Physical Media

Equipment and Reserve has over 24,000 DVDs, VHS, audio books, music CDs and games covering a multitude of genres. Most items circulate for 14 days. Board games circulate on 7-day loans.

Loan, Overdue, and Damage Policies »

Equipment and Reserve circulates a collection of more than 13,000 CDs and 250+ Audio books.

Audio books are shelved alphabetically by title and are next to the DVDs on the Lower Level, West Wing of the Golda Meir Library. UWM Libraries also provides access to audio books through OverDrive.

A selection of CDs available for browsing near the Equipment and Reserve Services Desk. The majority of the collection is searchable and requestable by title or artist through Search@UW. Or, the links below provide direct access to our genre specific holdings.

The Library also has @30,000 vinyl records that are requestable through the online catalog.

To search for vinyl records in the catalog – search by composer/artist then use filters for Library: UW-Milwaukee and Location: Music Collection – Audio) See some sample search examples below:

Equipment and Reserve circulates about 10,000 DVDs and almost 500 VHS. DVDs are shelved alphabetically by title on the Lower Level, West Wing of the Golda Meir Library. Non-English titles are shelved under their English release title. They are also requestable through the online catalog.

Video Subject Mediapgraphies are available for viewing at the Media and Reserve Service Desk.

VHS titles are not in a public location, but are requestable through the online catalog.

The Viewing Room has equipment to play Blu-Ray, DVDs from all encoding regions, and VHS tapes and may be reserved for groups of 2-20 people.

UWM faculty, staff, and students are able to make purchase recommendations for Media and Reserve Services via the UWM Libraries purchase recommendation form. We also accept donations of media items with the Donation Form.

Video games circulate for 14 days and board games circulate for 7 days.

Board Games:
Catalog listing – Use this list to check availability of board game titles held by UWM Libraries.
Detailed listing – Use this to get more information about game play and number of players.

Video Games:
Catalog listing – Use this to see alphabetical list of titles and check availability.
Detailed listing – Use this to browse titles by gaming system.

UWM faculty, staff, and students are able to make purchase recommendations for Equipment and Reserve Services via the UWM Libraries purchase recommendation form. We also accept donations of media items with the Donation Form.

Microtext Title Listing

Microtext is a term for all media formats used to store print materials (like Newspapers) in a small space. These images can then be magnified and viewed/scanned with special equipment. Microtext materials may include newspapers, journals, dissertations, monographs, U.S. government documents, genealogical materials, and manuscripts.  The Microtext collection is located in the lower level, west wing of the Library.

Formats
Microfilm: a continuous roll of positive or negative 16 or 35mm photographic film.
Microfiche: a card-shaped sheet of photographic film, usually 3″ x 5″ or 4″ x 6″.
Microprint: a sheet of opaque material such as card stock, either 6″ x 9″ (microprint) or 3″ x 5″ (microcard.)

Scanning/Viewing Microtext
The Library has one ScanPro 3500 microtext machine. It is available for viewing or scanning of microtext. Scanning is free. Scans can be attached to an email or saved to a personal flash drive. ScanPro 3500 Microtext User Manual

Reserving Microtext Equipment

  • Reservations may be made in person at the Equipment and Reserve desk or by phone at 414-229-4673.
  • Reservations are made in 3-hr blocks
  • Users with a reservation have priority, but if they are more than 15 minutes late, Microtext Scanner use reverts back to a first-come, first served.
  • No food or drink near the equipment
  • Users must comply with the UWM Libraries User Rights and Responsibilities

Selected Listings of Microtext Materials by subject are available in the Microtext room for:

  • African American History Resources
  • Great Britain: History: History, Literature and the Arts Resources
  • Native American History Resources
  • Newspapers in Microtext
  • US Presidential History Resources
  • Women’s History Resources

Government Information Microfiche Collection
The UWM Libraries receive some publications in microfiche format through the Federal Depository Library Program. These microfiche are arranged in drawers by SuDoc (Superintendent of Documents) number. The Catalog of U.S. Government Publications is an online index to U.S. Federal Government publications and can be used to locate SuDoc numbers for titles on microfiche.

Genealogy Materials  (Archives)
For Genealogy assistance,  finding aids and detailed information, contact the Archives Department online or call (414) 229-5402.

Print Newspapers
The most recent issues of a handful of current U.S. and international newspapers listed below, are found on newspaper racks adjacent to the Equipment and Reserve Services counter.

US Print Newspapers

  • Milwaukee Business Journal
  • Milwaukee Journal
  • Wisconsin Jewish Chronicle
  • Wisconsin State Journal

International Print Newspapers

  • Ha Aretz
  • Jerusalem Post

In general, print newspapers are held for 30 days, with selected newspapers held until receipt of microfilm.

Newspapers In Microtext and Online Databases

Equipment and Reserve maintains selected bibliographies for Newspapers available in UWM’s collections.