Long before the digital age, scientists mapped the world based on their own experiences and with the knowledge and experience of seafarers. Explorers, soldiers and travelers used these maps to stay on course. Maps were collected and published as atlases from the early 16th century. The library holds city, historical, military, and children’s atlases from cartographers such as Mercator, Braun and Hogenberg, De Vaugondy, and Guedeville. Several atlases are hand-coloured.