Osher Map Library & Smith Center for Cartographic Education

05/30/2026

You never know what you’ll find when browsing through our collections. Check out this 1948 map of New England Airports. We were surprised at the vast number of airports and landing fields in our home state of Maine almost 80 years ago. The map is chock full of information for each landing site, including elevation, length of longest runway, landing surfaces, etc. It was not, however, to be used as a flight map! ✈️ 🗺️

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Name: New England Airport Map

Barcode: 12992

Creator: New England Council. Aviation Committee

Date/Date Range Published: 1948

Region Depicted: New England

Dimensions: 86 x 66 cm

Notes: Verso: Directory of New England airports.

Permanent URL: https://oshermaps.org/map/12992.0001

05/27/2026

We are pleased to announce the digital publication of the exhibition catalog for "A Pageant of Spectacles: Chromolithography in America," by Dr. Matthew Edney, our Faculty Scholar and Osher Chair in the History of Cartography.
A Pageant of Spectacles was on display at the Osher Map Library from November 30th, 2023 - June 29th, 2024. This exhibition catalog features the companion article "Mapping, Printing, and Color," by Dr. Edney which explores the history of different printing processes used in mapmaking throughout history, as well as a catalog of the items displayed in the exhibition. Click below to download a copy [designed by Paul Fuller, Coordinator of Digital Collections and Digital Initiatives, Osher Map Library]. Please feel free to share with colleagues and friends interested in the history of printing and the use of color in mapmaking.

Chromolithography was used in the nineteenth century to create full-color and realistic images of the world. A Pageant of Spectacles: Chromolithography in Nineteenth-Century America, an exhibition at the Osher Map Library from November 30th, 2023 - June 29th, 2024, explained the printing process and...

05/24/2026

Have you voted for your favorite maps yet?

Online voting for our 4th-5th-6th Grade Map Making Contest ends at 12:00pm on Monday, May 25, 2026.

Check out the top 12 and Vote Here:

Osher Map Library and Smith Center for Cartographic Education Mapmaking Contest! The 2026 Top Twelve Maps: Voting ends Monday, May 25, at 12:00pm Eastern Time. The Isles of Nagspeak Clara F. of BrunswickHarriet Beecher Stowe Elem – 5th Grade. Wildthorne William R. of BrunswickBrunswick Jr. High Sc...

05/22/2026

A friendly reminder that the OML will be closed through Memorial Day. We'll reopen to the public on Tuesday, May 26th!

Can't wait for maps? Check out our digitized collection on our website!

05/20/2026

The Osher Map Library has brought a free, hands-on Map Lab to Lewiston-Auburn, and K-12 students across Central Maine are already loving it. 🗺️

Read more: https://usm.maine.edu/news/osher-map-library-brings-interactive-map-lab-to-lewiston-auburn-campus/

05/19/2026

'Tis the season for the Osher Map Library Annual Maine 4th-5th-6th grade Illustrated Mapmaking Contest!

Hundreds of maps were submitted from all over Maine; the judges have gone through all of the maps, and VOTING IS NOW LIVE! We need your help narrowing the top 12 down to the top 3! Voting closes on Monday, May 25th, at 12pm, so get yours in now!

Vote On Our Website: https://oshermaps.org/contest/vote

05/18/2026

We have some new followers here, thanks to our spotlight on CBS Sunday Morning!

Interested in learning more about some of the maps mentioned in our segment? Check out the 1846 "Temple of Time" created by Emma Willard. She was an educator and founded the first school for women's higher education called the Troy Female Seminary in Troy, New York. She also traveled extensively, promoting education for women.

Willard co-wrote geographies and atlases, including the widely used Historical Atlas of the United States. The Temple of Time was published in her 'Atlas to Accompany A System of Universal Geography.'

This map is a chronological chart of Western World history in the form of a flow diagram, within a Greek-style temple. Included on the temple floor are names of kings, queens and emperors, including major battles and events of the time period. The ceiling of the temple lists thinkers, philosophers, theologians, artists and military figures.


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Collection: Osher Map Library Collection

Name: The Temple of Time invented by Emma Willard.

Barcode: 58968

Image Number: 58968.0001

Creator: Willard, Emma, 1787-1870

Printmaker: Willard, Emma, 1787-1870

Publishing Location: New York

Alternative Title: Cover title: Willard's Map of Time: A Companion to the Historic Guide

Publisher: A.S. Barnes & Co.

Date/Date Range Published: 1846

Language: English

Region Depicted: World

Map Type: Historical mapsPictorial maps

Dimensions: 68 x 96.5 cm on sheet, folded to 36 cm

Printing Technique: Wood Letterpress

LC Call Number: GN 469.5 1846 W5

OCLC: 1485480093

Permanent URL: https://oshermaps.org/map/58968.0001

05/18/2026

Thanks to CBS Sunday Morning for this feature on the Osher Map Library that aired on Sunday’s Design episode. It was wonderful to host the crew for three days in April while they filmed the segment, and an honor to be on the program. If you missed it live, you can watch it below!

The Osher Map Library, at the University of Southern Maine in Portland, is home to half a million rare maps, globes and atlases, dating as far back as the 15th century. Correspondent Martha Teichner explores the world as depicted by cartographers, through maps that are whimsical, political, or inten...

05/15/2026

Tune into CBS Sunday Morning this weekend to hear from our Executive Director, Libby Bischof, and our Faculty Scholar, Matthew Edney!

HISTORY: Understanding the World Through Old Maps

"The Osher Map Library, at the University of Southern Maine in Portland, is home to half a million rare maps, globes and atlases, dating as far back as the 15th century. Correspondent Martha Teichner explores the world as depicted by cartographers, through maps that are whimsical, political, or intentionally distorted, and examines why – in an age of GPS – maps are definitely not outdated."

The Emmy Award-winning "CBS News Sunday Morning" is broadcast on CBS Sundays beginning at 9:00 a.m. ET.

"Sunday Morning" presents its annual edition touching on all aspects of design, hosted by Jane Pauley.

05/08/2026

Congratulations to everyone wrapping up another academic year! It's been wonderful seeing all of the celebrations in between the papers, presentations, and finals. There's a sense of relief, but also of endless possibilities for the future!

It's an exciting time of year that many throughout history have experienced. Here we can look back at 1890 lithographs created from photographic images showing scenes of Oldtown and Orono areas. These pages show the Maine State College Buildings, including Wingate Hall, the Museum, Coburn Hall, Farm Buildings, Oak Hall, the Chemical Laboratory, the Horticultural Buildings, and the Experiment Station.

Proving that campuses may change, but there's always something new to learn!


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Collection: Osher Map Library Collection

Parent: Souvenir of Oldtown and Orono, Maine

Page Name: Maine State College Buildings, Wingate Hall, Museum; Coburn Hall, Farm Buildings, Oak Hall, Chemical Laboratory, Horticultural Buildings, Experiment Station

Barcode: 58163

Image Number: 58163

Publisher: Chisholm Bros.

Date Produced: 1890

Language: English

Dimensions: Cover: H 12.7 X W 15.5 cm, Pages: H 11.8 X W 14.6 cm

LC Call Number: F29.O5 1890

OCLC: 70833708

Permanent URL: https://oshermaps.org/map/58163.0001