Resources for Prospective Students

The MIAD Library serves as a curated center for information access and retrieval for the MIAD community.  Situated on MIAD’s River Level with large windows overlooking the Milwaukee River, the space boasts plenty of natural lighting, a quiet study area, comfortable seating, and areas for both collaborative and individual work.  Public access computers and areas for personal computer use are available, as well as both a black & white and color printer.

Students can browse the library catalog at any time.  Students may check out materials using their MIAD Student ID and manage their materials using their online account. 

Contact Us!

Library staff can be reached via email at library@miad.edu.  

About MIAD's Resources

MIAD's collection contains over 22,000 books, 99 active magazine subscriptions, and over 16,000 back issues of magazines, as well as 8 online databases.  The library collection includes all pertinent aspects of the visual arts and design, with special emphasis on each MIAD degree area (Communication Design, Illustration, Interior Architecture + Design, Industrial/Product Design, Fashion and Apparel Design, and Fine Arts/New Studio Practice). The collection also supports the First Year Experience and Liberal Studies curricula, including writing, art history, humanities, science, and service learning. A special collection of career books, selected and maintained by MIAD’s Director of Career Services, offers resources to foster the professional development of students. Electronic databases provide access to journal articles, encyclopedias, e-books and digital images. 

In addition, the MIAD Library is staffed by three library professionals and a team of library student clerks.  

What services do you offer?

The Library is pleased to offer a wide range of resources and services to our faculty, students, and staff:


How do I check out books or access resources from the Library?

In order to check out Library materials, students must present their current student ID.  Books can be loaned for up to 4 weeks, and can be renewed up to two times. DVDs and special materials may have shorter checkout periods. You will receive an email one day before your materials are due with a reminder and a link to renew your materials online if needed.

If you would like to request books from any of our partner institutions through the SWITCH Library Consortium, you may place a request for an item online, and you will receive an email notification when the item has arrived at the MIAD Library for pickup.

To access Library materials off campus, such as databases, you should log into your MIAD OneLogin account.


What is the SWITCH Library Consortium?

MIAD has partnered with six other schools in the Milwaukee area to create the SWITCH Library Consortium.  Through the SWITCH consortium, MIAD students have access to over 800,000 resources.

If you would like to request books from any of our partner institutions through the SWITCH Library Consortium, you may place a request for an item online, and you will receive an email notification when the item has arrived at the MIAD Library for pickup. Delivery of materials between schools occurs daily, Monday through Friday. You can also place requests for journal articles that MIAD does not have full text access to. Items checked out from SWITCH partners are picked up and can be returned at the MIAD Library.

The members of the SWITCH consortium include: