Maps

The National and University Library of Iceland's cartography collection contains most of the maps of Iceland that have been published. Most of them are received by the museum in accordance with the law on legal deposits.

The map collection is on the 1st floor and is one of the National Library's special collections. The main Icelandic maps are Danish surveyors' maps of the country from the beginning of the 20th century (the General Staff Council maps), maps of both the British and American armies from the mid-20th century (AMS maps), publications by Landmælingar Íslands (the Icelandic Survey of Land) and other publishers. The map collection is home to a large library (over 600 volumes) on maps and cartography, which was a gift from Haraldur Sigurðsson and his wife Sigrún Á. Sigurðardóttir. Among other things, it contains reprints of map books by leading cartographers of previous centuries, various publications by renowned scholars in this field, as well as the major journals on cartography.

The handbook room on the 2nd floor has a considerable number of atlases, including a recent complete edition of the atlas sheets of Landmælingar Íslands (the Icelandic Survey of Land).