The Geology Library services and collections will permanently end May 15, 2026 (end of day).
As part of the UW–Madison Libraries response to budget reductions, the Libraries have made the difficult decision to accelerate the closure and/or reduction in services of smaller libraries that were previously identified for potential changes in the 2017 Libraries Facilities Master Plan. The Libraries’ staff is steadfast in helping faculty, staff, and students with their research and scholarship. Please continue to reach out for collaboration and partnership around your work. You may email Deborah Helman, Director of Science & Engineering Library Services, with any questions.
Key Dates
May 6, 2026: Last day to place requests for pickup of holds/interlibrary loan (ILL) items at the Geology Library.
May 15, 2026 (End of Day): Geology Library Services & Collections Close for Relocation and Space Closes Temporarily
Last day for pickup of items on hold or ILL items at the Geology Library
Geology books will not be available for checkout until they arrive at Steenbock Library or the Verona Shelving Facility (VSF) (Note: You can place a request for copies of these books in the Library Catalog, and we will get them through ILL/Universities of Wisconsin).
Bookdrop remains open for two weeks for end-of-year returns
Space closes temporarily for the summer
May 29, 2026: Geology bookdrop closes
May 15, 2026 – Early January 2027: Geology Library collection gradually moves to Steenbock Library, the Verona Shelving Facility, or another library location.
August 24, 2026: Space reopens for Geoscience community
Access to Geology Library Collections
High-demand materials will be moved to Steenbock Library; other materials will be transferred to a shelving facility. Increasingly, you will see more books from the Geology Library at Steenbock Library and the Verona Shelving Facility (VSF). The collections are expected to be relocated by early January 2027.
Titles that are found at Steenbock or another library location can be picked up at a different location of your choice or requested for digital scans of chapters/articles.
Titles that have not yet been moved can be requested by clicking on the “request a copy” button and will be fulfilled through Interlibrary Loan or from a Universities of Wisconsin library.
Have items from the Geology collection already checked out?
You can keep anything you have checked out until you are ready to return it or it can no longer be renewed. After May 15, 2026, when items are returned to libraries that accept returns, the items will be sent to Steenbock Library.
The Geology Library will no longer be a pickup or return location.
After May 6, you can no longer select the Geology Library as a pickup library in the library catalog or when placing an ILL request.
By May 15, please pick up any hold or ILL items that you have at the Geology Library. You will be contacted to make arrangements to pick up any remaining items. If we are unable to arrange anything, you can pick up your items at the AOSS Library in the afternoon on May 18.
The Geology Library bookdrop will remain open until Friday, May 29 (end of day) for end-year-returns. After this point, the Geology Library will no longer accept returns. Materials can be returned to any UW-Madison libraries that accept returns.
Alternative pickup and return locations near Weeks Hall include:
AOSS Library in the Space Science & Engineering Center
Marie Dvorzak and her colleagues on the Agriculture, Geosciences & Environmental Sciences Team (ages@library.wisc.edu) , Heather Shimon, Karen Dunn, and Lisa Abler, will continue to support your research, teaching, and learning needs. Contact them for a research consultation, to arrange an information literacy instruction session, or if you have any questions about library services.
Services commonly used through the Libraries’ website, such as Ask a Librarian or Research Support services, will remain the same. The Libraries staff is dedicated to helping faculty, staff, and students with their research and scholarship. Please continue to reach out for collaboration and partnership around your work.
Library Spaces
Our colleagues in the Geoscience Department are dedicated to maintaining a space that supports community needs and will be determining the future use of this space.
Those who used the Geology Library for study or collaborative space have additional options for study space nearby, including: