And another academic year begins! Welcome back, Badgers – let’s get to work!

September 3, 2019

Welcome to the 2019-2020 academic year, Badgers! We hope you had a great summer.

The UW-Madison Libraries are thrilled to have you on campus – whether you are returning or new. We know you are ready to put in a year of hard work, and we are right here to help you.

The Libraries have a lot to offer beyond quiet spaces, free equipment checkout, and study materials. Our libraries are nationally renowned, with resources, materials, and spaces designed to enhance innovative and collaborative opportunities. You’ll find the highest quality research information, consultation services, technology, and spaces. Simply put: The Libraries are here to help you succeed.

Let us help you make this your best semester yet!

Survival Tip 1: Get To A Library – Fast!

Our libraries are diverse, abundant, and accessible whenever and wherever you need them, thanks to our online resources. The Libraries provide access to print and digital materials from our facilities at UW-Madison, UW System, and around the world.

The General Library System (GLS) includes Memorial (humanities and social sciences), College (undergraduate), and Steenbock (agriculture and life sciences) Libraries, as well as additional subject libraries.

Our other libraries include Law, Ebling Library for the Health Sciences, and Education. The Wisconsin Historical Society Library & Archives is the North American History library on campus. We also have Special Purpose libraries, which serves individual departments and programs.

It can be overwhelming trying to remember which library is which and where they all are. Just remember, if you are looking for materials about a specific subject but you are not sure where to go, you can always consult our website and we’ll point you in the right direction. You’ll have it down in no time.

Survival Tip 2: Find Your Resource of Choice

So, you’ve found a library. What do you need?

You can borrow, renew, and request materials. If you need special equipment, like video or still cameras, laptops, or projectors, check for availability online and then pick up your equipment at its specified location. Need to print? Bring your work to us. From papers to posters, we’ve got you covered.

You can also interact with expert librarians, request resources from libraries around the world, and even participate in instructional sessions to learn more about how our resources can enhance your education (more on these services below).

Survival Tip 3: Make a Reservation

Reserve rooms to conduct group study sessions and projects, or find your focus by disappearing into a quiet study room. Whatever your study style, we can provide the space.

You can also reserve special course materials such as books, articles, videos, solution sets, and even exams that your instructor has selected for use by students enrolled in a specific course. Physical materials are located at libraries across campus. Online content (articles, book chapters, etc.) may be accessed both on and off-campus.

Survival Tip 4: Use Our Connections

If you’ve got a question that we don’t know the answer to, we’ve got plenty of friends who are willing to help out!

Our “Ask” service allows you to call, text, email, or join an online chat with a librarian who can answer your questions or search for materials from afar.

Looking for a resource not available within the UW-Madison or UW System collections? Our Interlibrary Loan (ILL) offers free access to materials you need for coursework or scholarly research, putting libraries around the world at your fingertips.

Faculty and staff with an on-campus mailing address may also now have items delivered to their offices!

Students, faculty, the staff of UW-Madison living outside of Dane County are encouraged to access our distance services option.

Don’t forget to cite. Our citation manager software can gather references automatically from article database; format manuscripts and citations in a variety of styles; generate bibliographies, create and organize a personal research database of references, images, and PDFs; share citations with colleagues on campus and around the world; and transfer references among various applications.

Survival Tip 5: Accept the Invitation!

Check out our library tour schedule, join one of our upcoming workshops, or attend any of our events and exhibits throughout the year. We also partner with departments across campus on events, so keep an eye out for those as well!

If you need more in-depth training, ask about customized instructional sessions. Instructional services connect students to the most appropriate research materials and help develop critical research skills.

So, stop in or log on to visit us. You’ll quickly find that we’re not your grandparents’ or even your parents’ library (but we do have historically significant materials to prove that even they were cool once too). Don’t believe us? Just visit our University Archives, Digital or Special Collections and search through a treasure trove of historical records and documents.

Bottom line: Your success is our mission. Let us help you find your place this semester.

On Wisconsin!