Use the Archives

The UW-Madison Archives exists both to preserve historic materials and to make them available for use.

Archives can hold both published and unpublished materials in a paper or digital format. These include: manuscripts, letters, photographs, moving image and sound materials, artwork, books, diaries and artifacts.

Materials in archives are often unique, specialized, or rare objects, meaning very few of them exist in the world. Or, they are the only ones of their kind and our Archives staff strive to preserve them for use today and for future generations of researchers.

The UW-Madison Archives maintains specific guidelines for how people may use our collections to protect the materials from physical damage and theft, and keep them accessible for posterity.

Visitors to the University Archives must register for an Archives and Special Collections Account. Anyone can register for a free account and this system will allow you to request non-circulating materials from the University Archives, Special Collections and the Wisconsin Historical Society Archives. Sign up for an Archives and Special Collections account to request materials via the library catalog, schedule a visit, order reproductions, track the status of your requests and access your research history.

Contact the UW-Madison Archives for more information at uwarchiv@library.wisc.edu or 608-262-5629.