Special Collections and Area Studies

Special Collections is open for research to both USC faculty, students and staff, and non-USC researchers, by appointment.  Please visit our reservations page for information on how to access collections and campus.

Below please find information on library services & resources available online, as well as helpful information about electronically available primary sources.

Research Guide with Information on Electronically available Primary Sources

Research Guide with General Information on working with Primary Sources

Are you an instructor and want to work with us on integrating primary sources and primary source literacy into your (online) teaching? Contact us at specol@usc.edu. Check out our teaching platform for primary source literacy which offers modules on various topics which students can explore synchronously or asynchronously.

General contact:
Reference desk: DML Rm 209
Phone: 213 740 5900
specol@usc.edu

Head: Sue Luftschein

Overview

Special Collections at the University of Southern California oversees the university's primary source collections including archives, manuscripts, historic photographs, and rare books. The department holds more than 200,000 volumes, more than 1000 archival collections, and more than 2 million photographs. 

Our mission is to lend intellectual excitement and vitality to the campus and community through access to our collections of archives, rare books, and other unique materials. We accomplish this by offering public programming, exhibits and instructional support, and preserving, promoting and fostering access to primary source material in our main areas of strength:  Holocaust and Genocide Studies; Iberian and Latin American Studies; Lewis Carroll and Alice in Wonderland; Lion Feuchtwanger and the European exiles of the 20th century in Southern California; Natural History; Southern California Regional History; and USC history. This provides USC faculty, students and staff  and others outside the university community the opportunity to explore our unique primary source collections for their research and creative projects. 

An account is required to consult our materials. Go to our Specialized Research Collections Request page and register for a free account in our online request service. This online system allows you to make requests for materials, track the progress of your requests and plan your visits to our reading rooms anywhere anytime. After registering for an account, you will be able to request items online directly from USC's online catalog and our online finding aids.

The USC Libraries are temporarily pausing acceptance of unsolicited books and other collections. We expect to resume reviewing donation offers in December 2022.

We appreciate your thinking of us. However, please keep in mind that when the pause ends, in most cases we are rarely able to accept unsolicited items. You might also consider organizations like Better World Books or Pick Up Please, or your local public library may accept donations of used books.

Location:

Doheny Memorial Library
3550 Trousdale Parkway, Room 209
University Park Campus
Los Angeles, CA 90089-0189

MAP: DML (second floor)

Follow us on Instagram!
@uscspecol