Library units

Academic engagement

Unit Head: Teri Holford, Engagement & Curriculum Collection Librarian

Murphy Library fully participates in the campus mission of inclusive excellence. The Academic Engagement unit works with library-wide efforts to provide outreach, research and instructional support, and implement programs for under-represented and non-traditional student populations.

Access services

Unit Head: Scott Pfitzinger, 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

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

Administration

Unit Head: John Jax, Library Director 

• Ingrid Iverson
• 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.

Collection development

Unit Head: Pamela Cipkowski, Collection Development Librarian

• Rebecca Strandlie

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, Engagement & Curriculum Collection Librarian

• Rebecca Strandlie

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

• Michael Olson

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.

Discovery and metadata 

Unit Head: VACANT, Discovery and Metadata Librarian

• Michael Olson
• Jonathan Majak

Interlibrary Loan

General Contact: illoffice@uwlax.edu - 785.8636

• Kevin Dinsmore

The Discovery and Metadata 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. 

Electronic resources and acquisitions

Unit Head: Temporary coverage: Pam Cipkowski, Electronic Resources and Acquisitions Librarian

• Mark Beckerjeck

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.

Outreach

Unit Head: Chelsea Wyman, 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

Unit Head: Michael Current, Reference Librarian

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

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.

Teaching and learning

Unit Head: Elizabeth Humrickhouse, Teaching and Learning Librarian

• Shealyn McMahon

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.

Web and user experience

Unit Head: Amber Leibundgut-Peterson, 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.