- Aerial photos of the United States?
- Digital map data?
- Field record materials (original notes made by USGS geologists) and mapping notes?
- Flood maps?
- How can I find and get historic USGS topographic maps?
- Natural hazards information (earthquakes, volcanoes, etc.)?
- Photographs by the USGS for reproduction?
- Publications of the USGS (online, lists, prices, & ordering)?
- Out-of-print USGS publications?
- Survey benchmark information?
- U.S. Bureau of Mines publications?
- Wetlands maps?
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(1) Q: How can I find aerial photos of the United States?
To Questions
A: Information about USGS aerial photographs is on the USGS Web site at:
USGS TerraServer / Digital Backyard / Aerial Photographs
Contact:
- U.S. Geological Survey
- EROS Data Center
- Customer Services
- Sioux Falls, SD 57198-0001
-
- Telephone: 1-800-252-4547 or 605-594-6151
- FAX: 605-594-6589
- TDD: 605-594-6933
- E-mail: custserv@edcmail.cr.usgs.gov
- URL: http://edc.usgs.gov
Or, contact any USGS Earth Science Information Center (ESIC) for information about aerial
photography at:
- U.S. Geological Survey
- Earth Science Information Center
- 507 National Center
- Reston, VA 20192
-
- Telephone: 1-888-ASK-USGS (1-888-275-8747) or 703-648-5953
- FAX: 703-648-5548
- TDD: 703-648-4119
- E-mail: ask@usgs.gov
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(2) Q: How can I find digital map data?
To Questions
A: Digital raster graphics (DRG) and digital orthophoto quadrangles (DOQ) information can
be found on the USGS Web site at:
USGS TerraServer / Digital Backyard
Digital elevation model (DEM) and digital line graphs (DLG) data available for downloading,
from USGS Geographic Data Download
Other thematic data sites are listed at:
Geospatial Data Clearinghouse (FGDC)
Additional links to information can be found at
http://geography.usgs.gov/
or
By using the Library's Selected Map Web Links page under
Data & Imagery Products
For further information, contact the USGS Earth Science Information Center (ESIC) in Reston:
- U.S. Geological Survey
- Earth Science Information Center
- 507 National Center
- Reston, VA 20192
-
- Telephone: 1-888-ASK-USGS (1-888-275-8747) or 703-648-5953
- FAX: 703-648-5548
- TDD: 703-648-4119
- E-mail: ask@usgs.gov
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(3) Q: How can I find field record materials (original field notes and
related material made by USGS geologists) and mapping notes?
To Questions
A: The USGS Field Records Library in Denver, Colorado, has an extensive collection of
materials. You may contact them at:
- USGS Field Records Library
- Box 25046, MS 914
- Denver Federal Center
- Denver, CO 80225-0046
-
- Telephone: 303-236-1005 (Reference Desk)
- FAX: 303-236-0015
- TDD: 303-236-0998
- E-mail: den_lib@usgs.gov
To find field record materials related to Alaska, contact:
- Jill Schneider
- USGS Mineral Resources Surveys
- Alaska Section
- 4200 University Drive
- Anchorage, AK 99508-4667
-
- Telephone: 907-786-7457 (Office) and 907-786-7007 (Library)
- FAX: 907-786-7401
- E-mail: jschnidr@usgs.gov
Two other sources of field records are:
1. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) in College Park, Maryland, which
keeps field record materials in their Archives II facility. Refer to the
Guide to Federal
Records in the National Archives of the United States (Washington, D.C.: NARA, 1995).
Inventory of the Records of the United States Geological Survey, Record
Group 57, in the National Archives, part of USGS Circular 1179 (2000, CD-ROM): Records and
History of the United States Geological Survey, contains information on USGS and related records
accessioned by NARA through 1997 and held at NARA-II. Appendices in this inventory list field
records held at NARA-II and by the USGS Field Records Library at Denver.
- National Archives and Records Administration
- 8601 Adelphi Road
- College Park, MD 20740-6001
-
- Telephone: 301-713-6800 (General Reference Information)
- E-mail: inquire@nara.gov
- URL: http://www.archives.gov/index.html
2. Smithsonian Institution Archives includes papers of individuals with close ties to both
the USGS and the Smithsonian. Other materials related with the activities of the Smithsonian
Institution and the USGS are available there as well. Refer to the Guide to the Smithsonian
Archives (Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1996) or contact them at the
following address:
- The Smithsonian Institution Archives
- Arts and Industries Building, Room 2135
- 900 Jefferson Drive, S.W.
- Washington, D.C. 20560
-
- Telephone: 202-357-1420
- E-mail: OSIAREF@OSIA.SI.EDU
The notes made by USGS map surveyors are available in two
locations. For topographic mapping notes pertaining to areas of Texas, New Mexico, Colorado,
Wyoming, Montana, and states west, including Alaska, contact:
- Rocky Mountain Mapping Center
- USGS National Mapping Division
- Box 25046, MS 506, Federal Center
- Denver, CO 80225-0046
-
- Telephone: 303-202-4394
For topographic mapping notes pertaining to other geographic areas in the United States,
contact:
- Mid-Continent Mapping Center
- USGS National Mapping Division
- MS 309
- 1400 Independence Road
- Rolla, MO 65401
-
- Telephone: 573-308-3663
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(4) Q: How can I find flood maps?
To Questions
A: For flood insurance maps, contact the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Flood
Map Division.
- Telephone: 1-800-358-9616
- FAX: 1-800-333-1363
- URL: http://store.msc.fema.gov
For prints of historical flood-prone area maps on microfilm, contact:
- U.S. Geological Survey
- Earth Science Information Center
- 507 National Center
- Reston, VA 20192
-
- Telephone: 1-888-ASK-USGS (1-888-275-8747) or 703-648-5953
- FAX: 703-648-5548
- TDD: 703-648-4119
- E-mail: ask@usgs.gov
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(5) Q: How can I find and get historic USGS topographic maps?
To Questions
A: To find specific historic USGS topographic maps, an index is Map Index to Topographic
Quadrangles of the United States, 1882-1940, by Riley Moore Moffat. 1985.
Western Association of Map Libraries, Occasional Paper no.10.
You can also contact the ESIC in Reston, VA.
- U.S. Geological Survey
- Earth Science Information Center
- 507 National Center
- Reston, VA 20192
-
- Telephone: 1-888-ASK-USGS (1-888-275-8747) or 703-648-6045
- FAX: 703-648-5548
- TDD: 703-648-4119
- E-mail: ask@usgs.gov
Give as much information as possible, including the State, county, and town or township;
year of interest or range of years; as well as the type of information you are seeking on the
map - for example, streams and rivers, railroad lines, roads, or cultural features. A
researcher will then be able to determine if any maps in the USGS historical collections will
suit your needs.
To view copies, check with USGS depository map libraries in the state covered. Also, some
may be viewable on the Internet by checking
http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/histopo/, or
http://docs.unh.edu/nhtopos/nhtopos.htm.
General information about historical mapping, including non-USGS sources of information can
be found at: USGS Fact Sheet
154-99 (November 1999)
Additional resources are available from the Library's Selected Map Web Links page under the
Historical Maps listing.
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(6) Q: How can I find USGS natural hazards information (earthquakes,
volcanoes, etc.)?
To Questions
A:
- Earthquakes
- Landslides
- Natural Hazard Areas
- Seismic Zone Mapping
- Volcano Hazards Program
For further and more detailed information, contact any USGS Library by telephone
(toll-free) at: 1-888-ASK-USGS (1-888-275-8747). Select telephone menu option #6.
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(7) Q: How can I find photographs by the USGS for reproduction?
To Questions
A: The Photographic Library, located in Denver, Colorado, is an
archive of still photographs dating from the 1870's and taken by USGS scientists as part of
their field studies. The works of pioneer photographers W.H. Jackson, T.H. O'Sullivan, Carleton
Watkins, J.K. Hillers, Thomas Moran, A.J. Russell, E.O. Beaman, and William Bell are represented
in the collection. Topics include USGS personnel, earthquakes, volcanoes, geologic hazards and
other phenomena, historical mining operations, and earth science photographs.
Digital copies of photographs selected from the collection can be accessed online from the
USGS Earth Science Photographic Archive.
Reproductions (prints, transparencies, and negatives) may be ordered from the library at
cost. Because the collection consists of more than 500,000 photographs, researchers are
welcome to visit in person to make selections. For more information, call 303-236-1010.
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(8) Q: How can I find publications of the USGS (online, lists, prices
& ordering)?
To Questions
A: Many online USGS publications are listed on this
USGS web site.
Information about recent USGS publications is available at:
http://pubs.usgs.gov/publications/index.shtml.
You can identify older publications by searching the
USGS Library catalog online or by using the
USGS publications database.
For further assistance and to order, contact the USGS Earth Science Information Center
(ESIC) by telephone toll free at 1-888-ASK-USGS (1-888-275-8747).
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(9) Q: How can I find out-of-print USGS publications?
To Questions
A: Out-of-print USGS publications and maps, depending on series and date, can usually
also be obtained in either of two ways:
- Check with your local public, academic, or corporate librarian to request an
interlibrary loan from either a
regional government
depository library, or from your nearest USGS Library.
- Purchase copies through the services of a document delivery company. Several of
these are listed on the Web at:
http://www.docdel.com/Geology_and_Earth_Sciences.html
Selected USGS publications, especially those that are old, popular, or rare, may also be
available from used book dealers. Lists and searchable databases of used books are available
at several sources on the Web.
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(10) Q: How can I find survey benchmark information?
To Questions
A: USGS survey benchmark data is not yet available on the Internet.
For vertical and horizontal control information on all USGS survey benchmarks in the
eastern U.S., contact the USGS in Rolla, Missouri, by telephone at 573-308-3500.
For control information on all USGS benchmarks in the western U.S., contact the
USGS in Denver, Colorado, by telephone at 303-202-4400.
MOST survey benchmarks were NOT established by the USGS, but the National Coast and
Geodetic Survey, Silver Spring, Maryland. National Geodetic Survey benchmark data is
available on the Web at http://www.ngs.noaa.gov
["Data sheets"]. For further assistance, call 301-713-3242 or send e-mail to
infocenter@ngs.noaa.gov
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(11) Q: How can I find U.S. Bureau of Mines publications?
To Questions
- A: When the U.S. Bureau of Mines (USBM) was abolished in January 1996, most of the
library collections for the Washington, D.C., and Denver, Colorado, offices were
transferred to the USGS libraries in Reston, Virginia, and Denver, respectively. USBM
publications are now available from these two libraries through interlibrary loan as well
as from several repository sources.
The National Technical Information Service (NTIS) has a "legacy" collection of
USBM publications dating from 1910-1995. These publications are available for purchase
from NTIS and represent most of the research work done by the USBM in the fields of
mining technology, mine safety and health, and the mineral industry. A free searchable
index of USBM publications received after 1990 is provided by
NTIS. For summaries
of the reports and access to publications issued prior to 1990, NTIS offers fee-per-day
access to an online index. Paper indexes to
the entire list of USBM pubs ("List of Bureau of Mines Publications and Articles"
-- 11 volumes) are also available from NTIS.
The Bureau of Mines participated in the United States Government Printing Office (GPO)
Depository Library Program. Many depository libraries received USBM publications and
should have them available for use on site. They are listed on the Web at:
http://www.gpoaccess.gov/libraries.html#locate
The USBM video program no longer exists, although a few educational institutions may still
have a loan program. Corporations which co-produced the films with the USBM may also have
copies.
For information on former Bureau of Mines programs or publications, please contact the
following sources:
- Health and Safety Programs
- Transferred to National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
Locations: Pittsburgh, PA, and Spokane, WA
Program contact: 412-892-6601
Library contact: 412-892-4431 (Pittsburgh)
Library contact: 509-484-1610 (Spokane)
Library e-mail: kis2@niosh5.em.cdc.gov
OCLC symbol: qpc
- Materials Research Program
-
Transferred to U.S. Department of Energy
Location: Albany, OR
Program contact: 541-967-5892
Library contact: 541-967-5864
Library e-mail: clark@alrc.doe.gov
- Minerals Analysis Program
- Transferred to U.S. Bureau of Land Management
Locations: Juneau, AK, and Anchorage, AK
Program contact: 907-364-2111
Library contact: 907-364-1553
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(12) Q: How can I find wetland maps?
To Questions
A: Wetland mapping information is available from the National Wetlands Inventory Center
of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, St. Petersburg, Florida.
- Telephone: 727-570-5420
- FAX: 727-570-5420
- URL: http://www.nwi.fws.gov
* Note: The Internet address includes an interactive mapper and map status information.
Paper copies of wetlands maps are available from various state sources.
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