Library units

Access services

Unit Head: Scott Pfitzinger, Technology & Access Services Librarian 

Access Services is responsible for circulating general and reserve collections, shelving and stacks maintenance, facilitating Resource Sharing services, creating and maintaining patron records, compiling circulation and building use statistics, and providing basic information and assistance to students, faculty and staff, and the community. The unit also maintains staff and guest computers and provides assistance to library staff with computer, application, or network issues. 

Circulation

General Contact: cirser@uwlax.edu - 785.8507

• Liz Bass
• Dirck Nagy
• Dwayne Webb
• Terry Stika

Administration

Unit Head: John Jax, Library Director 

• Sean Hurtubise
• Jonathan Majak

Administration manages all library budgets, compiles statistical data, completes statistical surveys, prepares reports, coordinates building services, and manages all aspects of student employment.

Cataloging and discovery 

Unit Head: Mike Olson, Cataloging and Discovery Librarian

• Jonathan Majak

The Cataloging & Discovery unit is responsible for making library resources discoverable for our users. Cataloging provides enhanced and original cataloging for books and archival materials for Murphy Library, Special Collections, and Department Libraries, including undergraduate and graduate theses and dissertations. Discovery works with UW Libraries Shared Systems to maintain the library's online catalog, enhancing equitable access to library resources for our campus communities. 

Collection development

Unit Head: Pam Cipkowski, Collection Development Librarian

• Lauren Klitzke

Collection Development works with academic departments and library faculty to identify and select information resources to be made available at UWL and the UW System. This unit manages the resources budget including the allocation of funds for materials held and accessed by Murphy Library. Collection Development also analyzes data about information resources (print and electronic), so informed decisions can be made with regard to collections (monographs, periodicals, and electronic resources).

Curriculum center

Unit Head: Teri Holford, Education Liaison & Special Collections Librarian

• Lauren Klitzke

The Alice Hagar Curriculum Resource Center contains a variety of collections to support the School of Education and pre-service teachers. Books and materials for grades K-12, curriculum guides, and children's literature (picture books, easy reader, and young adult books). The curriculum center also houses the STEMSS (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math, and Social Sciences) collection.

Digital collections 

Unit Head: David Mindel, Digital Collections Librarian

• Nikki Pegarsch

The Digital Collections unit is responsible for creating, capturing, preserving, and displaying online digital content related to UWL and the surrounding community. The Digital Collections unit puts its resources into in-house digitization efforts, which are largely aimed at digitizing historical and visual materials, working closely with Special Collections. The University Repository area deals with collecting academic content produced from within or about UWL or the surrounding community. This UWL produced content is then placed into the Minds@UW repository, which is open to the public, and serves as a location for academically produced materials within the UW System to be visible to the rest of the world.

Electronic resources and acquisitions

Unit Head: Madan Mohan, Electronic Resources and Acquisitions Librarian

• Sam Steingraeber

The Electronic Resources and Acquisitions unit maintains access to Murphy Library’s electronic resources and print/microform periodicals collection. Murphy Library provides access to over 200 article databases, hundreds of electronic reference books, and tens of thousands of electronic journals. Additionally, this unit purchases materials in all formats, which support the curriculum of UWL. The unit monitors the acquisitions budget, orders and maintains timely receipt of requested materials, and provides timely collection development and budget reports to the Collection Librarian. The unit receives gifts and, if appropriate as determined by Collection Development, integrates them into the collection.

Information literacy instruction

Unit Heads: Sarah Bakken, Information Literacy Instruction Librarian and Kendall Morgan, Information Literacy Course Integration Librarian

Contact: libinstruct@uwlax.edu

The Instruction unit develops, designs, implements, and manages the library's comprehensive information instruction program, in which librarians instruct UWL students about the use of library and online information resources. The unit leads the library in shaping an e-learning information literacy instruction program and leads the incorporation of instructional technologies into the library’s teaching and learning activities.

Outreach

Unit Head: Teri Holford, interim Outreach Librarian

• Shealyn McMahon

Outreach works with all library units to publicize library services, events, collections, and other resources to the broader campus community. Outreach also participates in programming, event planning, developing resources, creating online and print resources, and facilitating activities that involve using and understanding of library resources.

Reference

Contact: refemail@uwlax.edu 

The Reference unit helps users find quality information they need and save users time in the process. The unit also assists users in finding resources, using the services of the entire library, and helping them navigate and utilize the whole world of information resources at UWL's disposal.

Special collections

Unit Heads:

• Laura Godden, Special Collections Historian
• Michael Current, Specialized Collections Librarian
• Teri Holford, Education Liaison & Special Collections Librarian
• David Mindel, Digital Collections Librarian

Special Collections collects, preserves, and provides access to rare book and local history collections as well as oral history collections, maps, photographs, and university archives. This department houses the La Crosse Area Research Center, which holds archival records of local governmental bodies and personal papers of people and businesses.

Web and user experience

Interim Unit Head: Teri Holford, Web and User Experience Librarian

The Web and User Experience unit collaborates with all library units to ensure effective and positive experiences for all who use the library. The unit assesses, designs, and provides direction for the library web presence and physical space uses. 

Interlibrary Loan

General Contact: illoffice@uwlax.edu - 785.8636

• Kevin Dinsmore

The interlibrary loan unit is responsible for Murphy Library’s integrated library system, discovery interface, other library servers and systems, and facilitating interlibrary loan services. The unit is also responsible for cataloging print and electronic library materials as well as the metadata used on digital projects, which appear in Murphy Library’s various search services such as Search@UW.