Map Specialist
Heather Ross
she/her
Contact:
1 Pattee Library
Donald W. Hamer Center for Maps and Geospatial Information
Penn State University Libraries
University Park, PA 16802
Donald W. Hamer Center for Maps and Geospatial Information
Penn State University Libraries
University Park, PA 16802
814-863-1349
Website
Subjects: Campus: University Park, Maps
Donald W. Hamer Center for Maps and Geospatial Information
Intrduction
Penn State University Libraries collections encompass ONLY Pennsylvania. Please use this guide on how to access historic aerial photographs from US government websites. Each state is different and varies in how accessible their data is. Your best bet is to contact a large research library in the state you are interested in and ask them. They will be the most knowledgeable about the data in their state.
ESRI - U.S. Historical Imagery
- U.S. Historical Imagery ExplorerESRI's aerial imagery navigator. This easy to use interface contains images from the USGS's Earth Explorer. See below.
National Archives and Records Administration
- National Archives and Records AdministrationThe National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) houses aerial photographs from approximately the late-1930s to the mid-1950s that were collected by several federal programs and agencies. The NARA Cartographic and Architectural Reference team provides access to their collections upon request or through:
- The National Archives list of Domestic Photography by Record GroupSearch the online catalog and other National Archives resources at once. Most of these are not scanned and unless you visit them in person, you will need to hire a researcher to do the work for you.
- Aerial Photographs in the National ArchivesProduced in 1973, this document lists some of National Archive's holdings of aerial photos
- Hiring a Researcher in the National ArchivesResearchers Specializing in Cartographic and Architectural Records.
Library of Congress
- The Library of CongressThe Library of Congress Geography and Maps division provides access to historic aerial photographs and remotely sensing imagery
Other options
Look for free aerial photo resources in this section:
- Aerial imagery by stateGuide from San Diego State University providing links to online imagery by state.
- CaliforniaUC Santa Barbara's digital Aerial Photography Collection is free and open to the public. Use the web app to find and download more than 425,000 photos.
Look for aerial photos to purchase in this section:
- Historic Aerial photos for purchaseWhen you have exhausted your other resources, this site has pulled together aerial photos, mostly from free sties. You can purchase them. Their interface is intuitive and prices are reasonable.
- Northeast US including CT, MA, ME, NH, NJ, RI, VTTo purchase photos, draw a box around what you want, then hit "Complete Drawing" and send form or email mail@e-topo.com.
If you have aerial photos that you need to dispose of, please contact ASPRS:
- ASPRS Data Preservation and Archive CommitteeGroup tasked with finding and preserving and scanning aerial photos. Contains links to collections and where to find them. Contact them if you have items to get rid of.