LibGuides: Geography: Home

Featured Link

Color Landform Atlas of the United States - This is Version 2 of this site. The homepage consists of links to each of the 50 states, to US maps, to background information about those maps, to an elevation key for the relief maps, to Web sites that have used Sterner's maps, and to Web awards the site has won.

Dictionaries of Geographical Terms

Dictionary of Abbreviations and Acronyms in Geographic Information Systems, Cartography, and Remote Sensing
GEONet-NIMA (National Imagery and Mapping Agency). - The GEONet Names Server provides access to NIMA's database of foreign geographic feature names. Approximately 12,000 of the databases's 3.3 million features are updated monthly with names and information approved by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names.

About This Page

This page lists the top recommended databases for Geography. A database is a searchable collection of articles, books, and other resources you usually can’t find on Google.

Choose a database below to get started.

Essential Databases

Agricola (EBSCO)
From the National Agricultural Library. Some full text. Agriculture and related fields. Includes: journal articles, monographs, proceedings, theses, patents, translations, audiovisual materials, computer software, and technical reports.
Arctic Science and Technology Information System
The Arctic Science and Technology Information System (ASTIS) database contains over 51,000 records describing publications and research projects about northern Canada. ASTIS is maintained by the Arctic Institute of North America at the University of Calgary, and is part of the Canadian Polar Information Network.
CQ Researcher
CQ Researcher--provides award winning in-depth coverage of the most important issues of the day. Our reports are written by experienced journalists, footnoted and professionally fact-checked. Full-length articles include an overview, historical background, chronology, pro/con feature, plus resources for additional research. The backfile for the database extends to 1923.
GeoRef (ProQuest)
Established by the American Geological Institute in 1966, this database provides access to the geosciences literature of the world. GeoRef is the most comprehensive database in the geosciences and continues to grow by more than 60,000 references a year. The database contains over 1.8 million references to geoscience journal articles, books, maps, conference papers, reports and theses. Coverage dates from 1795 for North America and 1933 for outside North America. The database includes references to all publications of the U.S. Geological Survey. Masters' theses and doctoral dissertations from U.S. and Canadian universities are also covered. Abstracts Only.

THOMAS
Based at the Library of Congress, this resource allows access to the full text of bills being considered in the House and Senate, the Congressional Record, and the U.S. Code.

General Web Resources

1906 San Francisco Earthquake
Amercican Geographical Society Digital Map Collection
Based at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, this site offers a selection of images dating from the mid-nineteenth century to modern times drawn from individual record groups within the Society's collection. The geographic emphasis is on the Middle East and Asia.
Cities Around the World
This site offers 6,100 photographs drawn from the American Geographical Society collection depicting 450 cities worldwide taken between 1942 and 1994. Major ancient urban centers such as Persepolis are also included.
Foundation for Landscape Studies
Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names
International Network for Traditional Building, Architecture and Urbanism
Latin American Travelogues
A full text collection of travel accounts on the nations and regions of Latin America written between the sixteenth and nineteenth centuries.
New Jersey Environmental Digital Library
Polar Oral History Program
Southern Forests for the Future
The Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923
A collection of over 100 digitized photographs , some taken at Yokohama immediately after the Great Kanto Earthquake in the autumn of 1923 by an American traveler. The collection as a whole covers both the earthquake and the experience of travelling abroad in East Asia just after World War I.
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
United Nations Environment Programme: The Billion Tree Campaign
Urban Planning 1794-1918: An International Anthology of Articles, Conference Papers, and Reports
John W. Reps (Cornell University) has compiled a bibliography of original source material in urban planning, primarily covering the 19th century. This wide-ranging site is a trove of information. Each bibliographic entry is annotated with a brief essay that includes a biography of the author and a discussion of the work's importance. Subjects covered include the principles, standards, and procedures for European, American, and Australian city planning.
USGS Multimedia Gallery
Virtual Shanghai: Urban Space in Time
WIND and SEA: The Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences Internet Guide
- An up-front index lists 40 main topics, from air pollution to wetlands. Of these, oceanography, weather, climate, coastal studies, endangered species, the history of oceanic and atmospheric sciences, and wetlands are categories most relevant geography.
World Digital Library ( Library of Congress )

Geography Departments

Geography Departments Worldwide

Professional Associations

Association of American Geographers
Founded in 1904, this Association is one of the premier professional groups in geography worldwide. This site features profiles of current projects such as ARGUS (Activities and Readings in the Geography of the United States) and links to related organizations homepages.
Geological Society of America
Based in Boulder, this organization has been one of the premier research organizations in U.S. earth sciences since 1888. In addition to sections of the GSA, the page offers access to materials on environment and public policy, and an electronic retrospective index to articles and abstracts from GSA Bulletin, Geology and GSA Today (this one in full-text form).
Soil Science Society of America
The chief American professional body for soils research, emphasizing the dissemination of data of soils as related to crop production, environmental quality, sustainable ecosystems, land use, recycling and waste management. Table of contents for the Society's Journal since January 1997 are provided.

Cartography and the History of Maps

Land Use

Natural and Environmental Systems

Environmental Education Web Resources

Conservation Commons
Earth Island Institute
Earth Portal
Envirolink
European Environment Agency
International Association of Wildland Fire
National Park Service Photo Collection
New Jersey Environmental Digital Library
OCEANIC: Oceanography Information Center ( University of Delaware )
Subject Bibliographies in Environmental Ethics - The 36 bibliographies included to date are "intended to facilitate research and public discussion of the ethical issues embedded in the environmental concerns of our day." The bibliographies are grouped into three series; Class, Subject, and Occasional Bibliographies. The bibliographies provide significant assistance to students, researchers, policy makers, and general readers to examine issues in environmental policy, scientific research findings, equity and environmental justice, and global environmental change. Some topics covered include, animal rights, managed landscapes, "deep ecology," industrial ecology, and symbio-genesis.
Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Program( UNESCO)
The Center for International Environmental Law
Turning Points in Wisconsin History : Original Manuscript Letters of John Muir, 1861-1914
United Nations Environment Program: Water
Urban planning, 1794-1918: An international anthology of articles, conference papers, and reports. - John W. Reps (Cornell University) has compiled a bibliography of original source material in urban planning, primarily covering the 19th century. This wide-ranging site is a trove of information. Each bibliographic entry is annotated with a brief essay that includes a biography of the author and a discussion of the work's importance. Subjects covered include the principles, standards, and procedures for European, American, and Australian city planning.
World Resources Institute
WWW Virtual Library: Agriculture

Environmental Education International Agreements

Environmental Education Research Centers

Environmental Education Government Agencies

Environment and Climate Change Canada
Great Lakes Information Network - A site created through a partnership of hundreds of state, provincial, regional, and federal organizations and agencies offering environmental, economic, and ecological coverage of the binational Great Lakes area. A search engine permitting free text scanning is provided.
Illinois Department of Natural Resources
Illinois Environmental Protection Agency - A colorful and detailed page featuring basic data such as regulations and pollution prevention and individual projects such as the "Environmental Conditions Report."
Lake Michigan Lake Wide Management Plan - The full text of an EPA document issued in April 2000 pursuant to the requirements of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement between the United States and Canada.
PARKNET: The National Park Service Place on the Web - This site offers access to the homepages of all national historic sites and monuments, recreation areas and parks maintained by the service. Regional maps showing park locations are included.
U.S. Department of Agriculture
U.S. Department of the Interior
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
U.S. Fish and Wildlife National Conservation Training Center
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
U.S. Forest Service
U.S. State Education and Environment Roundtable

Global
OzCoasts
Conservation Commons
Earth Island Institute
Earth Portal
Envirolink
European Environment Agency
International Association of Wildland Fire
National Park Service: Photos and Multimedia
New Jersey Environmental Digital Library
OCEANIC: Oceanography Information Center ( University of Delaware )
Subject Bibliographies in Environmental Ethics
The 36 bibliographies included to date are "intended to facilitate research and public discussion of the ethical issues embedded in the environmental concerns of our day." The bibliographies are grouped into three series; Class, Subject, and Occasional Bibliographies. The bibliographies provide significant assistance to students, researchers, policy makers, and general readers to examine issues in environmental policy, scientific research findings, equity and environmental justice, and global environmental change. Some topics covered include, animal rights, managed landscapes, "deep ecology," industrial ecology, and symbio-genesis.
Man and the Biosphere Program ( UNESCO )
The Center for International Environmental Law
Turning Points in Wisconsin History: Original Manuscript Letters of John Muir
United Nations Environment Program: Fresh Water
Urban Planning 1794-1918: An International Anthology of Articles, Conference Papers, and Reports
John W. Reps (Cornell University) has compiled a bibliography of original source material in urban planning, primarily covering the 19th century. This wide-ranging site is a trove of information. Each bibliographic entry is annotated with a brief essay that includes a biography of the author and a discussion of the work's importance. Subjects covered include the principles, standards, and procedures for European, American, and Australian city planning.
World Resources Institute
WWW Virtual Library: Agriculture
Arctic Council
Aspen Global Change Institute
Association for Environmental and Outdoor Education
Greenpeace International
Information Center for the Environment
National Association of Conservation Districts
Sierra Club
United Nations Environment Program
International Union for the Conservation of Nature
World Wildlife Fund Global Network
Environmental Treaties and Resource Indicators
International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives
World Resources Institute
European Forest Institute
Everglades Science and Restoration Center
Environment and Climate Change Canada
Great Lakes Information Network ( GLIN )
A site created through a partnership of hundreds of state, provincial, regional, and federal organizations and agencies offering environmental, economic, and ecological coverage of the binational Great Lakes area. A search engine permitting free text scanning is provided
Illinois Department of Natural Resources
Illinois Environmental Protection Agency
A colorful and detailed page featuring basic data such as regulations and pollution prevention and individual projects such as the "Environmental Conditions Report."
Lake Michigan Lakewide Management Plan
The full text of an EPA document issued in April 2000 pursuant to the requirements of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement between the United States and Canada.
National Park Service
U.S. Department of Agriculture
U.S. Department of the Interior
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
U.S. Fish and Wlidlife Service National Conservation Training Center
U.S. Forest Service
U.S. State Education and Environment Roundtable

Geographic Information Systems and Data Sets

Government Agencies

U.S. Decennial Census By Decade
Bureau of Land Management
This site provides convenient access to the Central Bureau page, listings for state offices and program homepages such as the National Wild Horse and Burro project.
Chicago Wilderness: An Atlas of Biodiversity
A profile of the Chicago wilderness region, covering living communities (prairies, woodlands, wetlands, still and moving waters), people on the land, forest preserves, management and restoration.
Enviromapper
- Operated by the Environmental Protection Agency, this site offers graphic data on drinking water, hazardous waste, toxic and air releases, water discharge permits, and superfund sites, with links to related text reports.
EPA Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance
EROS Data Center: Earth Resources Observation System
This facility in Sioux Falls, SD (begun as a processing and distribution center for LANDSAT data) also houses a variety of USGS cartographic products (US Geodata) and the world's largest collection of civilian remotely sensed data.
European Environment Agency
Global Earth Observation System of Systems ( GEOSS )
Illinois Environmental Protection Agency
A colorful and detailed page featuring basic data such as regulations and pollution prevention and individual projects such as the "Environmental Conditions Report."
Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESO
International Council for the Exploration of the Sea
Lakewide Action and Management Plans for the Great Lakes
The full text of an EPA document issued in April 2000 pursuant to the requirements of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement between the United States and Canada.
NASA
Geography related information can be accessed by using "Earth Sciences" listed under "Strategic Enterprises."
National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science
National Integrated Drought Information System
Natural Resources Conservation Service: Soils
National Water Management Center
The Bureau of Man and the Biosphere ( UNESCO )
U.S. Antarctic Program
Natural Resources Conservation Service ( USDA )
A section of the US Department of Agriculture focused on conservation of environmental quality, soil surveys, wetlands management, forestry and wildlife habitat and farmland preservation.
U.S. EPA- Office of Water
U.S. Geological Survey Emergency Management
U.S. Geological Survey
Highly useful for monitoring USGS programs in the areas of biology, geology, water, and mapping. The "Highlights" section is particularly valuable for tracking current events such as El

Geography Research Centers

American Geographical Society Library
The home page for the library of the American Geographic Society, based at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. A useful feature of this page is the links geospatial data sets and digital collections.
Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center Archival Program
Center for Integrated Earth System Information ( Columbia University )
A regional directory and data access system developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, highlighting the "Great Lakes Program." Searchers will find the access to the database of the Great Lakes National Program office especially useful.
Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center
Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory
Great Lakes Information Network ( GLIN )
A site created through a partnership of hundreds of state, provincial, regional, and federal organizations and agencies offering environmental, economic, and ecological coverage of the binational Great Lakes area. A search engine permitting free text scanning is provided
International Institute for Environment and Develoment
Mid-America Earthquake Center
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Ocean Biodiversity Information System ( OBIS )
Stockholm Environmental Institute
SULIS (Sustainable Urban Landscape Information Series)
Housed at the University of Minnesota, Department of Horticultural Science. "The goal of SULIS is to provide sustainable landscape information to the public and to the horticultural and landscape industries." Topics covered are design, plat selection, implementation, and maintenance.
U.S. Cascades Volcano Observatory

Organizations

Arctic Council
Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography
The Earth Institute ( Columbia University )
Friends of the Earth
- The largest international network of environmental groups in the world, covering 52 countries. Researchers will find the "Environmental Campaigns" page useful for tracking six major areas of concern ranging from sustainable development to energy.
Gulf of Maine Research Institute
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ( NOAA )
Useful links from this page include the National Environmental Satellite Data and Information Service. A basic starting point for research involving the environment, climate, coastal issues, etc.
Nature Conservancy
- Operator of the largest private system of nature sanctuaries in the world, with over 1,500 in the United States. News of conservation programs underway may be found under the "Where We Work" menu item.
PARKNET: The National Park Service
This site offers access to the homepages of all national historic sites and monuments, recreation areas and parks maintained by the service. Regional maps showing park locations are included.
Water Environment Federation
Wetlands International
Yale Center for the Study of Globalization

Subject Guide

Robert Ridinger

Email Me

Contact:

268A Founders Memorial Library, Northern Illinois University, De Kalb, IL 6015-2868.

Subjects: African American Studies, Anthropology, Earth, Atmosphere and Environment, Health and Human Sciences, Latino and Latin American Studies, LGBT Studies, Sociology

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