More Information

About the Collections

The Arts Library has more than 350,000 volumes in the fields of architecture, architectural history, art, art history, design, fashion and costume, film, television, photography, theater and urban design. Close to one-half of these holdings are stored in the Southern Regional Library Facility(opens in a new tab). Most other materials are housed in the open stacks of the Arts Library's main facility in the Public Affairs Building (Room 1400). Many frequently requested items designated for permanent or specific course reserves are kept in closed stacks behind the circulation desk, from where they can be requested. Materials in Arts Library Closed Stacks Audio-visual Media are also shelved at the circulation desk, with a circulation period of one week for University of California students, staff and faculty. The Arts Cage houses rare, valuable or fragile books and periodicals in closed stacks; materials from this collection must be paged at the circulation desk for reading in a special area and cannot be photocopied. However, patrons may use the library's self-service scanner or their cell phones in some cases for reproduction.

Arts Research Guides

Our Arts Library research guides assist researchers in discovering arts resources, strategies and information.

Collection Strengths

  • Museum studies, iconography, art theory, catalogues raisonnés and exhibition catalogs.

  • An outstanding collection of artists' books, which complements those in the UCLA Library Special Collections(opens in a new tab).
  • Contemporary architecture and architectural history as well as mid-century modernism and Southern California architecture and urban design.
  • American film history and growing collections covering international film and media.
  • Theater production, including acting, set design and playwriting.
  • Photography and the history of photography.

Special Collections

  • The Arts Cage in the Arts Library houses rare, valuable, fine bindings, unusual formats or fragile books and periodicals in closed stacks; materials from this collection must be paged at the circulation desk for reading in a special area and cannot be photocopied. However, patrons may use the library's self-service scanner in some cases for reproduction.
  • Non-circulating special collections material from the Southern Regional Library Facility(opens in a new tab) with the catalog location "SRLF Non-Circ Request at UCLA Arts Library" can be paged at the Arts Library Circulation Desk or by contacting Arts Library staff at arts-circ@library.ucla.edu(opens in a new tab).
  • The portion of the Elmer Belt Library of Vinciana, formerly held in the Arts Library, is now housed in UCLA Library Special Collections and the Southern Regional Library Facility.
  • UCLA Library Special Collections contains personal paper collections, historical records and rare books and manuscripts in architecture, art, design and performing arts, with particular emphases on film, television and theater.

Further Questions?

For more information about the Arts Library collections, send us an email or consult one of our research guides listed above!
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