Libraries Collections Preservation Facility

UW-Madison has secured funding for a $33 million state-of-the-art shelving facility that provides the environmental controls needed to preserve its remarkable library collections. 

The facility, featuring preservation-level environmental conditions, will be the first for UW-Madison. It will expand the current shelving facility that is nearing capacity and enable UW-Madison Libraries to preserve some of the state’s most critical research materials that are part of UW-Madison Libraries’ rare and distinctive collections. Relocation of these resources will also free up space for more dynamic and collaborative teaching, learning, and research spaces on campus. 

The new 38,160-square-foot Libraries Collections Preservation Facility (LCPF), identified as a strategic priority by campus, will nearly quadruple the amount of shelving space available in Verona. The facility will expand the current 10,000 square foot shelving facility, located at the Materials Distribution Services (MDS) building, adjacent to the Surplus With A Purpose (SWAP) building. In general, the current Libraries’ facilities, which hold collections with a value of over $2.4 billion, lack proper preservation-standard environmental controls to house the at-risk collections of film, audiotape, art, and fragile materials held by the Libraries.

The Libraries Collections Preservation Facility will also help address ongoing space issues on campus. It will free up prime space for multipurpose uses such as active learning environments and spaces to facilitate interdisciplinary research and scholarly collaboration using emerging technologies. The LCPF can provide a swing space during library renovations, providing opportunities to improve spaces, enhance academic experiences, and strengthen partnerships.

To be able to do the mission of UW-Madison of teaching amazing students and producing amazing scholarship, we can’t do it without libraries.

Jordan Rosenblum, UW-Madison Chair of the Department of Art History

We invite you to comment or ask questions about the LCPF

Timeline – Subject to change

Summer 2022 

  • Architect and Engineering (A/E) construction design put out for bid

September 2022

  • Select A/E Firm

Fall 2022 – Fall 2023 

  • Libraries project team works with A/E and FP&M to design the facility (9-12 months)

December 2023 

  • Building construction project put out to bid 

Early 2024

  • Construction tentative start, Substantial completion May 2025

Summer 2025  (or later)

  • Facility ready to receive materials

LCPF In the News

New facility will preserve irreplaceable library resources

February 24, 2022 – UW–Madison has secured funding for a $33 million state-of-the-art shelving facility that provides the environmental controls needed to preserve its library collections.