Conserving Maps

The Carolina Room houses maps of Charlotte, Mecklenburg County and the Carolinas. The oldest are reproductions of colonial-era maps. Original maps from the twentieth-century show the growth of Charlotte, the layout of old neighborhoods, the courses of roads and waterways that have since altered, and in a few cases the location of individual structures.

Librarians at the Carolina room have made access to the maps easier while insuring them against harm as well. We have rearranged the shelves in the map room so that all the cases of map file drawers are together and we have placed them in "sleeves" - clear plastic covers. Note that the map held by librarian Thomas Cole in the accompanying photograph does not droop when held within its archival sleeve. It is less likely to be damaged by use and easier to find and extract.

Mecklenburg County has put some historic maps online also.