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About the Collections

Collections Strategy

We build our collections for you. Let’s work together to develop library collections that inspire discovery, reach diverse communities and meet the evolving education, research and healthcare needs of UC San Diego and beyond.

The UC San Diego Library collections philosophy is centered around innovation. We support campus and community Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) principles, curate collections that support teaching and research, explore open access and transformative publishing and make learning more affordable. We are stewards of the materials we acquire and of the funds provided for their acquisition.

Meet Our Strategists


Roger Smith

Roger Smith
Associate University Librarian, Scholarly Resources and Services
(858) 534-1235


Dave Schmitt

Dave Schmitt
Program Director, Collection Development and Management
(858) 822-1392

 

 

 


Collections Strategists

  • Arts and Humanities - Laura Schwartz (Interim), (858) 534-1267
  • Life and Health Sciences - Zemirah Ngow, (858) 534-3221
  • East Asian Studies - Xi Chen, (858) 534-7548
  • Special Collections and Archives - Lynda Claassen, (858) 534-2533
  • Physical Sciences, Engineering, and Marine Sciences - Teri Vogel, (858) 534-1216
  • Social Sciences and Ebooks - Harold Colson, (858) 534-0619
  • Scholarly Communications Librarian - Allegra Swift

Subject Specialists and Library Liaisons

Collections Policies and Statements

 

Collections & Research Services

Our collections amplify the impact of the UC San Diego community. Over the years, we have curated our collections to support UC San Diego’s focus on research and academic discovery. In building and maintaining our collections, the Library seeks to collect with breadth and depth. We invite you to explore our resources and how your academic and professional endeavors can find inspiration. 

 

Geisel Library

General Collections

Our general collections contain a wide variety of materials that support UC San Diego’s academic and research needs. They include books, music and video, journals, databases, primary sources and much more. The Library’s collections are intended to fuel success in your teaching, research and learning endeavors.

Start Your Research
Breezeway between Bonner Hall and Mayer Hall

Special Collections & Archives

Special Collections & Archives (SC&A) is a nexus for research and original scholarship in a variety of disciplines through its extensive holdings of manuscripts, rare books, photographs, artworks, archives and more. Students interact with original artifacts in the SC&A classroom, while faculty and independent scholars explore world-famous collections in the reading room.

Visit Special Collections & Archives

Engineering lab with equipment

Research Data Curation

Whether you need assistance with creating a data management plan, training on data management best practices, guidance on depositing your data in a repository, help creating a digital object identifier (DOI) for your research outputs, or instruction on research computing skills, the Library’s Research Data Curation program is here to help.

Explore Data Services
Using a sextant to determine latitude and longitude at sea, on the USC&GS Pioneer during the International Indian Ocean Expedition. 1964

Digital Collections

UC San Diego Library’s Digital Collections feature more than 166,000 items, including documents, images, video and audio recordings, and research data sets made available to support scholarship, teaching and learning. Library digital collections include digitized items developed from the Library's holdings with strengths in Baja California, Melanesia, oceanography, UC San Diego history and more.

Explore our Digital Collections

Photo of the HIPerSpace wall, an ultra-scale visualization environment.

Open Publishing Initiatives and Scholarly Communications

The Library’s Scholarship Tools and Methods Program provides expertise, guidance, and resources to support more open, impactful, and equitable knowledge production by UC San Diego researchers and scholars from all backgrounds, disciplines and at all career stages.

Publishing Scholarly Communication
Drifting World through the Scripps Plankton Camera

Digital Exhibits

UC San Diego Library’s Digital Exhibits feature curated items from our ever growing Digital Collections and complement physical exhibits and campus events. These online exhibits tell the story of the materials that have been selected, organized and described by creators of the collections by providing historical, cultural and educational context.

Browse Digital Exhibits

Notable Collections

The UC San Diego Library has curated collections for your specific research needs. Our notable collections showcase areas of exceptional strength and provide critical resources for research and teaching on campus. Trends include support for research data, open access publishing and affordable course materials. Learn more about our notable collections including the Visual History Archive, Melanesian and Pacific Island Studies, Latin American Studies, and collections from East Asia and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO).

More on Research

Help Build Our Collections

For more than half a century, the UC San Diego Library has developed its wide range of collections through the generous endowments and donations made by our donors. In addition to UC funding from the State of California, we rely on donations from alumni, faculty and staff, community members, and friends like you to support our collections acquisition program.

SUPPORT THE LIBRARY

Support the Library's purpose to continue enriching the community through a current use gift, or by establishing a named collections endowment. Together, we can contribute to the success of the UC San Diego Library.

GIFTS AND ENDOWMENTS

CAN'T FIND WHAT YOU NEED?

We welcome your suggestions for how to build our collections! Recommendations will be evaluated based upon the Library's collection development policies and strategies as well as current budgetary allowances.

RECOMMEND A PURCHASE