Archives and Special Collections selects, preserves, and shares primary source materials that have long-term value for research and instruction at UWM. We respond to the information needs of researchers locally and worldwide, partner with instructors at UWM and elsewhere to provide high-impact instruction, host student internships and fieldworks, coordinate the university’s records retention program, and exhibit our holdings on campus and in the community. Our archival, rare book, special printed material, and manuscript collections support a broad range of research and teaching activities in the arts, humanities, social sciences, architecture, business, and other disciplines.
We provide further access to historical resources from southeastern Wisconsin by serving as an Area Research Center (ARC) of the Wisconsin Historical Society (WHS). The Milwaukee ARC Collection includes birth, death, marriage, naturalization, probate, and property records for Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Sheboygan, Washington, and Waukesha counties. By participating in this statewide network of ARCs, Archives and Special Collections can even arrange shipment of records from WHS and its other Area Research Centers, allowing our patrons to consult historical materials from across the state from the comfort of our reading room.
Archives and Special Collections is open to all UWM faculty, staff, and students, as well as the general public. Individuals wishing to use our materials only need to complete the registration form and present a valid photo ID. Our materials must be used in our reading room and cannot be checked out, but most archival and manuscript collections may be temporarily transferred to another Area Research Center.