President Trump issued an executive order on March 14, 2025, that would eliminate the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), the only federal agency dedicated to supporting American museums and libraries. On March 31, 2025, all employees of the IMLS were placed on administrative leave, effectively shutting down the agency. Without IMLS, Wisconsin’s libraries,… Read More…
Latest News
Digitizing the Brooks Stevens Collection
by Rebecca Silber, UW-Milwaukee School of Information Studies As part of the Recollection Wisconsin Digitization Initiative, I was delighted to be paired up with the Milwaukee Art Museum (MAM) this spring, as a student participant. I hold a BFA and have a background in design, and so spending the semester focusing on digitizing, creating descriptive… Read More…
Meet Team Menomonee Falls Library
We’re excited to work with Team Menomonee Falls Library as part of the Recollection Wisconsin Digitization Initiative! Founded in 1906, the Menomonee Falls Public Library encourages lifelong learning by providing materials, services, and programs to enrich our community’s educational, informational, and recreational needs. It also seeks to stimulate children’s appreciation for reading and interest in learning…. Read More…
Meet Team Middleton Area Historical Society
We are thrilled to be working with the Middleton Area Historical Society (MAHS) as part of the Recollection Wisconsin Digitization Initiative! The Middleton Area Historical Society was established in 1972 with a mission to preserve and publicize the history of the Middleton, Wisconsin area. It is two museums – the Rowley House Museum and the… Read More…
Meet Team Washington Island Museums
We are thrilled to be working with the Washington Island museums this spring as part of the Recollection Wisconsin Digitization Initiative! Their project includes photographing and digitizing materials held by the Jacobsens Museum, part of the Town of Washington Museums group. This includes boat models (schooners) built by Jens Jacobsen (1867-1952) in the late 1800s,… Read More…
New in Recollection Wisconsin
This quarter, we welcome the Eagle River Historical Society as our newest content partner! The Eagle River Historical Society / Craig Moore Research Library collection consists of several thousand images of the Eagle River area from approximately 1880 to 2000. A number of these images come from photographs taken by residents, tourists, and local photography… Read More…
Recollection Wisconsin 2024 Year in Review
As we reflect on 2024, it’s clear that this year has been one of growth, collaboration, and forward momentum for Recollection Wisconsin. We’ve not only maintained our work but expanded into new and impactful initiatives. Together with the Recollection Wisconsin community, we’ve made strides toward preserving and sharing Wisconsin’s unique cultural heritage in innovative ways…. Read More…
Meet Team Milwaukee Art Museum
We are thrilled to be working with the Milwaukee Art Museum this spring as part of the Recollection Wisconsin Digitization Initiative! Their project focuses on digitizing, creating descriptive information for and providing public access to materials from the Brooks Stevens Archive, one of several special Museum Collection archives acquired from the Stevens family in 1997…. Read More…
Spring Cohort Begins Digitization Work
Our Recollection Wisconsin Digitization Initiative spring cohort commenced last week with a 3-hour virtual training event. Participants learned more about Recollection Wisconsin, the Digital Public Library of America and WiLS. Recollection Wisconsin staff presented key digitization best practices and shared knowledge, tools and resources to support students’ scanning, metadata creation, folder- and file-naming and organization schemes, digital preservation, and creating project… Read More…
Four Historic Wisconsin Businesses
by Jacqueline Steel, UW-Madison iSchool In fall 2024, I worked collaboratively with the Eagle River Historical Society and the Nicolet Federated Library System staff to digitize and describe a collection of materials that document historical resorts and supper clubs primarily in northern Wisconsin. Working with ERHS director Vito Bortolotti and NFLS director Tracy Vreeke, I… Read More…
