Just in time for the start of spring semester, the Gould Center released newly updated 2016 campus maps, making it easier for everyone to navigate their way around University Park and find their new classes.

The Peter R. Gould Center for Geography Education and Outreach in Penn State’s Department of Geography has been creating the campus maps for more than 20 years, which can be no easy task considering the fact that Penn State seems to be constantly under construction. Sprawled out over 8,500 acres with nearly 300 academic, administrative, and residential buildings, the Gould Center had the daunting task of plotting everything correctly and in a format that is easy to use.

As changes occur at University Park, such as new building construction, parking lot changes, and the renaming of buildings, the Gould Center updates the maps on the web accordingly. While these changes may seem minor to students and alumni who have been around for while, these updates are important, both for new students and for the thousands of visitors that come around each year.

The updated 2016 maps feature some new changes that are especially helpful for new-comers: the majority of the maps now include bus routes that are easier and cleaner to read, which will allow students to more accurately plan out if they can take the CATA bus to their far away classes. Previously, it was tough to follow the bus routes because the maps were illustrated with 3-D buildings, which gave the false impression that bus routes entered and exited buildings.

Likewise, changes were made to the maps to make them easier to read at a quick glance. “In recent years we have introduced a complete redesign of all the maps because the 3-D buildings became more of a distraction than an asset,” cartographer Michael Hermann said. “This is mainly due to the increase of smaller building such as on-campus residences, which are too small on the map to portray effectively in a 3-D form.”

The maps are available here, and include large, medium, and small printable maps, as well as a campus night map, and a map showing all Penn State campus locations and major highways in Pennsylvania. Additionally, parking maps are available from the Penn State Transportation Services here.

Hopefully this will make it a little easier for students to brave the cold and make it on time to their new classes.