UWM Libraries Services and Resources During COVID-19

This page summarizes UWM Libraries COVID-19 news and outlines the many online services and resources available to students, faculty and staff via our website (last updated August 5, 2020).

In response to the public health emergency in southeastern Wisconsin, the UWM Libraries three physical locations – UWM Golda Meir Library, UWM at Washington County Library, and UWM at Waukesha Library – are closed.

Fall 2020 Reopening Plans

The UWM Libraries will reopen on August 24, 2020. Details about the reopening may be found here. Until August 24, the below information remains in effect.

Reference, Consultation, and Instruction Support

Librarians and staff at all campuses are available for reference, research consultation, and instruction support. You may get help via email as well as 24/7 chat through our Ask a Librarian page.

We are available to help with library-related instructionThis guide is a quick reference for finding and sharing library content and open educational resources in your Canvas site.

Students, faculty, and staff from the Waukesha and Washington County campuses are encouraged to contact their librarians directly via email (Waukesha: wak-library@uwm.edu and Washington County: wsh-library@uwm.edu) for reference, research consultation, and instruction support.

The Distinctive Collections—American Geographical Society Library, Archives, and Special Collections—are also available via e-mail for reference, research consultation, and instruction support. Contact them at

Online Resources

The UWM Libraries offer a robust collection of online resources including streaming video, e-books, databases and e-journals.

Students may want to check out these textbook resources — Open Textbook Library and OpenStax — as well as other Open Education Resources.

Pick-Up Service (By Appointment Only)

Note: Pick-up service is available until Thursday, August 20. When the UWM Libraries buildings re-open on Monday, August 24, the check-out of books will resume at the circulation desk of each library. 

Students, faculty, staff, and Community Borrowers may request books and other physical materials for pick-up at our three locations. There is a limit of ten items at a time and one scheduled pick-up per week per individual.

After logging into Search@UW and finding your items, select “Local Request” or “UW Request” and your pick-up location. UW Requests are subject to an intermittent delivery schedule and quarantine times; they may take up to two weeks to arrive. Once we confirm the availability of your item(s) you will receive an email asking you to schedule a pick-up time. We will checkout the items to your library account before you arrive.

When requesting items, the quickest way to receive them is to pick them up at the owning library. If you want items transferred from one branch to another it may take a week or more before the item is ready, as we have no dedicated transit service at this time.

  • At the Golda Meir Library,pick-up is offered Monday through Friday, 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The pick-up location is the west wing vestibule. 
  • At the UWM at Waukesha Library, the service is offered on Mondays, 12:00 to 4:00 p.m. and Thursdays, 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. The pick-up location is the Commons Building main entrance.
  • At the UWM at Washington County Library, the service is offered on Thursdays, 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The pick-up location is the main building entrance.

When you arrive, call the number posted on the exterior building door and wait for us to deliver your items. This is a contactless service, and you will be asked to wait outside until we have made the delivery. 

The Libraries ask that users self-monitor for COVID-19 symptoms before utilizing this service. If any symptoms are present, users should not come to campus.

Checked Out Materials

We have extended the due dates of materials owned by the UWM Libraries and other UW libraries well into the summer for eligible loans. To confirm due dates, please visit your library account or email libcirc@uwm.edu for more information. For questions about ILL due date extensions, contact ILL at libill@uwm.edu.

If you need to return items, bookdrops are open.

  • At the main campus, the bookdrops on Hartford Avenue and by the main doors of the Golda Meir Library are open.
  • At UWM at Waukesha, use the bookdrop located by the lower Northview Hall entrance off Parking Lot 2.
  • Books checked out from UWM at Washington County Library may be returned at either the Golda Meir or Waukesha Library locations. We are working on developing an on-campus drop-off option which could be available within the next week or so.

Items returned via the bookdrops may remain on your account for some period of time, but fines will not be assessed.

Equipment (laptops, cameras, headphones, etc.) can be returned by appointment in a contact-less return in the Libraries’ outer lobby. To schedule an equipment return, fill out the scheduling form. Make sure to return all pieces of the equipment including: all cables, SD cards, AC cables, bags, cases, etc. to avoid replacement fines. Please do not return equipment via the bookdrops.

If you are unable come to campus to return items, you may return them by USPS. Address items to:

Golda Meir Library
2311 E. Hartford Avenue
Milwaukee, WI 53211

UWM at Washington County Library
400 University Drive
West Bend, WI 53095

UWM at Waukesha Library
1500 North University Drive
Waukesha, WI 53118

Interlibrary Loan (ILL)

Electronic fulfillment of requests for journal articles and book chapters continues, although availability and delivery times may be affected by other libraries’ closures.

Requests for physical materials (i.e. books, DVDs, etc.) through interlibrary loan is not available at this time. In lieu of requesting entire books, we advise that users locate a table of contents (most are on Amazon or Google Books) and submit an ILLiad request for the desired chapter or two. Entire books cannot be digitized due to copyright restrictions.

If you currently have an interlibrary loaned item checked out to you, we have been proactively trying to renew items on your behalf. Users may retain those items for the time being.

UWM COVID-19 Research Publications

A list of research publications by UWM faculty and staff on the COVID-19 pandemic is available here.

Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP)

The UWM Libraries are not able to provide easy access to physical items in the Federal Depository library collection. Access to electronic government information is available at govinfo.gov More government sources may be found on this page. Need help? Ask a Librarian

Events

Programs and events are cancelled or postponed through July 31, except those offered online.

Libraries Contact Information

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Golda Meir Library

Washington County Library

Waukesha Library

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