Collection Development Policy  

About the Collection:
The Archives Department documents the history of UWM, and selects, preserves, and makes available primary source materials with long-term value for research and instruction at UWM. It primarily supports academic departments and programs in the arts, humanities, and social sciences. Holdings are accessible to the general public, excepting those restricted by federal and state law or university policy, for preservation or privacy reasons, or as a condition of gift established by a donor.

Collection Level: From Basic to Advanced

Main Collection Categories:

UWM Archives
Non-current records of UWM with continuing administrative, fiscal, legal, or historical value; including records from major campus administrative offices, departments, and student-related activities

Milwaukee Area Research Center Collection
Wisconsin Historical Society manuscript collections and public records relating to a five-county region is on permanent deposit at UWM; collecting areas include the arts, agriculture, communications, industry/business, labor, military, natural resources, politics and government, populations, religion, recreation and leisure, settlement, social organization and activity, and transportation 

UWM Manuscripts Collection
Primary source materials acquired by UWM having long-term research and instructional value for its academic programs; including the personal papers of individuals and records of organizations and businesses 

Collection Areas and Formats:

Arts and Architecture
Manuscript collections documenting the activities of especially significant artists, writers, and performing artists in the Milwaukee area; collections of Milwaukee-based architects whose work is of local, statewide, or national prominence; documentation of historically significant buildings in the Milwaukee area and the development of Milwaukee's built environment generally; records documenting the design process from conception to completion, including significant changes, commentary, or criticism; project files, drawings, and photographs are especially sought; does not include three-dimensional models

Aviation and Aircraft
Collections documenting the development of modern aviation and aircraft in Wisconsin from the 1890s to the mid-1960s, including military, commercial, instructional, and hobbyist aspects of aviation

Brewing History
Collections documenting the history of brewing in Milwaukee, including the temperance movement and the prohibition period (1919-1933); includes selective three-dimensional objects

Information Science Professions
Organizational records and personal papers documenting the history of the information science professions, particularly the archival profession; organizational records of the Society of American Archivists and the Midwest Archives Conference; also papers of individuals who have made significant contributions to the archival profession

Journalism, Advertising, and Media Studies
Collections documenting the local history of broadcast and print journalism and mass communications which support the development of other, established collecting areas (e.g., the records of a Latino newspaper, or the papers of a faculty member in UWM's Department of Journalism, Advertising, and Media Studies)

Medical and Health Care
Collections documenting the history of nursing and medical issues which support the development of other, established collecting areas (e.g., the papers of a faculty member in UWM's College of Nursing, or the records of an organization providing health care services to a minority population)

Social Action
Collections documenting local social action which support the development of other, established collecting areas (e.g., Milwaukee's socialist history, health care, neighborhood revitalization, peace activism, anti-discrimination and civil liberties)

Underrepresented Population Groups
Collections documenting historically underrepresented population groups based on ethnicity, race, gender, or sexual orientation

UWM (Non-Official Records)
The history of UWM; official and non-official university records, including:

Predecessor Institutions
The Wisconsin State Teachers College (Milwaukee), the Milwaukee State Teachers College, and the University of Wisconsin Extension

Faculty Papers
Typically related to an individual's teaching, research, and university service, but also directly pertaining to other collecting areas

Alumni Papers
Which provide evidence of student life and activities or directly pertain to other collecting areas

De-Selection Criteria:
Consideration is given to externally imposed restrictions, such as records retention and disposition authorizations or donor agreements.

Geographic Guidelines
Most holdings pertain to the metropolitan Milwaukee area.

Related Library Units

• American Geographical Society Library
• Special Collections Department
• Microtext (Genealogical Resources)

Find this Subject Contact

Access the Archives page