Your liaison librarian
A Steenbock liaison librarian works as principal contact for each department and program we serve. Your liaison is a specialist in library materials for your discipline, and is ready to help with any questions you may have about using our collections and services.
Services that library liaisons provide include:
- Help with library services and policies (e.g., Library Express, borrowing books from other UW System libraries.)
- Set up email alerts to tell you about new articles matching your topic criteria, and tables of contents of your favorite journals
- In-depth reference consultations—in our office or yours! (e.g., help with strategy and database choices, setting up your own alerts)
- Customized instructional sessions and course web pages for students (e.g, hands-on training in using specific databases in your subject area, using Web of Knowledge for cited reference searching, evaluating websites)
- Citation verifications
- Assistance with purchase requests
- Consult on questions related to publishing your research (e.g., identifying target journals, managing copyright, measuring research impact, open access publishing)
- In-depth orientation for new faculty, staff, graduate students, and project and research assistants
Literature searching
Journal databases
Use these to find articles about your research topic.
- Top databases used by Steenbock patrons | More by subject
- More databases and electronic reference tools
Electronic journals
Search for a specific title or browse by subject
FindIt
Find a journal or journal article, in electronic format or in a campus library
Literature alerts and RSS feeds
Library databases and publishers offer personal accounts for saved searches, free email alert services, and RSS feeds. These tools allow you to automatically monitor newly published information.
- Follow publications by an certain author.
- Get new research on a topic.
- Receive current journal tables of contents.
- Find new articles that cite an important article.
Your results can be delivered by email and/or RSS feed. More on Alerts and RSS feeds
You can ask your Steenbock liaison librarian to create an optimal search strategy for your topic, or to advise you on creating your own alerts. Fill out the form below to get started.
Borrower services
Borrow/return materials
Steenbock Library Policies
Article and book delivery
Materials owned by UW-Madison:
Find it — Find out if articles are available online, in print on campus, or not available on campus.
Book Retrieval — Request books from any campus library to be delivered to your campus library of choice. Use MadCat's Place Requests.
On-campus Document Delivery — Log in to Library Express to request electronic copies of articles owned on campus for a $2.00 service fee.
Materials not owned by UW-Madison:UW System Search — Request books from any University of Wisconsin System library to be delivered to any UW campus library.
WorldCat — Request books from anywhere in the world to be delivered to any UW-Madison campus library
Library Express (including interlibrary loan) — Request materials not owned by UW-Madison.
Library catalogs
MadCatUW-Madison Libraries' catalog includes records for books and more in all campus libraries and some smaller collections. MyMadCat Account helps you request and renew materials. Tips on searching
Within MadCat you may search all or selected UW System libraries' catalogs. Materials may be requested from other campuses. Tips on searching
Worldwide catalog allows you to seach for materials beyond campus. Materials not owned on campus may be requested through Worldcat.
Subject Guides
A good place to begin your research. They list the best resources in a subject area, including licensed journal databases and Internet resources.
RefWorks
Convenient Web-based citation manager for UW-Madison students, staff and faculty. Export references from journal databases directly to your personal account. RefWorks Login | RefWorks help pages
Questions
- call the Reference Desk at (608) 263-9635
- contact us by email
- contact your library liaison
EndNote
Software you purchase and load on your computer to organize references. Export references from journal databases plus robust searching and organizing tools. EndNote help pages
Questions
Steenbock librarians who specialize in using EndNote are:
Patricia Herrling
Contact by email
Phone: (608) 263-6373
Beverly Phillips
Contact by email
Phone: (608) 263-2411
Library instruction
Consultation
We offer small group or one-on-one consultations for specific in-depth help on using library resources.
Examples of when a consultation would be useful are:
- You are beginning work on your dissertation/thesis or a new research project and would like help in selecting and using library resources specific to your area of research.
- Your group wants to purchase and use a bibliographic information management program, like RefWorks or EndNote, and would like an overview of the various aspects of such programs.
- You have a specific class assignment and you are having trouble finding journal articles or books for your topic.
- You have attended a basic workshop on a library resource, such as MadCat, and have a specific search problem not covered in the class.
- You need advice on using library resources from a remote location, such as your office, lab or home.
To arrange for a consultation, you may contact your Department's Liaison Librarian or schedule a consultation here.
Course-related workshops
Our librarians team up with faculty and instructional staff to develop workshops geared specifically toward your course and your needs.
Most workshops have hands-on computer time so students can immediately practice, while library staff provide individual feedback and guidance.
Use this form to schedule a Library Instruction session. Or, contact the Library Instruction Office, 263-6373.
Drop-in workshops
For a general overview of basic library resources, such as MadCat or JournalDatabases we offer drop-in workshops throughout the semester.
Video: What We Can Do for You!Course reserves
Course reserve lists may be accessed in MyUW (http://my.wisc.edu) or Learn@UW (https://learn@uw.wisc.edu) if it is used for the course.
Both links to electronic reserves and location information for materials such as books is included.
The reserve list is part of the class' Library Course Page which integrates all relevant library resources on a single Web page.
Library Course Pages
Library Course Pages are created by librarians in collaboration with faculty and instructional staff and are tailored to a specific course’s needs and assignments. They are accessed in MyUW (http://my.wisc.edu) or Learn@UW (https://learn@uw.wisc.edu) and the links are created automatically.
Depending on the course, the Library Course Page may contain:
- electronic reserves links
- a link to a list of print materials on reserve for the class in campus libraries
- links to research tools such as journal databases and Web sites
- tips and techniques for making library research faster and more efficient
- Refworks, for help in formatting bibliographies
- contact information for personal assistance
For more information on Library Course Pages, including examples, visit the Libraries' Web site.
Purchase recommendation
We welcome recommendations for purchase of books or journal titles you feel would be valuable additions to our collection.
Complete the form below, or contact Barbara Hamel.
Distance services
Distance Library Services are intended for UW-Madison students, faculty, and staff that reside outside of Dane County.
This service is tailored for members of the UW-Madison community who live and work outside of Dane County - including dissertators, students taking distance courses, and faculty on sabbatical.
Additional resources
This list of new databases and electronic resources is updated regularly
Scholarly Communications and Publishing
The Office of Scholarly Communications and Publishing (OSCP) provides information and support for new publishing alternatives