Fall 2025 Updates to Some Library Services and Hours
This page will be updated on a regular basis as more information and detail becomes available.
Last updated on 8/22/25.
The Libraries remain a vital partner to students, faculty, and staff on campus. Services, collections, software, collaborative spaces, and study spaces are available to the entire UW-Madison community. Use the catalog on the Libraries homepage to begin your next search or start a chat with a librarian to get your questions answered.
Why are the Libraries changing some services and hours?
UW-Madison has implemented a university-wide budget reduction across campus. The Chancellor shared a memo announcing these cuts in Summer 2025. Over the past several weeks, the Libraries have been gathering data and evaluating how to manage the 7% budget cut while maintaining excellence in service, research, and learning.
It has been determined that budget reductions will affect the Libraries’ collections, equipment and technology, staff, and student budgets. Reductions in funding will result in fewer hours and fewer personnel available in some locations, leading to a limited number of service changes and closures.
What’s changing?
A Small Number of Library Closures
The Libraries have made the difficult decision to accelerate the closure of smaller libraries that were previously identified for potential changes in the 2017 Libraries Facilities Master Plan. Collections from these libraries will be relocated and will remain accessible through the Library catalog.
Details on the dates for closing the following library spaces are still being finalized and will likely occur in a phased manner throughout the upcoming academic year. Departments and units that own the spaces will be working with Facilities Planning and Management and with their division leadership to determine the future use of impacted spaces.
- Closure of the Astronomy, Math, and Physics Library (AMP) in Chamberlin Hall as of August 22, 2025. High-demand materials will be moved to Steenbock Library; other materials will be transferred to a shelving facility. Specific details are shared on this webpage about the AMP Library closure, timeline, and who to contact with questions.
- Reduced support and services for the Business Library in Grainger Hall. High-demand materials will be moved to Memorial Library; other materials will be transferred to a shelving facility. Hours of the Business Library are being adjusted to match the hours of Grainger Hall.
- Reduced support and services for the Geology and Geophysics Library in Weeks Hall starting at the end of the Spring 2026 semester. High-demand materials will be moved to Steenbock Library; other materials will be transferred to a shelving facility. The department will be re-envisioning ways to make the important resources and space available to faculty, staff, and students beyond the transfer of library management to the department.
- Closure of the Social Work Library at the end of the 2025-26 academic year. High-demand materials will be moved to Memorial Library; other materials will be transferred to a shelving facility.
Reduced Weekend Hours at Select Locations
Weekend hours will be reduced for Memorial, College, and Steenbock Libraries during lower-demand times, such as Friday and Saturday evenings and Saturday and Sunday mornings. College Library will remain open 24 hours during the week, Memorial Library will still be open seven days a week, and the Libraries anticipate continuing to offer expanded weekend hours during high-use periods such as finals weeks.
As these changes are implemented, web pages and signage displaying hours will be revised accordingly.
Reducing the Libraries Collections Budget
The Libraries will reduce their collections budget across all disciplines, which will impact the ability to acquire research materials in all formats – including e-books, print books, and other media. Additional details related to reductions will be identified in the coming weeks and months with further engagement, including consultation with shared governance. The Libraries remain committed to providing the community with access to essential information and collections locally, through the Big Ten Academic Alliance and Universities of Wisconsin, and via its robust interlibrary loan program. Subject librarians will continue to build broad and deep collections and make them available to campus and the global research community.
Frequently Asked Questions
Print materials in the locations affected by closures will be moved to other existing library locations, including Steenbock Library, Memorial Library, and the Verona Shelving Facility. Current shelving storage capacity, as well as subject matter relevance, will guide where materials will be moved.
Usage data as well as recommendations from the 2017 Libraries Facilities Master Plan informed the Libraries’ decisions on closures. While circulation data is only one measure, there is an understanding and appreciation of the importance of patrons discovering books through browsing. The Libraries are committed to working closely with departments to ensure highly used materials are retained on open shelving and are accessible. Delivery will be available for materials shelved off campus.
Financial support to the Library Impact Fund ensures the Libraries remain a leader in cultivating resources for the university and beyond. To support the Libraries collections, please consider financial support to the Libraries’ Fund for Books. For any additional questions about gifts, please contact Marianne Spoon.
Contact the Office of the Dean
If you have specific questions, please fill out this form.