Using Maps to Research Armed International Conflicts: How to Use a Map Set and Index

Sets are a series of maps that have been published together and are meant to be viewed together. They are extremely useful because they often provide a close-up look to the area in question.

Sets are often relevant during conflicts, as these sets allow for armed forces to navigate effectively. In addition, government entities are also often creating these maps. 

In a catalog record, you can often determine if a map is actually a set, by looking for the keywords "multi-sheet," "plate," "set, No. ___," or "[#] of sheets."

See below for examples from both the online Research Catalog and the printed Dictionary Catalog (GK Hall).

Using the example from the printed dictionary catalog above, let's utilize Campbell's guide maps of France, Belgium, Italy, and Germany [1918], Ed. Blondel la Rougery to find Normandy, France.

Each set usually includes an index in the folder/box. 

On the index, find the region that you are looking for. Each section is assigned a number- that is, a plate or sheet number. 

On the index for our example set, you can see that France is "divided" into sections and there is a legend detailing what each section is referencing. 

As such, Normandy is on Sheet/Plate 3.

• Note that because the map is in French, Normandy is being spelled as "Normandie." In cases like this, having either Google Translate or GeoNames available to see alternative spellings in other languages is useful.

Now that you have identified the number associated with your section of interest, match the sheet/plate number from the index to the individual sheet maps in the set. As such, here you can see a close-up of Normandy during World War I via sheet No. 3.