The library maintains an extensive collection of soil surveys of most U.S. counties. They are used by farmers, but also contain a wealth of information useful for environmental planners and others who need know about conditions in particular counties. Most modern soil surveys are overlaid over aerial photographs, which make them a good source of high-altitude aerial photos for much of the nation. Older soil surveys often contain unique historical and archeological information.
Most soil surveys are arranged by state and county on shelves in the government Documents section in the North Reading Room. See the location map on the Maps of the Map Collection tab. Copies of the soil survey for Nassau and Suffolk counties are kept on the reserve shelf in the Science and Engineering Library. Older (pre-1950) soil maps of the Northeastern states have been removed from their accompanying booklets, and are filed in a locked map case.
Almost all county soil surveys are boxed. All may be found in the soil survey section. Please refer to our “Soil Survey Inventory” in CONTENTdm to find our holdings by year of publication, and which, if any, box contains them.
