Library Special Collections is the largest of the special collections units administered by the university and encompasses the following divisions: Rare Books; Manuscripts, Prints, Photographs, and Maps; Oral History; and University Archives. It acquires, organizes, preserves, and provides access to rare and unique materials in the humanities and social sciences. The holdings include three hundred…

Special Collections and Archives houses the UC Irvine Libraries' collections of rare books, manuscripts, archives, photographs, and other rare and special materials. Major collections include the Critical Theory Archive, the Southeast Asian Archive, and the University Archives, as well as in-depth collections on Orange County and California history, dance and performing arts, 20th-century…

The Reading Room/Library of the Asian American Studies Center houses a significant archive on Asians and Pacific Islanders in the United States. The holdings include books, documents, printed ephemera, photographs, films, paintings, and videos that chronicle the development of Asian American communities in Los Angeles and nationwide.

The Boeckmann Center for Iberian and Latin American Studies was founded in 1985 with a donation of an 80,000 volume book collection related mainly to the study of Spain, Portugal and Latin America. However, this first donation also included books and pamphlets related to Alta and Baja California, the U.S. Hispanic Southwest, the U.S.-Mexico border region, and a small collection of early 20th…

The Whittier History Room is located on the mezzanine of the Central Library and is home to the Whittier Local History Collection. The purpose of this collection is to collect, preserve and make available to the public materials reflecting the development of the City of Whittier and surrounding areas. The main areas of collection are Whittier history, Whittier Hills and California history. The…

As the only collecting institution focused solely on the art, craft, and history of Hollywood writers and their labor union, the Writers Guild Foundation Library & Archive are vividlly relevant to the creative and business communities of Los Angeles. The holdings document a rich facet of Los Angeles culture in relation to the role of writers in the entertainment industry.