The library system of the University of California, Los Angeles, is one of the largest academic research libraries in North America, with a collection of over twelve million books and 100,000 serials. The UCLA Library System is spread over 12 libraries, 12 other archives, reading rooms, research centers and the Southern Regional Library Facility, which serves as a remote storage facility for southern UC campuses. It is among the ten largest academic research library systems in the United States, and its annual budget allocates $10 million for the procurement of digital and print material. It is a Federal Depository Library, California State Depository Library, and United Nations Depository Library.

History of the library system

1883–1944: Laying a foundation

The University Library at Los Angeles was founded in 1883, two years after the establishment of what was then known as the California State Normal School. The library's first acquisition was ''Survey of Wyoming and Idaho'' by Dr. Ferdinand Vandeveer Hayden In 1910, Elizabeth Fargo began her tenure as the university's first librarian and by 1919, the University Library was operated by a staff of four. By 1931, the Library had collected 24,000 volumes and was ranked 36th in the country by the Princeton Library Survey. Upon Elizabeth Fargo's retirement in 1923, John E. Goodwin took the helm as librarian for a collection of 42,000 volumes, tended to by 12 staff members. Goodwin planned for the orderly expansion of the library by the immediate reclassification of books from the

Dewey Decimal System The Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC), colloquially known as the Dewey Decimal System, is a proprietary library classification system which allows new books to be added to a library in their appropriate location based on subject. Section 4.1 ...

to the Library of Congress Classification System. He also opposed and eventually defeated a proposal to make the library at Los Angeles an adjunct collection of a main research library at UC Berkeley. Starting in 1929, Goodwin oversaw the construction and development of the Main Library, which was built after the university settled in its present location in Westwood. Goodwin also saw the bequest of the William Andrews Clark Memorial Library to UCLA in 1934. By the time Goodwin retired in 1944, the Library collection had grown to 462,000 volumes, supported by 52 staff members.

1944–1961: The Powell years

Appointed to replace Goodwin in 1944, Lawrence Clark Powell began a series of systematic changes and acquisitions meant to increase the prestige of the UCLA library system. During Powell's tenure, the Library saw a major expansion of its facilities as the central book stack was completed. During this period, a concerted effort was made to provide new or more comprehensive collections to support the academic research that was being conducted on campus. In 1959, Powell was named the founding Dean of the School of Library Service (now part of the UCLA Graduate School of Education and Information Studies), a position he would hold until 1966. Several facilities at UCLA would later be named after Powell, including the Undergraduate College Library. About his work for the UCLA libraries, Powell wrote

1961–1977: Accumulation and expansion

Robert Vosper Robert Gordon Vosper (June 21, 1913 – May 14, 1994) was an American educator and librarian who oversaw college libraries at the University of Kansas and the University of California, Los Angeles. Vosper served as president of the American Libra ...

was hired as University Librarian in 1961, and the following year, ground was broken for the first unit of the University Research Library, now the Charles E. Young Research Library. Completed in 1964, the construction of the Research Library entailed carting approximately 4 million index cards and 14 miles of books around campus. The newly completed six-story facility then became the administrative center for the UCLA Library system. The Main Library was then converted to the College Library. By 1964, the Library ranked 11th in the country, with more than two million volumes. Having been founded only sixty years prior, the UCLA Library was on pace to becoming one of the most important libraries in the country. Vosper was succeeded by

Page Ackerman Page most commonly refers to: * Page (paper), one side of a leaf of paper, as in a book Page, PAGE, pages, or paging may also refer to: Roles * Page (assistance occupation), a professional occupation * Page (servant), traditionally a young ...

in 1973, who served as librarian until her retirement in 1977. She was the first woman in the United States to head a library system of such a scale. Ackerman saw the development of the Library's administrative network, which became an innovative model for library management systems across the country. During her tenure, Ackerman oversaw an increased coordination of efforts with the libraries of all UC campuses, a necessity that came which was initially brought about by state budget problems."Obituary: Page Ackerman, Former UCLA University Librarian"
UCLA News. Retrieved December 13, 2006 Under Ackerman, the UCLA Library acquired collections on many important figures, including

Ralph J. Bunche Ralph Johnson Bunche (; August 7, 1904 – December 9, 1971) was an American political scientist, diplomat, and leading actor in the mid-20th-century decolonization process and US civil rights movement, who received the 1950 Nobel Peace Prize f ...

, Gertrude Stein and

Anaïs Nin Angela Anaïs Juana Antolina Rosa Edelmira Nin y Culmell (February 11, 1903 – January 14, 1977; , ) was a French-born American diarist, essayist, novelist, and writer of short stories and erotica. Born to Cuban parents in France, Nin was the d ...

1977–present

Since Ackerman's retirement in 1977, UCLA has seen a steady increase in collections, facilities and staff under librarians

Russell Shank Russell Shank (September 2, 1925 – June 26, 2012) was an American librarian. Shank studied electrical engineering at the University of Washington and earned a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering in 1946. He went on to receive a bachelor ...

(1977–1990),

Gloria Werner Gloria Stolzoff Werner (December 12, 1940 – March 5, 2021) was an American librarian. She worked for forty years, from 1962 to 2002, as a librarian at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), including twelve years as University Libra ...

(1990–2002), Gary E. Strong (2003–2013), and Virginia Steel (2013–present). The library collection consists of more than 8 million volumes and more than 78,000 current serial titles and an aggressively expanding electronic resources collection. The UCLA Library is a member of the Association of Research Libraries, the

Coalition of Networked Information The Coalition for Networked Information (CNI) is an organization whose mission is to promote networked information technology as a way to further the advancement of intellectual collaboration and productivity. Overview The Coalition for Network ...

, the Center for Research Libraries, the Council on Library and Information Resources, International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions, and the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition.

List of libraries and other campus collections

As of 2006,
Arts Library

Louise M. Darling Biomedical Library

College (undergraduate) Library
( Powell Library)
Hugh & Hazel Darling Law Library

Eugene and Maxine Rosenfeld Management Library

Music Library

Charles E. Young Research Library

Library Special Collections

Science and Engineering Library

Southern Regional Library Facility

Gonda Family University Elementary School Library
* William Andrews Clark Memorial Librarybr>

Rae Lee Siporin LGBT Library

ASUCLA Library

Richard C. Rudolph East Asian Library

Grace M. Hunt Memorial English Reading Room

Ethnomusicology Archive

Film and Television Archive

Institute for Social Science Research Data Archives Library

Instructional Media Library

UCLA Library Digital Collections

UCLA Library Documenting Global Voices Initiative

Images of UCLA libraries

File:Powell Library, UCLA (front view).jpg, ''College (undergraduate) Library/ Powell Library'' File:Charles E. Young Research Library, UCLA.jpg, ''

Charles E. Young Research Library The Charles E. Young Research Library is one of the largest libraries on the campus of the University of California, Los Angeles in Westwood, Los Angeles, California. It initially opened in 1964, and a second phase of construction was completed ...

'' File:rosenfeldlib.jpg, ''Eugene and Maxine Rosenfeld Management Library'' File:Hughandhazeldarlinglawlibrary.jpg, ''The Hugh and Hazel Darling Law Library'' File:Schoenberg Hall, from Sunken Gardens, UCLA (2007).jpg, ''Music Library'' File:clark main.jpg, '' William Andrews Clark Memorial Library'' File:Powell Library at night.jpg, ''Powell at night''

Notes

External links

*
Library locations at UCLA
{{coord, 34.07155, -118.44219, type:landmark_globe:earth_region:US-CA, display=title 1883 establishments in California California, Los Angeles Library System Library California, Los Angeles California State depository libraries Libraries in Los Angeles Westwood, Los Angeles