UCLA Library Digital Collections University of California, Los Angeles

Overview

UCLA Library Digital Collections is the UCLA Library's online portal for rare and unique digitized primary source materials held by the UCLA Library and its partner organizations worldwide. The platform is managed by the UCLA Digital Library Program, a unit within the UCLA Library that works collaboratively across campus and with international partners to provide access to cultural heritage materials. The program is led by Elizabeth McAulay, Head of the Digital Library Program.

Collections and Holdings

The digital collections encompass a wide variety of formats including photographs, manuscripts, maps, books, audio recordings, video, and ephemera. Major collections include the Los Angeles Times Photographic Collection (over 21,000 items), the Albanian Photographic and Graphic Art Collection (over 18,000 items), UCLA University Archives photographs, the Willis Bell Photographic Print Archive, the Henry J. Bruman Map Collection, and Columbia Pictures stills. The platform utilizes IIIF (International Image Interoperability Framework) functionality to support advanced research and instruction. Approximately half of the digital items are facsimiles of physical materials held in UCLA Library Special Collections, which are also available for in-person consultation.

Notable Materials Related to Journalism and Media

Notable journalism-related collections include the Los Angeles Times Photographic Archive, the KTLA Newsfilm Collection (including news stories on incarceration and policing in Los Angeles in the 1970s), and the Michael and Susan Kahn Political Cartoon Collection (over 11,000 books and magazines featuring more than one million political cartoons from 1690 to 2022). The collection also holds ephemera from protest movements and political events from Armenia, Cuba, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Palestine, and South Africa, including newspapers and protest-related materials.

Access and Usage

All digital collections are freely accessible online at digital.library.ucla.edu, 24 hours a day. Physical materials can be viewed by appointment at UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, 280 Charles E Young Dr N, Los Angeles, CA 90095. For assistance: AskUs@library.ucla.edu or (310) 825-4732.