Special Collections preserves thousands of original maps and reproductions dating from the late sixteenth century to the present. Among the collection's diverse holdings are early maps of North America and the vast territory of Louisiana. There are also maps of the Mississippi River Commission's Survey of the Mississippi and U.S. Coast Survey charts of the Gulf of Mexico's coastal waters.

The Louisiana Map Collection, however, specializes in maps of the state of Louisiana. It includes state and regional topographic maps, maps of vegetation zones and natural resources, parish and highway maps, and plans of New Orleans which trace the city's development since its founding in 1718.

The maps contain a variety of information ranging from the names and locations of Indian tribes, land owners, plantations, towns, and fortifications, to explorers' routes, depth soundings for the Mississippi River and coastal waters, state and parish boundaries, crops under cultivation, and even the best spots for fishing.