Obtaining copies of in-copyright Ordnance Survey maps

The National Library of Scotland is an Ordnance Survey Licensed Partner, so we are able to make copies of superseded Ordnance Survey maps that are in copyright, i.e. those published within the last 50 years but before 31 December 1995. The copies can be photocopies or images of the original maps.

Copyright in OS maps lasts for 50 years from the end of the year in which the map was published. For example, a map published in December 1960 passed out of copyright in January 2011. For a map published in January 1961, copyright expired in January 2012.

It is possible to obtain extracts of up to A4 size of in-copyright maps for private, non-commercial use, subject to the following conditions outlined in copyright legislation:

• The Library has to be satisfied that the copy is required either for research for a non-commercial purpose or for private study, and that it will not be used for any other purpose
• No person can be given more than one copy of the same material or a copy that is more than a reasonable proportion of any work
• The person to whom copies are supplied pays a sum for them not less than the cost attributable to their production.

In addition, the Ordnance Survey requires that each copy is accompanied by an acknowledgment in the following form, unless it is impossible for reasons of impracticality: '© Crown Copyright. Reproduced by permission of Ordnance Survey®'.

Further information is available from the Ordnance Survey website.

We will charge a royalty fee on behalf of the Ordnance Survey, plus our usual copying fee.

The Ordnance Survey royalty fee per map sheet for 1:10,560 and larger (more detailed) scales is £18.00 with VAT or £15.00 without VAT. 

Royalties for 1:25,000 and 1:50,000 scales are calculated per km square. If you wish to order copies of these maps, please get in touch through the online enquiry form so that we can send you an estimate of the costs.

The paper photocopy fees are:

A2 (420 x 594 mm): £4.98 with VAT; no VAT — £4.15
A1 (594 x 841 mm): £6.60 with VAT; no VAT — £5.50
A0 (841 x 1189 mm): £10.20 with VAT; no VAT — £8.50.

A standard postage and packing charge of £12.60 with VAT or £10.50 without VAT is added to these prices, applying to all rolled maps packed in map tubes.

The cost of digital images is £19.20 with VAT or £16.00 without VAT. The images will be supplied through a digital download. 

We are also able to supply georeferenced images of in-copyright maps. Georeferencing aligns the original map image with its real-world coordinates so that it can be displayed within geographic software. The georeferencing process would usually also involve cropping the non-map margins of the map sheet, so that the visible extent would just be the map itself.

By default, we would supply the image as a GeoTIFF in the British National Grid format (EPSG:27700), but we can supply in other formats and projections upon request.

The cost of digital images is £19.20 with VAT or £16.00 without VAT. We also charge a standard fee of £6.00 with VAT or £5.00 without VAT to georeference a map sheet. The images will be supplied through a digital download.

The total cost per image would therefore be £46.50 with VAT or £38.75 without VAT. 

The Ordnance Survey royalty fee per map sheet for 1:10,560 and larger (more detailed) scales is £18.00 with VAT or £15.00 without VAT. The total cost per image would therefore be £43.20 with VAT or £36.00 without VAT.

View a georeferenced layer of Ordnance Survey 1:1,250 scale mapping for the Edinburgh environs.

Contact us through the online enquiry form with the following information:

• The area you are interested in. Let us know either the specific sheet you require (e.g. NT 2374, published 1974) or the URL of the map from our OS sheet records viewer or send us a site plan of your location (see example site plan of your location in PDF format)
• The date(s)/time period you are interested in
• The map scale(s) that you would prefer. For help in choosing map scales, see our guide to the main map series that can be copied
• The type of copy you require, i.e. paper copy or digital image
• If a digital image, whether you would like this to be georeferenced (see above)
• Your full postal address and contact details.

We will then get back to you with details of the OS maps that are available and an estimate of costs.

Contact us for further information or for any queries about the service.