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Until September 2018 the Map Department was able to curate a number of of smaller exhibitions, based on its collections, in the cases near the Map Room in the North Front Corridor. These cases are no longer available but a list of past exhibitions can be found below.

Details of the Library's main public exhibitions can be found here.

 

Previous Exhibitions:

  • The Cartographers' Guild. Maps created by an online community of fantasy mapmakers.
  • Cambridge in Bloom. Maps and materials showing various gardens and green spaces across Cambridge.
  • Where do you think you are? A quiz testing if you can you match the numbers provided on a number of old photographic views to the letters on a photocopy of a 1st edition Ordnance Survey map. 
  • Steel of Daedalus : Mapping the Nuclear World​. A presentation of materials detailing the proliferation of nuclear weapons, the harnessing of the atom as an energy source and the movement for nuclear disarmament.
  • Battlelines (480 BC - 1805 AD). A collection of battlefield maps ranging from the ancient world to the Napoleonic era.
  • Phantom Lands. Inspired by Edward Brooke-Hitching’s The Phantom Atlas [S696.b.201.226] this exhibition unveils several historical cartographic myths.
  • Further Curiosities. Inspired by the Curious Objects exhibition in the Library’s Milstein Exhibition Centre, the selection of items showcases some of the many additional curiosities found within the Map Department.
  • Mysterious Cities of Gold. The Legend of El Dorado, the long sought city of gold, endures to this day. Follow its evolving story through the Map Rooms collection and learn of Sir Walter Raleigh’s quest to find it.
  • The Great Fire of 1666. A selection of the maps and views to mark the Great Fire of London.
  • The Ancient World. A selection of the maps of the ancient world.
  • Literary Landmarks. A selection of maps focussing on authors and literary landmarks.
  • Digital Dimensions : the Cartography of Video Games. A selection of maps from the collection that were either the inspiration for, or have been used in, video games.
  • Mappy Christmas: A selection of maps with a Christmas theme (2015)
  • 500 Years of Italian Grammar(s), Culture, and Society in Italy and Europe: From Fortunio's Regole (1516) to the Present. Guest Exhibition curated by Dr Helena Sanson (Senior Lecturer in post-Medieval Italian studies at the Department of Italian) to coincide with a one-day conference being held on 10 December 2015.
  • Space: The Final Frontier: Since the times of our earliest ancestors we have looked to the skies and followed the course of the stars. From early cave paintings to the Hubble Telescope humanity has endeavoured to understand and represent our universe in all of its startling beauty. This small selection of materials from the Map Room’s collection allows us to view the timeless wonders beyond our humble home.
  • Soviet Secrets: A selection of the Map Room’s Soviet Military maps - a fraction of many hundreds of thousands of maps that the Soviet Military secretly compiled before, during and after the Cold War.
  • Finding Fantasy: A selection of fantasy and imaginary maps and atlases.
  • Mysterious Cities of Gold: The legend of El Dorado and Sir Walter Raleigh's quest to find it.
  • Pictures, Perspectives and Maps: A look at the changing styles of cartography used to map our cities and towns. See the blog post at here.
  • History on Maps: Examples from historical alases of India.
  • Mappy Christmas: A selection of maps with a Christmas theme (2013)
  • Bought by Friends: Maps Purchased by the Friends of Cambridge University Library. 
    Each year the Acquisitions Committee of the Friends of Cambridge University Library meets to view a selection of items presented by Library staff. From these the Committee selects those items it would like the Friends to purchase or make a contribution towards. The maps on display were purchased by the Friends in 2012 and 2013.
  • Pride and Prejudice: 200 years in print. About the early publication history of the novel, guest curated by Dr Chloe Preedy of the Faculty of English.
  • Mapping Middle Earth
  • Virginia Dare, 18 August 1587 – ? 425th anniversay of the birth of first child to be born of English descent on American soil
  • Inspired by Beck
  • Staten Island
  • Royal Routes. A selection of items depicting the routes and events pertaining to a variety of royal processions.
  • Particulars of Sale
  • May Week at Cambridge

 

Image credit: extract from Maps.c.18.H.116

Opening Times

Map Room Opening Times

Monday to Thursday 9am to 12:45pm and 2pm to 5:10pm
Friday 9am to 12:45pm and 2pm to 4:50pm 

i.e., we are closed lunch time, in the evenings and on Saturdays. However, given sufficient notice, we may be able to transfer Map Department items to the Rare Books Reading Room for consultation during these closed periods. 

Remember: Pencils only in the Map Room and No food or drink!

Where to Find Us

Library Floorplan

The Map Room - the Map Department's Reading Room - is on the first floor of the Library at the far end of the North Gallery. At the top of the stairs from the Library's Entrance Hall, turn right and the Map Room is at the end of the corridor. 

We are very close to the Tea Room.

Contact us

Map Department 
Cambridge University Library 
West Road 
Cambridge 
CB3 9DR 

Email: maps@lib.cam.ac.uk

Telephone:
+44 (0) 1223 333041
+44 (0) 1223 333042
 
Our LibGuide may help with some enquiries