Willis G. Meyer Map Collection

The Willis G. Meyer map collection is generously endowed by a gift from Willis George Meyer (1906-1995) and his family.

Willis G. Meyer's long relationship with the University of Cincinnati began in the 1930s, receiving his MS degree in 1933 and returning to complete his Ph.D. in geology in 1941. He had a long and successful career in the petroleum industry, first with a large oil company and later as a consultant working in the United States, Mexico, Brazil, and New Zealand. During this time he also obtained a professional engineer's license.

The Willis G. Meyer map collection is over 200,000 maps. It is used by UC students, faculty, and the general public researching fields as diverse as geology, geography, oceanography, planning, environmental science, and anthropology. In addition to funding the purchase of maps, the endowment supports map equipment, software, and student assistants employed to assist with the collections' organization and maintenance. Selected monographs about maps and map making are also purchased with the fund.

The University, the Geology Department, the UC Libraries and the many users of the map collection deeply appreciate this thoughtful and most useful gift, which strongly supports the teaching, learning, and research mission of the University of Cincinnati.