Identifying metadata on Soviet military maps: an illustrated guide

In the aftermath of the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the commercial availability of previously classified Soviet military mapping has revealed the vastness of a global mapping project, previously unknown to the rest of the world, comprising detailed topographic maps and city plans at several scales. Although numerous libraries and archives around the world have acquired these maps, and continue to do so, difficulties in interpreting the metadata of each sheet have led to errors and inconsistencies in the cataloguing of the maps, potentially hindering their accessibility.

This paper focuses on approaches to identifying metadata on the maps and will present some illustrated examples as a guide. It is hoped that such assistance in the interpretation of these maps in general will also be of use to cataloguers.