Minecraft wiki entry for Mapping, associated text: It's helpful to keep track of the relative positions of the maps. A useful method of displaying the map set is to craft 10 Item Frames and place them on a wall in a 3-by-3 square with the tenth atop or beside the square. Place the zoom-level 4 overview in the tenth item frame. Place the nine maps in their appropriate positions in the 3×3 square. A sign can be added which identifies the origin and perhaps the corner coordinates. You could also duplicate any of these which you wish to carry with you while fully exploring an area. Information added to one copy will be automatically updated to all other copies. (Note that crafting a second map of the same area—not duplicating, but crafting anew—will create a map that is NOT linked to the original version, and it will thus NOT be updated even though it covers exactly the same area.)