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The Maps & Geospatial Services offers services relating to maps, atlases, and geospatial information science (GIS) technology. All students, staff, faculty, and community members can visit the Map Library to explore our paper and digital collections. Our staff are available for class visits and individualized consultations.

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Featured

MSU's 1863 Land Grant

September 09, 2024

Kathleen Weessies

What land was actually behind MSU's Land Grant? See an interactive map of the actual land parcels selected through the 1862 Morrill Act program.
Map of MSU's 1863 land grant

John Farmer, Mapmaker

August 06, 2024

John Farmer was Michigan’s most astonishing mapmaker. His accurate and detailed maps of Michigan, dating 1825-1859 coincided with an enormous influx of settlers.
A man in a black suit

Footpath to Freeway

August 06, 2024

Michigan maps evolved in step with the development of the road system and showed advances such as named roads and numbered state and federal routes. Publishers include map giants Rand McNally and Gousha who supplied oil companies with their ubiquitous freely distributed road maps.
A man in a car and a map
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Events & Workshops

  • Learn QGIS: Making a color shaded map with data in QGIS (Online)

    January 21, 2026 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM

    Learn the basics of QGIS, the free open-source geospatial software—this workshop will demonstrate fundamental GIS skills including how to make a choropleth (color shaded) map, load shape-files and .csv table files into QGIS, join data to spatial information and edit features. 

  • Geospatial Data and Maps Discoverability: 10 years of the Big Ten Geospatial Information Network Project

    February 11, 2026 12:30 PM – 1:30 PM

    Map Library (Main Library, 2 East)

    Join us for a presentation on the Big Ten Geospatial Information Network (BTAA GIN) Geoportal, a geospatial data discovery website and its development over the past decade. The Geoportal provides access to geospatial data, maps, and aerial imagery from around the world.  The BTAA GIN Formed in 2015,…

  • Introduction to ArcGIS Pro: Make a color shaded map (In person)

    February 25, 2026 4:30 PM – 6:00 PM

    DSL Classroom/Lab: (Main Library, 2 West)

    ArcGIS Pro is a widely used licensed software in industry and government. This workshop will demonstrate how load data into ArcGIS Pro, how to make a choropleth (color shaded) map and place graduated symbols representing data on it, and how to join custom data from spreadsheets to spatial data layers in ArcGIS Pro…

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