Cinematic Arts Library

Cinematic Arts Library Exterior
Cinematic Arts Library Film Reels

Library Hours

  • Cinematic Arts Library
Sat Dec 07
Closed
Sun Dec 08
noon to 8pm
Mon Dec 09
9am to 8pm
Tue Dec 10
9am to 8pm
Wed Dec 11
9am to 8pm
Thu Dec 12
9am to 8pm
Fri Dec 13
9am to 5pm
Sat Dec 14
Closed
Sun Dec 15
noon to 8pm
Mon Dec 16
9am to 8pm
Tue Dec 17
9am to 8pm
Wed Dec 18
9am to 5pm
Thu Dec 19
1pm to 5pm
Fri Dec 20
1pm to 5pm
Sat Dec 21
Closed
Sun Dec 22
Closed
Mon Dec 23
Closed
Tue Dec 24
Closed
Wed Dec 25
Closed
Thu Dec 26
Closed
Fri Dec 27
Closed
Sat Dec 28
Closed
Sun Dec 29
Closed
Mon Dec 30
Closed
Tue Dec 31
Closed
Wed Jan 01
Closed
Thu Jan 02
Closed
Fri Jan 03
Closed
Sat Jan 04
Closed
Sun Jan 05
Closed
Mon Jan 06
1pm to 5pm
Tue Jan 07
1pm to 5pm
Wed Jan 08
1pm to 5pm
Thu Jan 09
1pm to 5pm
Fri Jan 10
1pm to 5pm
Sat Jan 11
Closed
Sun Jan 12
Closed
Mon Jan 13
9am to 8pm
Tue Jan 14
9am to 8pm
Wed Jan 15
9am to 8pm
Thu Jan 16
9am to 8pm
Fri Jan 17
9am to 5pm
Sat Jan 18
Closed
Sun Jan 19
Closed
Mon Jan 20
Closed
Tue Jan 21
9am to 8pm
Wed Jan 22
9am to 8pm
Thu Jan 23
9am to 8pm
Fri Jan 24
9am to 5pm
Sat Jan 25
Closed
Sun Jan 26
noon to 8pm
Mon Jan 27
9am to 8pm
Tue Jan 28
9am to 8pm
Wed Jan 29
9am to 8pm
Thu Jan 30
9am to 8pm
Fri Jan 31
9am to 5pm
Sat Feb 01
Closed
Sun Feb 02
noon to 8pm
Mon Feb 03
9am to 8pm
Tue Feb 04
9am to 8pm
Wed Feb 05
9am to 8pm
Thu Feb 06
9am to 8pm
Fri Feb 07
9am to 5pm
Sat Feb 08
Closed
Sun Feb 09
noon to 8pm
Mon Feb 10
9am to 8pm
Tue Feb 11
9am to 8pm
Wed Feb 12
9am to 8pm
Thu Feb 13
9am to 8pm
Fri Feb 14
9am to 5pm
Sat Feb 15
Closed

Collections in the Cinematic Arts Library Archives are available for consultation. Please allow six to eight weeks for archival research requests to be filled.
 

Stephen L. Hanson, Head  (213) 740-7273

For reference assistance, please contact: cin@usc.edu.

For archives assistance, please contact ctlibarc@usc.edu or contact Sandra Garcia-Myers 213-740-8383. 

About this Library

The University of Southern California Cinematic Arts Library's primary mission is to support the curriculum of the School of Cinematic Arts and to foster study and research. In addition to an extensive book collection, the library also holds many archives focusing on the history of the film industry and containing many rarely seen photographs, as well as scripts, scores and other artifacts.

The Cinematic Arts Library is committed to becoming a multimedia archive of materials ranging from the raw materials that go into the making of motion pictures, to the finished products themselves, and to all of the new technologies for preserving the moving image and presenting it to a new generation of filmgoers. The library promotes interdisciplinary teaching and collaborative projects such as digital imaging and archiving.

The Cinematic Arts Library is located on the ground floor of the Doheny Memorial Library on the University Park campus.

There are no posted reference hours at the Cinematic Arts Library, but please contact the library for reference questions and to schedule a time when a staff member can be available to answer any reference inquiries. 
 

The Louis B. Mayer Film and Television Study Center

Established through a grant from The Louis B. Mayer Foundation, The Louis B. Mayer Study center offers a viewing collection of almost 13,000 motion picture and television titles in DVD, Laser disc, and VHS formats. Videos may be checked out by USC faculty for classroom screenings in all disciplines, or may be placed on course reserve in Leavey Library if not required for cinema and television classes.

The Study Center maintains 20 viewing stations open to Cinema and Theater majors, and to all students enrolled in the School of Cinematic Arts film and television courses, the Thornton School of Music's film scoring classes, or with a legitimate USC course-related assignment. Other students may view films in the Leavey Library's 24 hour DVD Center. All viewing within the Louis B. Mayer Study Center must be course-related in accordance with U.S. Copyright Law governing public exhibition.

Requests to view videos for individual course-related research may be made.

 

The David L. Wolper Center and Archives

Barbara Whitehead, Curator Contact: bwhitehe@usc.edu

The producer of some 800 collective works, David L. Wolper is a recipient of the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Oscar from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and an inductee to the Television Hall of Fame. Throughout his career, Mr. Wolper's television programs received more than 50 Emmy, 7 Golden Globe, and 5 Peabody Awards. His motion picture films garnered 20 Oscar nominations, and 3 awards.

David Wolper donated his personal archives to be housed in the David L. Wolper Center at the University of Southern California. This collection of memorabilia traces Wolper's career over the past half-century of entertainment and covers the process of filmmaking from the initial stages of development through distribution. The holdings of the David L. Wolper Center are primarily paper materials and viewing copies of his films on tape or DVD.  The Wolper Center does not have his actual films or the original footage that he used to make them.

The David L. Wolper Center is located on the ground floor of USC's Doheny Memorial Library. Please contact us for an appointment.

 

Warner Bros. Archives

Bree Russell, Curator  Contact: barussel@usc.edu

Presented to USC by Warner Communications in 1977, the USC Warner Bros. Archives is the largest single studio collection in the world. It is the only collection to bring production, distribution and exhibition records together to document the activities of a vertically integrated studio. The making of many classic films such as The Jazz SingerCasablanca and Rebel without a Cause is documented from story purchase through theatrical release and chronicled down to the daily contributions of writers, directors, producers and actors. 

The USC Warner Bros. Archives contains the records of Warner Bros. Pictures Inc. and its motion picture-related subsidiaries (including First National and Vitagraph). The records document the period from 1918 (the release of the brothers’ first major feature film) through 1968 (the sale of the studio to Seven Arts). Also included are extensive production records for Warner Bros. television series from 1955-1968. The holdings include:

  • Legal, production, story and publicity files 
  • Correspondence, memoranda and documents 
  • Scripts, treatments, outlines and synopses 
  • Publicity and historical stills 
  • Film music scores, orchestral parts and original sketches 
  • Art department stills and set drawings 
  • Animation drawings and backgrounds 
  • Stanley-Warner theater chain exhibition records 

Materials may be viewed by appointment only.

The Warner Bros. Archives are managed by the School of Cinematic Arts.

For Warner Bros. Archive inquiries, please fill out this archival request form. 
If you have further questions regarding the Warner Bros. Archive, please write to wbarchives@cinema.usc.edu