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Due to COVID-19, the volunteers who handle book donations are not available. We appreciate all of you who saved your materials for us! We are gradually accepting donations on an appointment basis now. Materials must be in document-sized boxes with lids for storage (no bags or open boxes). Please use this form to schedule a time to drop off your gift. Thank you for your patience!
Formed in 1948, the Friends of the University of Wisconsin–Madison Libraries is one of the oldest university library support groups in the U.S. It includes people like you: alumni, faculty, staff, students, parents, and community members. Through the generosity of Friends, materials and opportunities are provided to the campus community that would not otherwise be available. As a Friend, you help ensure that the Libraries remain one of UW–Madison’s strongest assets—a virtual backbone of university life.
Few collections at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Libraries are as beloved and encompassing as The History of Science collection, currently housed in […]
In her biography of the influential professor and scholar, Dr. Nellie Y. McKay, Dr. Shanna Greene Benjamin examines Dr. McKay’s strategies for […]
I’m closing this “mini-series” by reflecting upon how this pandemic year has deeply altered my personal life and connections with others. Things […]
To involve the Madison community, the Friends host an annual Schewe Lecture and two to four public programs per semester featuring a campus author, library, or collection. The events are free and open to the public.
On the UW-Madison campus, the Friends offer a series of internal grants to campus libraries for materials, staff development, equipment, special events, and exhibits. The Friends provide travel assistance to scholars from around the U.S. and from other countries to give these researchers access to UW-Madison’s unique campus collections.
The Friends is a volunteer organization within the Libraries with a self-supporting budget of approximately $150,000 per year. Although funding is generated by its biannual used book sales and charitable donations, it is not incorporated as a separate 501(c)(3). The Friends office is staffed by a part-time administrator selected by the Friends Board of Directors. The Friends Board is composed of up to twenty-two volunteers from the campus and community and ex officio representation by the Libraries.
