Visitor Information

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Overview

Borrowing privileges vary for different patron groups and for different materials. UW faculty, staff and students must present a University ID card to borrow materials from campus libraries. UW campus library visitors may also borrow library materials subject to their current residence and affiliation.

UW-Madison Affiliates

University of Wisconsin-Madison Affiliates may obtain a valid University ID at UW Union South. Affiliates include:

  • Visiting scholars affiliated with a UW campus department
  • Wisconsin Historical Society employees
  • UW Credit Union employees
  • Memorial Union employees
  • Social Work coordinators
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Visiting Scholars

Appointments (such as honorary fellows) will need to obtain a Memorial Library card from the desk at the entrance to the Library. Appointments will need to present a UW photo ID card to obtain a General Library System borrowing card.

OCLC and CIC Faculty

Faculty visiting from CIC or OCLC institutions must bring a photo ID and the card given by the home institution to the card registration desk at Memorial Library.

Faculty Sponsored by a UW-Madison department

Sponsored faculty may obtain a library card by providing a letter of sponsorship from a UW-Madison department. The letter must be written on department stationery, state that the department takes responsibility for all overdue/lost book charges, dates of authorization, and is signed by the chair.

Wisconsin Residents

Annual Fee Card

Wisconsin residents may obtain a borrowing card by providing two current forms of identification showing Wisconsin residency (one must have a photo). The card is $30 per fiscal year, renewable every June 1st. Annual payment can be made by check or credit card.

Corporate Card

Corporations registered with the state Department of Financial Institutions may authorize its employees to obtain a card. A letter, on letterhead stationery, must be sent authorizing the individuals and explicitly stating that the corporation is responsible for all overdue charges and/or replacement fees. The letter must be signed by someone who has fiscal responsibility in the corporation. The fee is $30 per authorized individual, per fiscal year. Letters and checks should be sent to Room 170, Memorial Library, 728 State Street, Madison, WI 53706 or Faxed to (608) 262-2568.

Courtesy Card

The following library visitors may obtain a Courtesy Card with proof of affiliation and photo ID:

  • Wisconsin state, Dane county and city of Madison employees
  • Faculty, staff and students at Madison Area Technical, Edgewood and Beloit Colleges. Beloit and MATC students will also need to bring a form from their college librarian.
  • Private college faculty in the State of Wisconsin
  • Donors to the Library
  • Spouses, domestic partners, and children of UW-Madison faculty, staff and students
  • Wisconsin K-12 educators

Patrons should apply for cards at the Card Application Window of Memorial Library, Monday-Friday, 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM, and Saturday-Sunday, 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM.

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Non-Residents

To borrow a book or request an article from a UW-Madison campus library, place your request through your local campus, corporate or public library. For "rush" requests, contact one of the UW fee-based, document delivery services listed below:

Wisconsin TechSearch

  • Wendt Engineering Library's document delivery and literature searching service.
  • Provides access to all UW-Madison campus libraries' holdings.
  • Call 608-262-5917 for more information or visit Wendt library at http://wendt.library.wisc.edu/.

Medical Library Service

  • Ebling Library's document delivery program.
  • Provides access to collections in basic and clinical biomedical sciences, neuroscience, biotechnology, nursing, pharmacy, pharmacology, toxicology, allied health, and health administration.
  • Call 608-262-6524 or 1-800-442-6471 (in Wisconsin) or fax 608-265-5598.

Outlaw

  • UW Law Library's document delivery service
  • Call 608-262-3394 for more information or visit the UW Law Library.
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Off-site Shelving Facility

The University of Wisconsin-Madison Shelving Facility houses low-use and older books and journals from campus libraries. Some print journal back-runs are stored off-site because they are also available online (e.g. titles in JSTOR or Hein Online).

  • The University of Wisconsin-Madison Shelving Facility is not open to the public for browsing
  • Materials in the facility are included in MadCat, the UW-Madison library catalog
  • Materials must be viewed in either UW-Madison Memorial or Steenbock libraries
  • Request items 2 business days prior to your visit

To request material from the Shelving Facility, fill out the Shelving Facility Request Form or visit Borrowing/Returning Materials for more information.

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