Little Magazines at UW-Madison : Find Little Magazines in Print at UW-Madison

UW-Madison holds one of the most extensive collections of Little Magazines in North America, managing roughly 8,000 different titles and around 1,200 active subscriptions to current publications. You can find more information about Little Magazines in the UW-Madison Catalog, including details about which issues the university carries. While these materials cannot be checked out, you can view them at the UW-Madison campus:

Hours: Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (materials cannot be paged after 4:45 p.m.)

Searching the UW-Madison Catalog

The Little Magazines Collection is a non-circulating collection. Because of the large number of titles in this collection, we cannot provide links to all of the catalog records. Not only is there a catalog record for each title, but also, in many cases, there are catalog records for individual issues as well. Following is a guide to searching the UW-Madison online catalog, where you can locate and find records for the titles you may wish to explore further. Please note that Little Magazines are shelved by title, not by call number. 

See below for instructions on how to search for a known title, how to browse titles, and suggestions for how to request and view the physical materials when you visit UW-Madison Memorial Library, Special Collections. 

Questions While Searching

Because of the sometimes irregular titles of Little Magazines, it can be difficult to locate specific issues for an entire run. If you have questions about a title and how to find it, please contact us.

Searching for a Known Title

If you know the title of a Little Magazine, follow these steps to find it in the UW-Madison catalog:

1. To find titles in the Little Magazines Collection, go to the UW-Madison Libraries' home page and click "Advanced Search" under the blank search field.

2. On the Advanced Search page, click "UW-Madison" to limit your results. Then click "Locations" to limit by library and select "Special Collections (Memorial Library)." 

3. Under "Special Collections," select the three different Little Magazines formats: "Little Magazines," "Little Magazines Flat," and "Little Magazines Oversize." 

4. Scroll up and search for a known Title (or Author/Creator, Publisher, etc.). On the left side of the screen, enter your search terms, and scroll down to click on the red Search button. In the sample search below, the title "copper nickel" has been entered into the Title search box. If more than one result is returned, select the item you are looking for. This will take you to the catalog record for that item.

5. In the catalog record, look for the "Availability" box on the right. This will give you details on which issues of this title are available in Special Collections. Note also the Subjects heading "Little Magazines." 

6. If you click on the "Little Magazines" Subjects heading, it will take you to a page with Related Topics, Places, Time Periods, and Content Types:

Browsing Little Magazine Titles

On the search page, limit for UW-Madison and Special Collections as described in the search above, leave the search boxes blank, and then click on the red Search button. A list of Little Magazines will appear in your search results. Scroll through this list to browse Little Magazines titles. Another option for browsing titles in the Little Magazine Collection is to view the Little Magazine Collection Blog. The blog regularly features new arrivals as well as older titles from the collection.

Requesting and Viewing Little Magazines in Special Collections

In Special Collections, the following instructions will assist you when requesting and viewing Little Magazines:

1. Wash your hands in the bathrooms just outside the Special Collections exhibit area.

2. Enter the exhibit area, and then turn right and through the doors to the reference desk. Fill out a call slip at the desk for a particular title, and indicate which issues you want to view. Give this slip, along with a photo ID, to library staff.

3. Find a table in the reading room. Items may show signs of wear and pages may be brittle. Therefore, when your items are delivered to you, use the available book futons and appropriate page weights to prop items safely and to hold items gently open for viewing.

4. Use only a pencil to take notes. Do not make any marks on the items themselves. 

5. When you are finished viewing your items, leave them on the table; library staff will reshelve them.