Map Collection and Cartographic Information Services Unit

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Place Names/Gazetteers

Frequently Used Resources

What Are Gazetteers?
What Does The Map Collection Have?
How Do I Find Gazetteers?
Can I Check Gazetteers Out?
Where Can I Buy Gazetteers?

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What Are Gazetteers?

Gazetteers are indexes that list place names in alphabetical order, often with geographic coordinates so that the user can find the place on a map. Some gazetteers give additional information, such as the derivation of the name.

What Does The Map Collection Have?

Generally, the most current information is available online (see Frequently Used Resources below). The Map Collection also has gazetteers in book, microfiche, and electronic form for most U.S. states, Canadian provinces, and countries of the world.

How Do I Find Gazetteers?

1. Catalog

All of the gazetteers in the Map Collection are cataloged. To find gazetteers in the UW Libraries Catalog, go to our Tips for Searching the Catalog.

2. Shelf

Once you find what you are looking for, please write down the call number and the location. The catalog shows that gazetteers can be found in the following Map Collection locations. Consult the floor plan of the Map Collection.

• Gazetteers (dark pink) are arranged by call number on the shelves. Current materials are classified using the Library of Congress classification scheme. Older materials are classified using Dewey Decimal classification.
   
• Folio gazetteers (light purple) are shelved horizontally in call number order; however, due to their size, they may not be in the same shelf section as the books which are shelved vertically.
   
• Media gazetteers are shelved in the staff area. Please ask Map Collection staff for assistance.
   
• Reference gazetteers (dark blue) are marked with green tape and are shelved together on the reference shelf.
  

Can I Check Gazetteers Out?

No, our collection is non-circulating.

Where Can I Buy Gazetteers?

• Metsker Maps, a wonderful store for maps, antique map reproductions, globes, atlases, travel books, and gazetteers, is located in Seattle's Pike Place Market.
• Amazon.com is a useful resource for gazetteers and anything else in book form.
• Omni Resources and Eastview Cartographic are map and gazetteer vendors trusted by libraries.
• Consult our list of Where to Buy Maps for more general resources.

Frequently Used Resources

World

• The Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names gives coordinates, a place in a geographic hierarchy, a one-sentence history, and extensive online sources of information for place names around the world.
• Outside the U.S. and Antarctica: Go to the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency GEOnet Names Server and click on "Access GNS".
• Maps/GIS Resource Page (University of Washington Libraries)
  This is a collection of websites for cartographic information, organized by geography, which have been selected by UW librarians.

Canada and the United States

• Canada: Canadian Geographical Names has several options for querying its database.
• United States: The United States Geological Survey (USGS) offers the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS), covering the U.S. and its territories.
• Washington State: The Tacoma Public Library offers a database of Washington State Place Names.

Other geographic areas

• Under Web resources by geographic area, choose your geographic area of interest, and then select "Gazetteers," if available.

Questions? Comments? Please email us at maplib@u.washington.edu