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Subject-specific eGuides

Geography

Searching for resources

There are two key library catalogues you may use when studying at Cambridge:

Girton Library catalogue (Heritage) – search Girton Library’s collection and see if items are available or already on loan. See our eGuide for further information.

iDiscover – to search across the University’s print and electronic collections (including books, eBooks, journals, newspapers, articles and much more, from other colleges, faculty and department libraries, and the University Library. Most, but not all, of Girton’s collection can be found here. See our Searching iDiscover eGuide for further information.

You will be able to borrow from Girton’s Main Library and the University Library. Your subject-specific library is the Geography Library. However, there may be other libraries within Cambridge which stock useful resources - the A.G. Leventis Library, the Whipple Library, and the Scott Polar Research Institute, to name a few. For a full list of the Cambridge libraries see the directory and check each library for access guidelines.

Search Spacefinder to find places of study outside of College.

Subject-specific resources

There are lots of very worthwhile databases for Geography listed in the Database A-Z LibGuide. Some highlights include:

  • agcensus - discover grid square agricultural census data for England, Scotland and Wales.
  • ANIDA - here you will find maps and geo-referenced content relating to environmental, social, demographical, political and economic data.
  • Columbia Gazetteer of the World - a database of names and descriptions of over 165,000 places
  • Digimap - maps and map data relating to the U.K.
  • geology.com - news and information site focussing on geology
  • GreenFILE - research database focussing on the relationship between human beings and the environment
  • IKAR (Printed maps before 1850) - a wide assortment of maps and data printed before 1850, with worldwide coverage
  • Landmap - a research project offering earth observational data, including thermal, optical, elevation, radar and feature data. 

There is also a specified LibGuide for Geography, which includes information, quick links to resources, and details about the Geography Library and the dedicated Faculty Librarian. Plus there is an extra LibGuide for finding and using Cartographic Resources, which may be helpful.

Finding relevant material if you don't have a reading list

These databases below cover a wide range of different resources, and can be very helpful when you don't have a reading list, or when you're just starting out.  


Help within college

Library staff can provide support and assistance. You can book an appointment with us or ask a question via library@girton.cam.ac.uk.