Building Map

Building floor plans

Entrances

• Enter and exit the library from Babcock Drive (east side of the building facing Microbial Sciences). This entrance has an automatic set of doors (exterior and interior) that are operated using large button paddles. Passing through the first door will initiate the second door to open.
• Guests entering and exiting the building will pass through a security gate. This gate does not have a push bar or swinging barrier to impede entry.
• UW Archives and Records Management is located on the 4th floor (room 425) and can be accessed via elevator or stairs. Speak with staff at the services desk on the entrance level (2nd floor) for assistance in locating the elevator or stairs. 
• Campus accessible entrance list

Elevators

• There is one public elevator used to visit the four floors of the building. The UW Archives reading room is the first door to the left as you exit the elevator. 
• Speak with staff at the services desk on the entrance level (2nd floor) for assistance using the staff elevator in the event that the public elevator is undergoing service.

Parking & Transportation

Parking is available in the Observatory Drive Ramp (Lot 36), 1645 Observatory Drive. Lot 36 is a gated garage/ramp that requires a parking permit or payment upon exit. Visitors can take a ticket upon entry and pay by credit card at the exit gate. Consult the Visiting the Archives page for additional details.  

• The ramp has accessible stalls on all levels. An elevator is located in the northeast corner of the ramp. The campus Transportation Services division indicates that stalls are available on a “first-come, first-served basis”.
• The stalls on Level 2 are convenient to the bridge that connects to the entrance level of the library.
  • Winter conditions: Exit on Level 1 and take the Observatory Drive sidewalk to the library entrance. While there is an incline using this route, the sidewalk is quickly and regularly groomed by staff with campus facilities.  
• State of Wisconsin Department of Transportation (DOT) disabled parking identification permits or with DIS and VET DIS plates may park in the accessible stalls. Note that some stalls may be restricted to UW Disabled permits only. For more information, please consult the Accessible Transportation Options page and details about parking.
• Campus accessible parking stall list and map
• Parking restrictions apply to Lot 36 on home game (football) Saturdays and occasionally during other large campus events. Permit holders will receive email notification in advance of restricted use with suggested, surface lot alternatives provided. Please see additional information about event parking.
• Bus 80 stops at the corner of Babcock and Observatory Drives (northeast of the library’s main entrance).

Emergency / Evacuation Procedures

• If you cannot self-evacuate for any reason, dial 9-1-1 and state your location. UWPD dispatchers will relay this information to responding personnel.
• Do not use the elevator in fire emergencies.
• In case of severe storms, seek shelter in interior spaces away from windows.

Accessible Furniture

• The reading room in UW Archives has eleven non-height adjustable tables on wheels, and eleven (plus or minus) non-adjustable chairs on wheels. 
• There is one non-adjustable ADA compliant table in the reading room.

Reservable Study Rooms and Spaces

• There are no reservable study rooms or spaces located in UW Archives and Records Management.
• The Libraries have many reservable study spaces. Click here to make a reservation.
• Reservations for Conference Rooms 240 and 340 can be made by placing a request to staff. Submit the online request form or speak with staff at our services desk on the entrance level (2nd floor).
• Study rooms are unlocked. Conference rooms are locked and can be opened by staff at the services desk upon request.

Quiet Spaces

• The 4th floor is a dedicated quiet study floor. Please note that due to occasional visits to stacks and to the Archives offices, the library is unable to maintain this area as a “silent” study space. 
• The UW Archives and Records Management spaces are quiet spaces. However, day-to-day business operations take place in all our spaces so there may be occasional noise louder than what is deemed “quiet.”

Distraction-free Spaces

A “Reflection Space” is found on the 3rd floor, along the east windows above our front entrance. This space is a mobile, screened privacy enclosure and is not sound-proof.

Restrooms

• There is a single-stall, all-gender accessible restroom on the entrance level (2nd floor) of the library.
• Men’s and women’s accessible restrooms are also available on the 4th floor.

Lactation and Baby Changing Space

There is a changing table in the single-stall, all-gender accessible restroom on the entrance level (2nd floor) of the library.

Inaccessible Spaces

• The collection stacks areas for UW Archives and Records Management are only accessible to staff and student staff. The stacks areas include room 436, parts of room 425, and basement rooms (B105, B105E, B105C, & B120). 
• UW Archives staff processing space in room 447 is only accessible to staff and student staff.
• The Science Libraries Shelving Facility is a staff-only space in the basement of Steenbock Library. Library users affiliated with UW-Madison or who have a Community Borrowing Card can place a request from the online catalog record to have these items retrieved. Campus guests can place a request for retrieval by submitting the Shelving Facility Request form.

Lighting

• There is overhead lighting in all UW Archives spaces.
• There is motion detection lighting in the BioCommons, Rooms 110A, 110B, 110C, and 110D-F.

UW Archives and Records Management includes the following technologies available for public use at no cost:

• KIC overhead scanner, with options to scan items flat or in a cradle. File transfer options include: My Docs, USB, Email, QR code. File format options include: KIC Study System, Searchable PDF, PDF, JPEG, PNG, Word Document Rich Text, MP3. 
• One public computer station (Windows desktop) with portable earphones and an external CD/DVD drive. 
• One flatbed EPSON scanner that includes Scannx Book ScanCenter software. File transfer options include: Email, Smartphone, USB, Staff Folder WTS Drop (login required). File format options include: MTIFF, JPEG, PNG, PDF, Searchable PDF, Word, ePub, MP3.  
• One DocuMate sheet feeder scanner that includes simplex and duplex options. File transfer options include: Email, Smartphone, USB, Staff Folder WTS Drop (login required). File format options include: MTIFF, JPEG, PNG, PDF, Searchable PDF, Word, ePub, MP3. 
• Media station includes: one TV/VCR player, one cassette tape player, portable earphones
• One digital microfilm scanner. Patrons have the option to save digital scans to an external hard drive/USB flash drive, or email. 
• One Steenbeck film machine (requires staff approval prior to use).
• Magnifiers available upon request.
• Light table available upon request (used to view transparencies, slides, etc.). 
• USB flash drives and external harddrives available upon request for in-house use only.    

Steenbock Library has two computer labs with this accessibility software (Windows desktop):

• DoIT Infolab, 2nd floor (entrance level)
  • Kurzweil 3000: A comprehensive reading, writing, and learning software solution for any struggling reader, including individuals with learning difficulties, such as dyslexia, attention deficit disorder or those who are English Language Learners. Windows desktop.
  • Fusion: Magnification and screen reading software. Windows desktop.
  • On-Screen Keyboard
  • ZoomText: Magnification and reading program designed for low-vision users. The magnifier/reader enlarges everything on the computer screen and automatically reads documents, web pages and email.  Windows desktop.
• Public computers on 2nd floor (entrance level) have the following software; follow the Accessibility icon on desktop to access settings and software:
  • On-Screen Keyboard
  • Screen Magnifier
  • Narrator (will require using wired earbuds/ear-phones)
  • Color Contrast
• Annex Lab, 1st floor, northeast corner and adjacent to staff offices, Rooms 118, 119. One workstation as you enter the Annex in the middle row is also positioned on a labeled height-adjustable table that can be raised or lowered using a manual crank.

Accessing Materials and Services

• UW Archives and Records Management collections can be requested from the library catalog or by contacting us via email [uwarchiv@library.wisc.edu] or phone 608-262-5629.
• Prior to requesting and accessing materials, all patrons need to create an Archives and Special Collections Account. 
• All patrons visiting the reading room to access collection materials will need to first check in with staff at the service desk. The service desk is height adjustable. 
• Some archival collections are housed at the Verona Shelving Facility. These materials can be requested via the library catalog and are available in the reading room within 24 hours.
• Steenbock Library items can be requested and retrieved from the Science Libraries Shelving Facility and Rare Book Storage by placing a request using the online catalog or by speaking with staff at our services desk on the entrance level (2nd floor). Campus guests can request retrieval from the shelving facility by submitting the Shelving Facility Request form.