Hermon Dunlap Smith Center for the History of Cartography

A visiting scholar leafs through a 1482 edition of Ptolemy's Cosmographia. Call number: VAULT Ayer 6 .P9 1482b

Research Support

The Newberry's collection includes hundreds of thousands of maps, atlases, and travel ephemera. Smith Center staff are available in person or online to help researchers navigate the collection.

Interested in using the collection but not sure where to start? Want to expand the scope of your research by discovering things that may not be on your radar? Call us at  (312) 255-3523 or send us an email.

Learn about the Collection

Teaching with Maps

Maps can be a powerful tool for teaching and learning history. On the surface, maps seem like straightforward representations of places in time. But look closer and they'll reveal how people and institutions have viewed, experienced, and shaped the world around them.

It takes practice to be able to read maps for insights about the past. To help students develop this skill, we've created resources that K-12 educators can use to promote map literacy in the classroom.

Explore Resources

Fellowships

Scholars who work with maps are invited to apply for research fellowships offered by the Newberry.

Supporting scholars working on projects related to the history of cartography or projects focusing on cartographic materials in the Newberry’s collection.

Stipend: $3,000/month

Length: 1 month

Who can apply: Graduate student applicants must be ABD by the application deadline.

Deadline: December 15

How to Apply

Supporting scholars who demonstrate a specific need for the Newberry collection. This fellowship is open to all fields of study, with preference given to projects in the early modern period or Renaissance, as well as in English history, legal history, or European history.

Stipend: $3,000/month

Length: 1 month

Who can apply: Graduate student applicants must be ABD by the application deadline.

Deadline: December 15

How to Apply

Supporting scholars working on projects related to American History who demonstrate a specific need for the Newberry’s collection.

Stipend: $3,000/month

Length: 1 month

Who can apply: Graduate student applicants must be ABD by the application deadline.

Deadline: December 15

How to Apply

This fellowship commemorates Schutte’s renowned scholarship and is available to early-career scholars studying the early modern period (1300-1700).

Stipend: $3,000/month

Length: 1 month

Who can apply: Early career scholars in all fields of study with preference given to research related to women’s studies, spirituality, or Venice. Graduate student applicants must be ABD by the application deadline. 

Deadline: December 15

How to Apply

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Get in Touch

Call us at  (312) 255-3523 or send us an email.

Use the Collection in Person

Get your hands on the Newberry's unique collection of books, maps, and primary sources.

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Professional Development for Teachers

Led by Chicago-area scholars and Newberry subject specialists, these seminars allow teachers to learn at one of the world’s premier research libraries.

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