources, wars, biodiversity, and more. The new edition of The Penguin Atlas of Women in the World provides updated maps about women in the global economy, domestic violence, lesbian rights, women in government, and more.

History and sociology researchers will find many new atlases valuable to their work. The Atlas of Sacred and Spiritual Sites: Discover Places of Mystical Power from around the World provides maps of religious sites of the world’s great religions, including prominent cathedrals, mosques, and temples. The atlas also includes earthworks, holy rivers, sacred stones, and sacred mountains. Historical Atlas of Native Americans includes 150 maps that chronicle the story of North America’s indigenous peoples, including first contacts, Indians in the colonial world, American nations, and survival and renaissance.

National Geographic published two of the newest atlases in the collection: National Geographic Student Atlas of the World includes new photographs and graphics of the changing planet with maps reflecting modern borders with the most updated statistics. National Geographic’s Atlas of China provides over 300 maps and graphics showing the changes in the world’s most populous country, including towns and cities, transportation networks, natural resources, population, and trade. Sites from the 2008 Summer Olympics are provided, and sites of the 2010 World’s Fair in Shanghai are also charted.

Atlases circulate for 28 days or longer. Maps and other images from atlases can be scanned in the GIS Research and Map Collection. For more information, please contact the GRMC at 765/285-1097.