F e d e r a l    D e p o s i t o r y    L i b r a r y    P r o g r a m

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) announces the release of the USGS Store, its online map catalog, January 1, 2004. The USGS Store will provide online ordering access to all published products distributed by the USGS. The catalog is online at <http://store.usgs.gov>.

The new USGS Store is a full online catalog of products that initially presents thumbnail images of all 7.5-minute topographic maps along with larger images of other selected maps. Many of the products will also have detailed descriptions available. All USGS published products (maps, books, general interest publications, etc.) will be available from the store. In addition to USGS products, the Catalog carries the products of other agencies that are available from the USGS: for example, US Forest Service maps of National Forests, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) maps of Vietnam and other countries, historic maps from the Library of Congress, and land-management maps from the US Bureau of Land Management.

This functionality provides a new method to communicate recent news and product advertisements of USGS published products. Ordering options enable users to charge to an account, a project number, or a credit card. The site also enables customers to check their order status and receive email confirmations.

The USGS Store will replace Earth Explorer and MapFinder for the searching and ordering of maps. A notice and a link to the USGS Store will be posted on both sites to inform users of the change in map ordering. The products can also be ordered from a network of authorized USGS retailers. A listing of retailers, by State, is available on the Store and also at: <http://mapping.usgs.gov/www/partners/bpmain.html>. For more information about the USGS and the products it offers, call 303-202-4200, or 1-888-ASK-USGS.