MERIT Library supports the faculty, staff, and students of the School of Education, UW-Madison, the Wisconsin education community (and beyond) by providing a wide-range of reference and research services.
Our Library Services
- Our Books & Curriculum Materials
- Help Starting & Navigating Research
- Librarian Consults & Instruction Support
MERIT Library offers a rich collection of books, media, and digital resources to support coursework, research, and teacher certification. Materials are selected by our librarians in partnership with UW Libraries to match your academic needs.
Help finding the books & articles you need
Explore resources related to specific subjects, topics, courses, or types of sources. Get help from librarians and library staff finding the books and articles you need to write papers and plan research projects, and learn how to cite your references to avoid plagiarism.
Course & subject specific guides
We provide topic-specific support through individual consults or classroom visits. We teach how to find, evaluate, and use information effectively. Our outcomes focus on developing research skills, using library resources, and avoiding plagiarism.
Content resources for instruction support
More About Our Book Collections
Our book collection can be found on the 4th floor of the Teacher Education Building. We also have content available online available from the UW Libraries Catalog. If you need help finding what you’re looking for, please ask our staff at the MERIT Service Desk (3rd floor). Our 4th floor also offers individual study carrels and some soft seating.
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PreK-12 Collection
The primary purpose of the PreK-12 collection is to support the teacher certification programs in the School of Education. These materials are designed to be used by students as they learn to identify, select, evaluate, and use a multiplicity of resources in developing the curriculum for elementary and secondary students. The reading level of these materials ranges from preschool through secondary, with a strong emphasis on those materials from preschool through the middle school years. Materials are collected in those subject areas in which the School of Education offers teacher certification. The collections are developed to provide a current, not a historical, perspective.
The PreK-12 collection includes materials for preschool, kindergarten, elementary, and secondary education. Textbooks, handbooks for classroom activities, video recordings, sound recordings, and educational kits and games are inter-shelved according to subject area, along with juvenile fiction, non-fiction trade books, and other items that are representative of materials found in a school library media center.
Professional Collection
The professional education collection includes titles in the areas of theory and practice of education, curriculum development, teacher education, educational psychology, special education, physical education and dance, educational technology, educational testing and measurement, childhood development, adult and vocational education, counseling and guidance, and educational administration related to preschool through grade 12 education.
Journals & Reference Collection
MERIT Library receives a substantial number of journals in the field of education for use within the library. Full text access to selected articles from many of these journals is available through links in the UW-Madison Libraries catalog.
The reference collection contains general and specialized encyclopedias, dictionaries, bibliographies, guides, handbooks, and statistical compilations pertinent to the field of education. Materials are available in both print and electronic formats.
Testing Resources
MERIT Library owns hundreds of standardized educational and psychological tests pertinent to PreK-12 education. Some tests are open to all users; others are located in a restricted collection which is only available to users with School of Education faculty authorization. The library does not lend its restricted tests through Interlibrary Loan (ILL). To learn more about the Restricted Test collection, email: library@education.wisc.edu
*If you need help accessing materials or services within the MERIT Library, please ask at the 3rd floor service desk.