University Archives and Area Research Center
715-425-3567
archives@uwrf.edu
Chalmer Davee Library 
330 E. Cascade Avenue
M-F 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. 

About Us

Located in room 170 in the lower level of the Chalmer Davee Library at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, the University Archives and the Area Research Center operate within one facility but are two distinct entities, each with their own collections.

Mission Statement:

The University Archives and Area Research Center (ARC) collects and preserve records, regardless of format, that document the history, development, traditions, and activities of the University and Northwestern Wisconsin. The UWRF Archives and ARC provides access to these historical materials to the university community as well as the general public.

University archives

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 UWRF library catalog. 

The University Archives is also responsible for Records Management for UW-River Falls. UWRF's Public Records Custodian, however, is the Assistant Chancellor for Business and Finance.

Area Research Center

The River Falls Area Research Center (ARC) is one of fourteen research facilities in a University of Wisconsin System statewide network in coordination with the Wisconsin Historical Society. The River Falls 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 Saint Croix. Through the statewide Area Research Center network, most collections owned by the ARCs and the Wisconsin Historical Society can be transferred to and from the River Falls ARC. Archival collections in the network can be identified using the library catalog. You can also search and find collections using Archives Catalog, the online catalog of the Wisconsin Historical Society.

Read more about the History of the Area Research Center and look at photographs of the ARC's history.

Special collections

The University Archives and Area Research Center also has a number of "Special Collections," such as photographs, maps and atlases, newspapers from our four-county area, to name a few. See the University Archives web page for a full list. Most Special Collections items can be found in the UWRF library catalog.