These subject listings of people, places, events, etc. represent newspaper articles clipped from Milwaukee area newspapers published mainly in the middle to late 20th century.
These subject listings represent newspaper articles clipped by MPL reference staff from Milwaukee-area newspapers published mainly in the middle to late 20th century. There are separate runs of clippings (and thus separate indexes) because they originated in different subject departments of MPL's Central Library. See below for further details about the contents of each index.
Librarians selected articles of local importance and assigned subject headings and staff cut the articles out of the newspaper. The clipping process was not comprehensive, but the resulting files do offer a representative sampling of the newspaper coverage of the listed subjects during the covered periods.
AMR Clippings Index (1920s-2010s)
This subject listing of Milwaukee and Wisconsin artists, architects, musicians, athletes, organizations, events, etc. is primarily comprised of newspaper articles and photocopies from Milwaukee-area newspapers. Occasionally files contain pamphlets and other ephemera as well. Most of the coverage dates are from the 1950s to 2010s, but a number of resources go as far back as the 1920s. Some recreational topics have been compiled and arranged in small binders and are labeled “Sports files” in the index. This collection also contains over 100 folders with photographs and information about select Milwaukee-area sculptures and these are labeled “Sculpture files” in the index. Although the collection is not comprehensive, it is representative of newspaper coverage of the time as it related to art, music, and recreation.
The range of dates included is primarily middle to late 20th century, but there is some coverage as early as the 1920s and as late as the 2010s.
Humanities Historic Clippings Index (1920s-1980s)
This is a general subject listing of Milwaukee-area people, places, businesses, events, etc. representing articles collected by both the Humanities and Business & Periodicals Departments at MPL's Central Library. There is some coverage of Wisconsin-based subjects outside the Milwaukee area, as covered in Milwaukee newspapers. Topics exclude those covered in the AMR Clippings collection, above.
Most of the coverage dates from the 1950s to the 1980s; however, this index to also covers an earlier set of newspaper clippings dating from the 1920s to the early 1960s that were microfilmed in the early to mid-1960s. Articles that point to "Newspaper Clippings (microfilmed 1962)" can be obtained at the Periodicals Service Desk at Central Library by asking for the "Newspaper Clippings" microfilm that date from 1962-1966 and specifying the reel number given in the index entry.
Accessing the Articles
With the exception of the microfilmed clippings subset noted below, the historic clippings indexed above are viewed by appointment only in the Frank P. Zeidler Room of the Central Library. All materials are requested and appointments are scheduled here. Same day access cannot be guaranteed.
When requesting clippings files please clearly identify in which clippings collection index you found the subject heading (AMR Clippings or Humanities Historic Clippings). Photocopy orders may also be placed online at this same site.
Articles for entries in the Humanities Historic Clippings Index that point to "Newspaper Clippings (microfilmed 1962)" can be obtained at the Periodicals Service Desk at Central Library by asking for the "Newspaper Clippings" microfilm that date from 1962-1966 and specifying the reel number given in the index entry.
For any questions about accessing these newspaper clippings collections, please email mplarchives@milwaukee.gov
Photocopies of the newspaper clippings files referenced in these indexes are available to purchase by placing an order here.