About Us

Welcome to the River Falls Area Research Center & University Archives, one of fourteen research facilities in a statewide network coordinated by the Wisconsin Historical Society in partnership with the University of Wisconsin System. The River Falls Area Research Center and the University Archives operate within one facility but are two distinct entities, each with their own collections.

The River Falls Area Research Center (ARC) provides students, faculty and the general public regional access to historical materials, local government records, manuscripts and special collections from four northwestern Wisconsin counties: Burnett, Pierce, Polk, and St. Croix. Through the statewide ARC network, most collections owned by the Wisconsin Historical Society or other ARC's can be transferred to and from the River Falls ARC. Collections housed at the River Falls ARC can be identified on the Collection pages or by using the UW-River Falls Voyager library catalog. Collections housed at ARC's throughout the entire statewide network including River Falls can be identified using ArCat, the online catalog of the Wisconsin Historical Society.

The UW-River Falls University Archives is the official repository for the permanent, historical records of the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. The primary mission of the University Archives is to collect and preserve materials that document the history, development, traditions, and activities of the University since its establishment in 1874 while providing accessibility to the university community as well as the general public. The collection includes student newspapers and yearbooks, course catalogs, directories, masters' theses, commencement programs, administrative and departmental records, photographs, artifacts and much more. University records can be identified using the UW-River Falls Voyager library catalog or on the UWRF Collections page.