State Archives & Government Publications
About
The State Archives and Wisconsin Government Publications programs collect, catalog and make available records and publications of permanent value created by Wisconsin state agencies and local units of government.
What's New
The Wisconsin Municipal Records Schedule has been approved and is now available for use.
The new WHS Electronic Records Portal (WERP) is available for users to explore Wisconsin public records online:
State Agency Records
The State Archives collects records of permanent value created by Wisconsin state agencies. Please visit the state agency records section for information regarding the administration of records, retention schedules and guidelines, and how to transfer records to the State Archives.
Electronic Records
Visit the electronic records section to find resources for managing electronic records and for transferring electronic records to the State Archives.
Additional Resources
Learn about the records facilities and resources available to state agencies and local units of government.
- State Records Center
- Public Records Board
- Department of Justice's Office of Open Government (Open Records Guidance)
Local Government Records
Local government records include those created by Courts, Counties, Muncipalities, and other local units. Please visit the local government records section for information regarding statutory requirements, records schedules, notification and destruction, and general guidance for public records care.
Government Publications
The Wisconsin Historical Society Library is one of the three official state-level depositories for State of Wisconsin publications participating in the Wisconsin Document Depository Program (WDDP). In addition to publications from Wisconsin state government agencies, our collections include U.S. Federal government publications, as well as publications from Wisconsin county and local governments, other state governments, and Canada. Please visit the government publications section for information regarding WDDP and our collections.
Web Archives
The Wisconsin Historical Society harvests selected websites of state agencies, local governments, political campaigns for gubernatorial or U.S. Senate races, topical issues and online publications. These websites are preserved using the Internet Archive's "Archive-It" web harvesting tool.
Electronic Records Portal
Explore Wisconsin public records online in the new WHS Electronic Records Portal.
NHPRC Grant
In 2019, the Wisconsin Historical Society received a one-year grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) for the Citizen Petition Access and Digitization Project to arrange, describe, preserve, and make digitally avaialble citizen petitions to the Wisconsin legislature.
Petitions are direct means of citizens to communicate with the government and reflect the specific time and location of authorship. Topics found in the collection include treatment of Native Americans, development of the railroad, school funding, care of Civil War solders and their families, and women's sufferage.
Records Management Guidelines
General guidelines for managing records at a state or local government agency.
For more specific guidelines and procedures, consult the State Agency Records or Local Government Records sections.
Questions?
- Send an email to govarc@wisconsinhistory.org