COLLECTIONS

Collections

University Library > Collections

MAIN COLLECTION

picture of main collection

The Main Collection of circulating books is housed on the third floor and is arranged in Library of Congress call number order (A-Z). Oversize books are shelved together at the end of the alphabet and are designated in the Library Catalog as Main Oversize Collection.


NEW BOOK ISLAND

When new books are added to the Main Collection, they are shelved at the New Book Island for several months before moving to the Main Collection. These books may be checked out for regular loan periods.


REMOTE STORAGE

Formerly known as Compact Shelving, this collection of older and less-used circulating books are housed in Remote Storage and can be retrieved by staff within 24 hours (Monday-Friday). Patrons may request Remote Storage books at the Circulation Desk during Library hours. These books may be checked out for regular loan periods.


BROWSING COLLECTIONS

picture of Browsing area

The Browsing collections include popular fiction and non-fiction books, audio books, CDs, DVDs, VHS videos, graphic novels, and video games. These collections are all housed on the main floor of the Library between the Circulation and Reference Desks. Many of the browsing collection titles are paid for by Library fines and fees. Browsing collection titles can be checked out for loan periods that vary by collection.


BROWSING BOOKS

The Browsing Books collection includes leased and owned popular fiction and non-fiction titles that are arranged by Library of Congress call number. Non-fiction books are marked with stickers to quickly identify them. Fiction books will have call numbers beginning with P (the Library of Congress literature classification). Every year, some of the leased books are added to the Main Collection while older books are cycled out to make room for new titles.


BROWSING BOOKS AUDIO

The Library has a collection of classic and popular audio books on CD and MP3 CD. The MP3 CDs can be downloaded to computers or MP3 players or played with any MP3 CD player. The regular CDs can be played using any CD player.


BROWSING CD

The University has two music CD collections. The Arts Media Center (at the Center of the Arts) and the Browsing CD collection in the Library. Both collections may be searched by using the Library Catalog. The Library’s collection is arranged by genre and artist/title. See the Browsing CD display across from the Reference Desk for more details on the shelving arrangement.


BROWSING DVD

The DVD collection is located directly across from the Circulation Desk. The collection is split into two categories: Academic and Feature Film. The Academic DVDs are arranged by Library of Congress call number with Oversize Academic DVDs shelved at the end of the collection. Feature Films include popular U.S. and foreign films as well as television shows and are arranged alphabetically by the first three letters of the title.


BROWSING GRAPHIC NOVELS

Graphic novels use both text and images, in sequential art format, to tell a story. Because the term "graphic novel" refers to format and not content, graphic novels represent both fiction and non-fiction works. The collection is arranged in Library of Congress call number order. Graphic novels that are intended for younger audiences will be kept in the Curriculum (K-12) Collections. Graphic novels may be found using the Library Catalog, which assigns most of them subject headings of either "graphic novels" or "comic books".


BROWSING VHS

The Library still has an extensive collection of VHS tapes, mainly on academic topics. The collection is arranged by Library of Congress call number and Oversize VHS tapes are located at the end of the collection. The VHS feature films will be in the call number range of PN 1995-PN 1998.


BROWSING VIDEO GAMES

The Video Game collection is intended to support the University’s Multimedia curriculum and therefore is restricted to UWW faculty, staff and students. The collection includes representative games for Wii, Playstation3 and Xbox 360. The Library does not collect every game in every format.


PERIODICALS COLLECTION

Picture of Periodicals area

Most periodicals are housed on the first floor of Andersen Library; they are alphabetically arranged and non-circulating. The collection is divided into Current issues, Bound volumes, newspapers, and microforms.

Due to space restrictions, some low-use titles are stored on compact shelves in "STORAGE". Patrons can request retrieval of these storage items at the Periodicals Help Desk.

UW-Whitewater subscribes to many electronic journal collections and databases that index periodical articles. For a complete listing of journals, magazines and newspapers, please consult the Alphabetical listing or Subject listing. Other indexes can be found in paper format in the Reference area on the main floor. Full text electronic journals, magazines and newspapers are available through UW-W subscription and can be found at Journal Holdings: Electronic and Print.

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REFERENCE COLLECTION

picture of reference collection

The Reference Collection is intended to assist patrons in locating specific factual information as a starting point for their research. The materials include atlases, bibliographies, dictionaries, directories, encyclopedias, research companions, statistical overviews, and gazetteers. Highly sought after sources, such as market research information and exam study guides are also kept in the Reference Collection. Most article indexes are available online, but this collection has some current indexes (e.g., Philosopher’s Index) as well as print indexes to older material. Reference Collection items circulate for 24 hours. Material at the Reference Desk is available for in-library use during Reference Desk hours. The Reference Universe database search box below will allow users to search for articles in reference books in the Reference Collection, Main Collection or online.


PAMPHLET COLLECTION

Pamphlets are arranged alphabetically by subject in filing cabinets located in the reference microform room. Subject access is available on the online catalog. Among the items retrieved by subject searching, the pamphlets are listed first. They may be checked out from the Circulation Desk for normal loan periods.


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CURRICULUM COLLECTION

The Curriculum Collection is intended to support coursework and research dealing with children's and young adult literature. Several university departments make use of this collection and it contains a variety of representative materials to support their curricula.


JUVENILE COLLECTION

A small, representative collection of children's and young adult fiction and non-fiction is shelved in the Curriculum Collection, located on the east end of the second floor.  The Juvenile Fiction, Non-Fiction and Easy book collections circulate for regular loan periods. 


Books for the Juvenile Fiction, Non-Fiction and Easy Book collections are selected based on recommendations from faculty and from award winning book lists.  The award lists consulted include the following:

  • Boston-Globe/Hornbook Award
  • Boston-Globe/Hornbook Honors
  • New York Times Best Illustrated
  • School Library Journal Best Books
  • Caldecott Medal
  • Newbery Medal
  • Newbery/Caldecott Honors
  • American Library Association Notables
  • Mildred Batchelder Award
  • Coretta Scott King Award
  • Coretta Scott King Honors
  • Canadian Library Association
  • Kate Greenaway Medal
  • Carnegie Medal
  • Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People
  • Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K-12
  • International Reading Association.  Children's Book Awards
  • International Reading Association.  Lee Bennett Hopkins Promising Poet Award


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MODELS, GAMES AND KITS

A small collection of models, games and kits for teacher education is shelved in the Curriculum Collection, located on the east end of the second floor.  This collection has regular loan period.


K-12 TEXTBOOK COLLECTION

The Library provides a representative collection of K-12 textbooks for the students in the College of Education.  The K-12 Textbook Collection is shelved in the Curriculum Collection which is located on the east end of the 2nd floor.  K-12 Textbooks circulate for regular loan periods.


TESTS COLLECTION

This collection of standardized tests and other classroom measurement instruments is available to students or area teachers for purposes of evaluating of the assessment instrument. The Tests Collection is shelved in the Curriculum Collection which is located on the east end of the second floor.  Tests may be checked out from the Circulation Desk for a two week period.


CURRICULUM GUIDE COLLECTION

The Curriculum Guide Collection is intended to support the needs of the curriculum development courses in the College of Education. When possible, print materials are acquired from local, state and federal education agencies and professional associations to reflect curriculum practices ranging from pre-K through grade 12. Materials are located in the Curriculum Guide section of the Curriculum Collection. To supplement the print collection, the Library subscribes to Kraus Curriculum Development Library, a collection of curriculum guides and standards. The KCDL is available in microfiche and electronically through the KCDL database.


LEGACY MEDIA COLLECTIONS

The Library has several small collections of older (“legacy”) media formats including 16mm films, cassette tapes, LPs, and slides that are kept behind the Circulation Desk. These items are listed in the Catalog and may be checked out. Patrons may request these titles by collection name and call number at the Circulation Desk.


ARTS MEDIA CENTER COLLECTION

The Arts Media Center collection is located in the Center of the Arts, Room 16 (lower level). Materials from this collection support the programs in the College of Arts and Communication. Although the collection contains art slides, sound recordings and archival recital tapes, only CDs and LP records are reflected in the Library catalog. Material generally does not circulate, but may be used in the Arts Media Center.


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Last Revised: cje - 2/1/2010