<img src=‘https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/3000x2001+0+0/resize/3000x2001!/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F22%2Fb1%2Fd7430b43479fa4dbe61b7db8c05a%2Fgrybus-npr-maplibrary-hr-02-1642.jpg’ alt=‘The Theatrum Orbis Terrarum, 1575, by Abraham Ortelius (1527-1598) is often considered the world’s first atlas. The library has two copies.’/>

From 400-year-old globes to cosmic funeral shrouds, how the Osher Map Library in Maine shows people that maps aren’t just for navigation — but windows into history, culture, and how we see the world.

(Image credit: Greta Rybus)