• All Research Guides

• Contents of This Guide:
  
• Starting Your Research
• Finding Articles
• Finding Books
• Finding Maps & Aerial Photographs
• People & Organizations
• Web Resources

Geography Research Guide

The following is a selected list of resources for starting research in Geography. For further assistance, contact the Geography Subject Specialist at jonjab@uoregon.edu. There is also extensive information on the MAP Library's homepage.

See also:

• How to find a map.
• GIS research guide.
  

Starting Your Research

Geography has developed into a multifaceted subject encompassing human, physical, political, and historical geographies. These sources listed below represent both general and specific reference sources for conducting research involving geographic information.

General Geography

• World Geographical Encyclopedia [KNIGHT REF. G63 .E5213 1995]
• The Encyclopedic Dictionary of Physical Geography [DOCS REF. GB10 .E53 1994]
• The Historical Dictionary of World Political Geography : An Encyclopedic Guide to the History of Nations [MAP LIB. D20 .R16 2001]
• The Dictionary of Human Geography [DOCS REF. GF4 .D52 2000]
• The Dictionary of Physical Geography [DOCS REF. GB 10 .D53 2000]

Oregon Geography

• Atlas of Oregon 2nd ed. [G 1490 .L63 2001]. Copies available in Knight Reference, Knight stacks, Maps, and AAA Reference.
• Oregon Geographic Names 7th ed [DOCS REF. F 874 .M16 2003]
• The MAP Library is the most comprehensive collection of maps and atlases in the state. It is located on the first floor of the Knight Library

Finding Articles

To find articles about topics related to Geography, the following databases and indexes will prove the most useful. You can find out if we have an electronic copy of any article by clicking from most databases.

• GeoBase
  GeoBase is the best database for finding articles about Geography especially as it pertains to the sciences.
• GeoRef
  GeoRef features articles on geography, particularly as it relates to geology.
• All Academic
  Includes conference papers from the Association of American Geographers.
• Academic Search Premier
  This extensive database offers articles on Geography as it relates to a wide variety of academic disciplines.
• Web of Science
  The Web of Science features articles on physical geography and its relationship to the wider world of scientific research.

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Finding BOOKS

• UO Library Catalog
  The advanced search page has advice on formulating exact searches. If the book you are looking for is checked out or we do not own it, try hitting the red summit button: to borrow the book from one of our partner libraries.
• Summit Union Catalog
  Summit can also be searched as a standalone catalog. Summit borrowing works only for book materials. If you want to request a journal article, you'll need to fill out an interlibrary loan form.
• WorldCat
  Worldcat provides access to library catalogs from around the world. Interlibrary loans can be initiated directly inside of WorldCat

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Finding Maps and Aerial Photographs

• University of Oregon MAP Library
  The UO Map Collection is the most comprehensive source for cartographic holdings in Oregon. There is a guide to finding maps and other cartographic materials in the MAP Library. PLEASE NOTE that most maps are not in the online catalog.
• Aerial Photography Research Service. The UO has over 525,000 historical aerial photos covering the entire state of Oregon. This are available for research by the academic and the public with a request at the Document Center and a two day turnaround time. Copy and scanning services are available. Photos do NOT circulate.
• Google Maps has world wide coverage of satellite (and in some places high-resolution aerial photography) imagery available to view within a web browser.
• Terraserver
  Terraserver contains viewable high resolution USGS aerial imagery and USGS topographic maps.
• Terrafly
  Terrafly has viewable remote sensing data of the United States.
• USGS NAPP Photo Finder
  The National Aerial Photography Program (NAPP) provides key information for the most current flights and coverage of the United States.

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People & Organizations

• The Association of American Geographers.
  Is the main organization for academic geographers in the United States. The Annals of the AAG and The Professional Geographer are both available online to campus users.
  
• National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
  NOAA conducts research and gathers data about the oceans, atmosphere, space, and sun. NOAA produces navigational charts of the United States coasts and waterways. Their National Virtual Database System allows users to search for NOAA products by a variety of methods.
• North American Cartographic Information Society (NACIS)
  NACIS is comprised of specialists from private, academic, and government organizations whose interest lies in facilitating communication in the map information community
• Oregon Geographic Names Board
  The state's organization that tracks place names and makes recommendations to the USGS on naming.
  
• United States Geological Survey
  The USGS is the leading agency for mapping and conducting geographical research in the United States.
• Western Association of Map Libraries (WAML)
  WAML represents map collections from the leading academic institutions in the Western United States and Canada. Site contains numerous resources for the map librarian and geography student.

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Web Resources

• Columbia Gazetteer of the World
• Geography Departments Worldwide
• Internet Resources in the Earth Sciences
• The Geography Exchange
• GeoSource
• Oddens Bookmarks has over 22,000 links, including extensive listing of journals by subject.
• University of Waterloo Library: Geography Subject Page
• GEONet Names Server

Maintained by: Jon Jablonski, jonjab@uoregon.edu
Last Modified: 04/15/2008