Stop by and check out the Fra Mauro map facsimile on display in Special Collections. This map was made around 1450 by the Italian cartographer Fra Mauro. The original is a circular planisphere drawn on parchment and set in a wooden frame that measures over two by two meters. It includes Asia, the Indian Ocean, Africa, Europe and the Atlantic Ocean. It is oriented with south at the top. The maker of the map, Fra Mauro, was a Camaldolese monk from the island of Murano near Venice. Information for the map was collected from seafarers.

The Fra Mauro map is considered one of the most important works in the history of cartography. It marks the end of Bible-based geography in Europe and the beginning of embracing a more scientific way of making maps, placing accuracy ahead of religious or traditional beliefs.