Madeleine Clark Wallace Library
Library Collections
The collections of the Wallace Library are varied and unique. We strive to provide resources that support current coursework and research as well as anticipated future needs. With new formats, technologies, and changes in access, we focus on selecting materials that are scholarly, authoritative and timely to sustain the curricular needs of our connected and foundational courses. Search the library catalog to find items in our collections. For help finding an item, please ask at the Information Desk in the Atrium on the library's Main Level, and we'll be happy to help you find what you're looking for.
We recognize that users will encounter offensive or harmful language in descriptions of the works in our collection. Please read our statement on harmful language in collections, cataloging, and description.
Course Reserve Request Form
Note: To access this Google Form, you'll need to provide your Wheaton wID and email password. You will receive your electronic reserves by email. To request electronic reserves, please complete the form above. For more information, please see:
Request a Purchase Form
On this page
Physical Collections
Books
Located on the Stacks Level, our general collection consists of the majority of our books and is organized by Library of Congress Subject Heading.
Our comprehensive fine arts collection is located on the First and Second Mezzanines of the Atrium and in the Clark Room between the First and Second Mezzanines. This collection includes books on visual arts, architecture, sculpture, drawing, design, illustration, painting, print media, decorative arts, and arts in general.
Our collection of books by Wheaton staff and alumni is located on the Main Level, near the front entrance, in the Scholars' Lab.
Our collection of books by Wheaton faculty, past and present, is also located on the Main Level near the front entrance in the Scholars' Lab.
Located on the Main Level near the front entrance, our collection of new books includes popular novels and other books that have been recently published.
Located in the Reference Reading Room on the Main Level, our print reference collection includes dictionaries, encyclopedias, almanacs, atlases, and other reference works.
Rare Books & Special Collections
For information about our special collections, please refer to the Gebbie Archives & Special Collections.
Periodicals
Current Periodicals
Our collection of current periodicals consists of approximately 100 active subscriptions. These and other print journals from 2000-present are located on the Periodicals Level, one level below the Main Level, where you'll also find comfortable seating and a relaxed ambience.
Twentieth-Century Periodicals
Journal issues from 1900-1999 are located in compact shelving on the Stacks Level.
Oversized Periodicals
Our collection of oversized periodicals is shelved in the stacks in a separate section after the "Z" call numbers. To find a specific title, refer to the library catalog for the call number.
Periodical Closed Storage
Journal issues from before 1900 and issues in fragile condition are held in closed storage. Ask for access at the Information Desk or submit a document delivery request to receive a copy of an article in one of these issues.
Microfilm and microfiche are located behind the compact shelving on the Stacks Level. The microform reader is next to the Information Desk on the Main Level, where staff will be happy to help you.
Music Scores and Audiovisual Materials
Our large collection of music scores is located on the Stacks Level.
Music and spoken-word CDs are also located outside of the Music Seminar Room on the Stacks Level. LP records are located inside the Music Seminar Room. Ask at the Information Desk for assistance locating any needed materials.
Our large DVD collection is held in closed storage. Place a hold on a title through the library catalog or ask to browse the collection at the Information Desk.
Board Game Collection
Our collection of board games is located on the Main Level between the Reference Reading Room and the Woolley Electronic Classroom. Please feel free to browse, sit and play games, or borrow them for up to 3 days.
Electronic Resources
Full-text electronic journals can be found both through the library catalog and through BrowZine. Download the BrowZine app on your phone or tablet to save titles to your shelf and get notified when new issues are released.
A free subscription to the New York Times is one of the perks of being part of the Wheaton community. While on campus, use your @wheatoncollege.edu email address to sign up, and then use the website or the app on any device, anywhere.
Other electronic newspaper collections can be found among our databases.
You'll find nearly 200,000 ebooks in the library catalog, including titles from ACLS Humanities Ebooks, Ebook Central, and JSTOR.
Streaming Video
We have over 80,000 streaming video titles available through collections such as Alexander Street Press, Academic Video Online, and Infobase Films on Demand.
Reference Works
The library catalog contains hundreds of online reference works, including encyclopedias, dictionaries, atlases, and almanacs.
Collection Development
Our collection policy is used to develop our collections as the essential source of scholarly information for the Wheaton community. To best support the mission of the College, the Library selects resources that represent a variety of perspectives and align with the curriculum. If you have questions about our collection development policy, please contact Megan Brooks, Dean of Library Services. Want us to purchase an item? Fill out our Request a Purchase Form.
*Note: To access this Google Form, you'll need to enter your Wheaton email address and password.
If you have any questions about the form, please email order@wheatoncollege.edu
Unique Digital Collections
The Wheaton College Digital Repository
Wheaton College's digital repository is a platform where we collect, preserve, and distribute born-digital and digitized scholarship and materials. Note: To access the entirety of the Repository, you will need to login with your Wheaton wID and password.
Collections in the Digital Repository
- College Communications Official publications of Wheaton College offices
- Curricular Materials Courses offered at Wheaton College and their syllabi (login for full access)
- Faculty Governance Meeting minutes and supporting documents from the Academic Division of the College (login for full access)
- Resources for Teaching & Research Learning objects derived from student- and faculty-authored research and digital projects
- Works by Faculty Faculty-authored research and projects
- Works by Students Student-authored research, journals, theses, literature, and visual arts
Niké Yearbooks
Published continuously since 1916 and digitized in 2021, Niké is the Wheaton College yearbook.
ArtSTOR
ArtSTOR has partnered with museums, libraries, photographers, and photographic archives to create an enormous collection of images for teaching and research in the arts, humanities and social sciences.
Wheaton's Collections in ArtSTOR
- Wheaton College Banner Collection: commencement and reunion banners, 1901-Present.
- Wheaton College Campus Views: art and architecture brochures and publications featuring the Wheaton College campus.
- Wheaton College Digital Resources for Teaching and Research: published for the 2019 Council of Independent College's Consortium on Digital Resources for Teaching and Research grant. The purpose of this collection is to demonstrate how 3D models can be presented on JSTOR forum. For more information on how 3D models are created, please reference the "Instructables" document in this collection.
- Marion B. Gebbie Archives Image Collection: archival photographs that encompasses the people, places, events, and traditions unique to Wheaton College.
- Wheaton College Shell Collection: seashells from Wheaton's biology department that represents many species of mollusks. All were collected at different times and by many collectors and are made available on ArtSTOR thanks to funding from the Council of Independent Colleges' Consortium on Digital Resources for Teaching and Research.
- Wheaton College Permanent Collection: images of art and artifacts from Wheaton's Permanent (art) Collection. Learn more at the Permanent Collection webpage. Note: To access this collection, you’ll need to provide your Wheaton wID and password.
- Wheaton College Visual Resources Collection: images for teaching and research at Wheaton College. Note: To access this collection, you’ll need to provide your Wheaton wID and password.
- Wheaton College Virtual Picture Book Collection: The picture books featured in this collection were completed as the final project for the fall 2020 Education 240 course, Multiple Perspectives on Literacy, taught by Mary Lee Prescott-Griffin, Ph.D., Professor of Education and Co-Founder, Wheaton Contemplative Studies Initiative (CSI) at Wheaton College.
Archive-It
The Wheaton College Web Archive is a collection of snapshots of Wheaton's web presence from July 2020 to present.
ArchivesSpace
ArchivesSpace is the database from which you can search Wheaton's archival holdings.