Collections & Collaborations
The library’s mission is to collect, preserve, and provide science-based resources in support of the UW Aquatic Sciences Center and the two programs it administers, the Water Resources Institute and the Sea Grant Institute. One of the ways we do this is by preserving the library collection for future as well as historical value. Several projects highlight this preservation mission. In addition, collections have been created as a result of several art and science collaborations.
Featured Digital Collections
In addition to its physical book collection, the Wisconsin Water Library has
several digital collections of note.
Groundwater Research Repository
1988 to present
Wisconsin Groundwater Research and Monitoring Program is an investment of more than 50 years investment about our buried treasure, groundwater. The repository includes final project reports funded by various state programs since its inception.
Annual Meeting of the AWRA, Wisconsin Chapter Archive
1978 to present
The Water Library collaborated with the American Water Resources Association (AWRA), Wisconsin Chapter to create an archive of their entire conference proceedings back to 1978. The collection now resides at MINDS@UW.
Bimaadiziwin Nibi – Water is Life StoryMap
2020, updated 2025
A placed-based view of what indigenous communities in the upper Midwest are doing to conserve and protect water. A Wisconsin Sea Grant and Great Lakes Indian Fish & Wildlife Commission collaboration.
U.S. Lake Survey Maps Archive
2009
In 1841, Congress created the Lake Survey within the U.S. Army Topographical Engineers, which later became part of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The Survey, based in Detroit, Mich., was charged with conducting a hydrographical survey of the Northern and Northwestern Lakes and preparing and publishing nautical charts and other navigation aids. The Lake Survey published its first charts in 1852. In 1882, after producing 76 charts, it had completed its congressional mandate. The library collected all 76 Great Lakes maps, digitized them and deposited them into the UW Digital Collections.
People of the Sturgeon Oral History Collection
2019
People of the Sturgeon: Wisconsin’s Love Affair with an Ancient Fish by Kathleen Schmitt Kline, Ron Bruch, and Fred Binkowski is a tale of the cultural and scientific history of an iconic Wisconsin fish, the lake sturgeon. Throughout the process of writing the book, the authors interviewed community activists, sturgeon spearing enthusiasts, spear and decoy craftsmen, and scientific researchers associated with the Lake Winnebago sturgeon population. This collection encapsulates perspectives on lake sturgeon as they are reflected in the book.
People of the Sturgeon StoryMap
2015; extensively updated 2022
Online StoryMap of the People of the Sturgeon: Wisconsin’s Love Affair with an Ancient Fish by Kathleen Schmitt Kline, Ron Bruch, and Fred Binkowski. People of the Sturgeon outlines the history of the cultures surrounding lake sturgeon in Wisconsin’s Lake Winnebago region, told by a fascinating collection of photos, artifacts, and a few good fish tales. From some of the earliest inhabitants of Wisconsin to the spearers who flock to frozen Lake Winnebago for the annual sturgeon spearing season, people have always been drawn to this ancient fish.
The 2015 Epic Sturgeon-Spearing Trip StoryMap
2015
Online StoryMap that tells the story of a librarian, a GIS guy and an undergraduate student’s journey around Lake Winnebago.
Saving our Sturgeon StoryMap
2025
The 2025 middle school reader, Saving our Sturgeon: Protecting Wisconsin’s Ancient Fish by Rebecca Wojhan, explores the remarkable history of lake sturgeon in Wisconsin, the conservation efforts to save the species and what is being done to keep the population healthy and thriving today. The StoryMap was developed to give students and others the opportunity to experience the remarkable story using place-based technology.
Art, Science, and Humanities Collaborations
The library has collaborated on several projects that intersect art, science, and the humanities around a wide range of water- and Great Lakes-related topics. The intent of the project is to promote a science-informed public.
Zaaga’igan Ma’iinganag / Lakewolves
2022 – present
Zaaga’igan Ma’iinganag (“Lakewolves” in English) is an immersive program (literally) that delves into Lake Superior and its surrounding watershed via underwater photography. The goal is to create a platform of expression for youth of our coastal community on the Bayfield Peninsula by exploring the lake and its watershed, cameras in hand and fins on foot. Lakewolves of all backgrounds learn Ojibwe place names of the dive sites. First names form a common bond of respect between our youth, their elders, and these waters.
The images are available for loan to anyone, free of charge. Contact askwater@aqua.wisc.edu to learn more.
Plastic Entanglements
2019
The Wisconsin Water Library and UW Sea Grant Institute were proud to collaborate with the Chazen Museum of Art at UW-Madison on their show, Plastic Entanglements: Ecology, Aesthetics, Materials. The exhibition featured contemporary artwork investigating the complex cultural and material nexus that is “Plastic.” Library staff partnered with their educational staff to provide science materials and resources in support of the exhibition, during their Saturday open house for families and for school groups visiting the museum.
Under the Surface
2018 – present
The library has provided space and opportunity for this Wisconsin Sea Grant-funded education project to display the images around the state. The collection of photographs were on show at UW Memorial Library and Madison Public Library, Ashman Branch, as part of the UW Go Big Read in the Fall of 2018. In 2019, the show went on the road to the Ridges Sanctuary in Bailey’s Harbor (Door County) as part of the Door County Reads program, the, Fort Atkinson Public Library, and then Lakes Convention in Stevens Point.
The images are available for loan to anyone, free of charge. Contact askwater@aqua.wisc.edu to learn more.
Living Memory – Portrait of a Lake Sturgeon
2019 – present
Living Memory is a collection of 47 black-and-white images of the iconic lake sturgeon. A full exhibit of the images appeared in 2018 at the Riveredge Nature Center in Saukville, Wisconsin, at the galleries in the Education Building at UW Madison, and in 2019 as a full exhibit as part of a show at the THELMA Center for the arts in Fond du Lac in early 2019.
The images are available for loan to anyone, free of charge. Contact askwater@aqua.wisc.edu to learn more.
Title / Tidal
2016
Water is elemental to every form of life on our planet. It also serves as a crucial and enduring motif for artistic production. The Kohler Art Library and Wisconsin Water Library teamed up to present an inspiring exhibit of artists’ books.
FLUX: Water in Art & Science
2016
FLUX: Water in Art & Science brought together two UW-Madison professors — Steve Carpenter, director of the Center for Limnology, and Sarah FitzSimons, professor of Art — in conversation about how and why their respective disciplinary research practices actively embrace each other.
The Poly Pledge
2016
Printmaking MFA candidates Pete Bouchard and J. Leigh Garcia collaborated with the Wisconsin Water Library at UW-Madison to create an event combining science and art to raise awareness on the effects of plastics in the aquatic environment. On Friday, April 29th at 5pm in Goodnight Hall, Loyola University Chicago biology professor and plastics researcher, Tim Hoellein, spoke about his research on what effect plastics might be having on water. Bouchard and Garcia offered an artist’s talk on their collaborative project, The Poly Pledge: a human-powered vending machine dispensing reusable bags in exchange for pledges against plastic shopping bags.
Making Maps, Mapping History
2007
This exhibit traced the evolution of map making since the 1600s and the historical influence of the Great Lakes on the history of Wisconsin. The original maps were collected for an exhibit at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Memorial Library Department of Special Collections, March 19 through June 29, 2007.
Digital archive of exhibit coming soon
Did You Know?
The Snowflake: Winter’s Secret Beauty / By Kenneth George Libbrecht and Patricia Rasmussen. Stillwater, Minn.: Voyageur Press: 2003. [Call No. 030770]
Physicist Libbrecht details the creation of snowflakes and photographer Rasumussen provides amazing photographs. You will never look at snowflakes in the same way.
White Hurricane: A Great Lakes November Gale and America’s Deadliest Maritime Disaster / By David G. Brown. Camden, Maine: International Marine and McGraw-Hill: 2002. [Call No. 030762]
The White Hurricane of November 7, 1913, became the worst Great Lakes storm on record: twelve ships sank, and thirty-one more were stranded on rocks and beaches. In this account, nautical writer Brown uses firsthand accounts and contemporary newspaper reports to re-create the desperate struggles of man vs. the lakes.
Roadside Geology of Wisconsin / By Robert H. Dott and John W. Attig. Missoula, Mont: Mountain Press Pub.: 2004. [Call No. 061394]
The first comprehensive guide to Wisconsin geology contains thirty-five road guides that interpret the geology visible from highways and parks around the state. This books offers a fascinating look at our geologic history and should be kept in the car or backpack for quick reference as you travel the state.
Haunted Lakes: Great Lakes Ghost Stories, Superstitions and Sea Serpents / By Frederick Stonehouse. Duluth, Minn.: Lake Superior Port Cities, Inc.: 1997. [Call No. 071067]
Stonehouse’s book is a not-so-serious investigation of truly believed superstitions and stories that have become a part of the lore of the Great Lakes from the 1700s to today. The stories range from ghosts on ships and in lighthouses to sea serpents and underwater spirits.
Haunted Lakes II: More Great Lakes Ghost Stories / By Frederick Stonehouse. Duluth, Minn: Lake Superior Port Cities: 2000. [Call No. 071068]
The companion to Stonehouse’s first collection offers more ghost tales from the Great Lakes region. Like the first volume, it is not a scholarly treatment of the subject, but a light, enjoyable read.
Islands: Great Lakes’ Stories / By Gerry Volgenau. Ann Arbor, Mich.: Ann Arbor Media Group: 2005. [Call No. 071152]
Most people are stunned to learn that there are some 35,000 islands in the Great Lakes, ranging from a large stone with its top above water level to the world’s largest freshwater island. Volgenau’s book focuses on 18 of these islands with their histories and personalities.
The Women’s Great Lakes Reader / By Victoria Brehm. Tustin, Mich.: Ladyslipper Press: 2000. [Call No. 071109]
More than three dozen selections of autobiography, fiction, letters, newspaper accounts, and poetry are included in this anthology devoted to women who lived along or traveled the Great Lakes from 1789 to the present. The collection includes writings by women pioneers, travelers, fur traders, and lighthouse keepers as well as American Indian myths. You are sure to learn something you didn’t know while being entertained by these often courageous women.
Water Wars: Drought, Flood, Folly, and the Politics of Thirst / By Diane Raines Ward. New York: Riverhead Books: 2002. [Call No. 130520]
In this thorough and thoughtful book, the author explores some of the most difficult questions regarding water on our planet by talking with the people who are working to answer them. Her analysis is engaging and insightful.
The Great Lakes Car Ferries / By George Woodman Hilton. Berkeley, Calif.: Howell-North: 1962. [Call No. 191091]
Though published four decades ago, this is still considered to be the definitive work on the history of car ferries designed to transport railroad cars across the lakes in the days before tunnels and bridges had been built for this purpose. Highly readable and informative.
The Master Book of the Water Garden: The Ultimate Guide to Designing and Maintaining Water Gardens / By Philip Swindells. Boston: Bullfinch Press: 2002. [Call No. 240537]
This indispensable book helps minimize the problems faced in building and maintaining a water feature with its wealth of practical ideas and tips for both the amateur and experienced gardener.
One Fish, Two Fish, Crawfish, Bluefish: The Smithsonian Sustainable Seafood Cookbook / By Carole C. Baldwin and Julie H. Mounts. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Books: 2003. [Call No. 281315]
Creative and savory recipes complement important information about the health and safety of our oceans and the creatures in them. Enjoy the flavors and health benefits of seafood while making these ocean-friendly dishes.
Beluga Days: Tracking A White Whale’s Truths / By Nancy Lord. New York: Counterpoint: 2004. [Call No. 281275]
A search for the endangered beluga whales of Cook Inlet, Alaska, becomes a personal journey and uncovers the forces arrayed against this fascinating–and troubled–species.
The Beaver: Natural History of a Wetlands Engineer / By Dietland Muller-Schwarze and Lixing Sun. Ithaca, N.Y: Comstock Pub. Associates: 2003. [Call No. 281403]
Anyone who has witnessed the work of a beaver first hand has seen how quickly this animal can dramatically shape the landscape and how humans can react to these changes. This book combines natural and social history to examine the significance of beavers and answer questions about their fascinating behavior.