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
Associate University Librarian, Scholarly Resources and Services
(858) 534-1235
Collections Strategists
- Arts and Humanities - Hillary Ostermiller, (858) 534-6443
- 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 - Dave Schmitt (interim), (858) 822-1392
- 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.
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
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
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
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
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
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 ExhibitsNotable 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).
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.
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.