Library for International & Public Affairs

Library for International & Public Affairs is currently closed.

Please see USC Libraries COVID-19: Library Support for Online Teaching and Research
for more information about using USC libraries.

Please note we are currently in the process of refreshing information on this site in order to acknowledge the removal of the name Von KleinSmid from the Center for International & Public Affairs and from this library site.

Please see President Folt's recent message to the USC community for more information.

Location
The Center for International & Public Affairs
University of Southern California
3518 Trousdale Parkway
Los Angeles, CA 90089-0048

Phone: (213)-740-1769
Email: LibIPA@usc.edu

About this library

The Library for International & Public Affairs is an interdisciplinary, graduate-level learning center that supports the current and anticipated research needs of students, faculty, staff, and alumni in political science, international relations, public administration, spatial science, public diplomacy, and urban and regional planning. The Library contains approximately 200,000 books, subscribes to more than 450 journals and other serial publications, and provides electronic access to a variety of scholarly resources. It also manages and provides access to a depository collection of U.S. federal government documents, a substantial collection of international documents, and serves as the regional depository in Southern California for all publications and digital resources of the European Union.

The Library for International & Public Affairs mission is to provide excellent service and maintain collections that promote a diversity of worldviews and the free exchange of ideas guided by the principles of Article 19 in the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Directions

We invite anyone to visit our library and utilize its resources and services. The Library for International & Public Affairs is located on the northeast corner of campus (see interactive map). If you are driving to campus, the closest access to the Library for International & Public Affairs is the McCarthy Way entrance [213-740-3848], located at the intersection of West 35th Street and Figueroa Street. The entrance is open 24 hours a day. Public all-day parking in McCarthy Way Parking Structure is available for $14.00 Monday through Friday. Note that parking availability may change due to special events. For more information about parking on campus, visit the USC Transportation web site.

If you are taking the Expo Light Rail Line to campus, get off at the Expo Park/USC station located in the median of Exposition Avenue at Trousdale Parkway. Walk towards campus along Trousdale Parkway until you reach the Center for International & Public Affairs building on your right.

The Library is located in the basement of the Center for International & Public Affairs and can be reached by using the northeast corner stairwell or the elevator. Entrances into the building and to the Library are wheelchair accessible with automated door openers.

Please note that all library services stop 15 minutes before closing, and all patrons are asked to leave before closing time.

Carrels and Study Spaces

The Library for International & Public Affairs has more than 200 reader seats to accommodate a wide range of study preferences, including both small and large group study tables as well as individual study carrels located throughout the book stacks and along the central atrium. Users have access to wireless network connectivity throughout all public spaces of the library as well as in the lobby before you enter. In addition, reconfigurable tables and chairs are available in the northwest corner of the library to support collaborative research and project-based group work.

Research Help

Library faculty are available for in-person research consultation by appointment or by asking to speak with a librarian at the circulation desk. You can email any of the following faculty in the Library for International & Public Affairs to schedule an appointment: Robert V. Labaree, Eimmy Solis, or Andy Rutkowski. Use the Ask-A-Librarian service for general telephone, email, and chat reference assistance or to find information about research help available at other libraries on campus.

Collections

Faculty within the Library for International & Public Affairs actively select print materials and online resources based on the current and anticipated research and curricular needs of the disciplines we serve. In addition, we also rely on recommendations from faculty and students to help build our collections. Requests to purchase books and DVDs, subscribe to new journals, or obtain access to electronic resources can be done online using the USC Libraries' Recommend-A-Book service. The Library for International & Public Affairs abides by all policies of the USC Libraries regarding borrowing privileges for students, faculty, staff, visiting scholars, alumni, and non-USC borrowers.

Note: Faculty requesting materials for course reserves should use the ARES online request system. If you are logging into ARES for the first time you must contact the USC Libraries' Integrated Document Delivery office at idd@usc.edu or by calling 213-740-4020 to have access privileges set to the 'Instructor' level.

Access to the Federal Government Collection

All USC Libraries are not publicly accessible until further notice. There is no access to government documents in print. However, there is still freely available government information available through this research guide: https://libguides.usc.edu/govdocs. Online reference consultations through video, chat and email are still available, please email the Government Documents Librarian, Eimmy Solis at eimmysol@usc.edu.

The general public is welcome to use the U.S. Federal Government Collection materials in the Library for International & Public Affairs Federal depository law guarantees free and unimpeded access to the collection (44 U.S.C. § 1911). To access online electronic publications and electronic databases, the Library for International & Public Affairs Library maintains one public terminal.

Not all of the collection is located in the Library for International & Public Affairs. The public will need to contact the Government Documents Librarian, Eimmy Solis, eimmysol@usc.edu to request documents housed off-site in the Grand Library. Appointments are recommended, but not required. You may request an appointment by emailing Eimmy Solis. Appointments are generally available between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Instructional Services

Library faculty offer tours of the Library for International & Public Affairs to anyone interested in learning more about our resources and services. In addition, we can provide specialized course-related sessions that teach students how to effectively conduct research using the library's resources and services. Instructors are encouraged to schedule sessions accommodating up to 25 students in the Multimedia Room or contact us to conduct an in-class research session. To make a request, use the online Request-A-Class form or directly contact any of the following faculty in the Library for International & Public Affairs: Robert V. Labaree, Eimmy Solis, and Andy Rutkowski.

Giving to the Library for International & Public

We welcome and greatly appreciate donations to the Library for International & Public Affairs. Information about donating to the USC Libraries can be found here.

Library Hours

Library for International & Public Affairs

Library Hours