University Library
About Our Collections
Collection Strengths
The photography collection comp
rises over half a million items and includes works by significant contemporary photographers working in both the documentary and fine art traditions. The bulk of the collection dates from the 1960s to the late twentieth century and has a particular focus on California photographers, especially those of the West Coast school and Group f/64. Significant collections include those of Ruth-Marion Baruch and Pirkle Jones, Edward Weston and Branson DeCou. Subject strengths include environmental photography, the geographic regions of California and Mexico, and the documentation of social change.
Additionally, Special Collections has strong holdings of local historic photographs—from aerial views of the Northern California Coastline to depictions of the city of Santa Cruz at the turn of the century and the contemporary photography of local photographic journalist Shmuel Thaler.
Our 
artists' books collection encompasses all aspects of the genre dating from the 1960s to the present from traditional published works to altered, sculptural, painted, and unique books that challenge the form of the codex. The collection includes works created by local and California artists; works that engage contemporary American politics and social movements; works produced in Latin American countries or by Latina/o artists; and works complementing additional strategic collection areas, including but not limited to science and technology and photography.
The fine press collection consists of fine, private press, and limited edition books, as well as selected reference works about printers, publishers, and the book arts. UCSC has a strong tradition of contributing to the Fine Press community and holds an exhaustive collection of the works of Lime Kiln Press. The collection is particularly strong in works by California printers and publishers.
Collections documenting the history of experimental music, composition, and American improvisational and popular music held in Special Collections & Archives include the papers of musicians and composers -- including Lou Harrison and the Grateful Dead -- as well as records of organizations that have presented and documented experimental music -- including Other Minds and the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music.
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CSC's collections document the history of Santa Cruz County from the mission period through the present, in over 2,000 books and pamphlets and more than 100 historical and contemporary archival and manuscript collections. Materials include family papers, letters, oral history interviews, historic maps, postcards, newspapers, government documents, and an enormous collection of local ephemera (such as flyers and brochures).
Additionally, Special Collections has strong holdings of local historic photographs—from aerial views of the Northern California Coastline to depictions of the city of Santa Cruz at the turn of the century and the contemporary photography of local photographic journalist Shmuel Thaler.
The Counter Culture collections at UCSC center on the documentation of various counter culture and larger social movements as evidenced in the United States from the 1960s on. Highlights include the papers of pacifist Kenneth Patchen, the records of the band The Grateful Dead, the papers of feminist scholar Bettina Aptheker, the work of gonzo-journalist Hunter S. Thompson, and significant holdings within University Archives documenting the rise of the Environmental Movement. 
These and other collections recognize the key role that the UCSC community has played in the rise of once “fringe” social movements, including feminism, queer-rights, and environmentalism.
Special Collections holds the literary archives of science fiction writer Robert Heinlein, poets Kenneth Patchen and Morton Marcus, and author Colin Fletcher.
Our collection of early European imprints includes a distinguished collection of 16th Century Italian humanist imprints donated by Professors Hayden White and Margaret Brose. Other significant concentrations of early printed books include works in the history of astronomy, from the Library at Lick Observatory, a selection of illustrated botanicals, as well as a variety of literary works, including serial novels by Charles Dickens.
Special Collections hosts the Lick Observatory Records, as well as the papers of several astronomers associated with the Observatory. These collections form the Archives of Lick Observatory, which includes records from about 1870 to the mid-twentieth century describing the founding construction and operation of the observatory and documenting all aspects of the early astronomical ambitions and achievements of its founders. Learn more about the Lick Observatory Records and related astronomy collections.
Special Collections maintains the papers of many prominent UCSC science faculty, including:
The University Archives documents the history of UC Santa Cruz, by collecting inactive administrative records of enduring historical value (including those documenting the University's decision making process, programs, and the cultural history of the campus) and University publications that provide documentation of the University’s administrative history.
In addition to printed and electronic materials and administrative records, University Archives includes holdings in other formats: pictorial, maps, audiovisual, and memorabilia. The formal collection dates from the planning stages of the University beginning in 1959.
Learn more about the University Archives.
Learn More About Our Collections
The land on which we gather is the unceded territory of the Awaswas-speaking Uypi Tribe. The Amah Mutsun Tribal Band, comprised of the descendants of indigenous people taken to missions Santa Cruz and San Juan Bautista during Spanish colonization of the Central Coast, is today working hard to restore traditional stewardship practices on these lands and heal from historical trauma.
The land acknowledgement used at UC Santa Cruz was developed in partnership with the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band Chairman and the Amah Mutsun Relearning Program at the UCSC Arboretum.
Santa Cruz, CA