University of Southern California (USC) Digital Libraries

Overview

The USC Digital Library (USCDL) is the digital repository and online-collections platform of the USC Libraries, the library system of the University of Southern California. USCDL provides free access to digital images of drawings, illuminated manuscripts, maps, photographs, posters, prints, rare illustrated books, and audio and video recordings, drawn primarily from the USC Libraries' own holdings and supplemented by materials from partner institutions such as historical societies and other libraries. Its collections span the applied sciences, fine and decorative arts, history, performing arts, and social sciences, with particular emphasis on Los Angeles and the Southern California region, the Western United States, and the Pacific Rim; USCDL's own materials note that its holdings represent only a small fraction of the USC Libraries' overall visual holdings. As of an October 2024 report from USC's own news service, the Digital Library comprised approximately 130 collections.

Collections and access

USCDL organizes its holdings into subject areas including USC Scholarship, African American Studies, Architecture and Urban Planning, Asian American and Pacific Islander Studies, Chicano and Latino Studies, Cinematic and Performing Arts, Colonial and Post-Colonial Studies, Community Collections (through the LA as Subject network), East Asian Languages and Cultures, European History Languages and Cultures, Exile Studies, Holocaust and Genocide Studies, Latin American and Iberian Studies, LGBTQ+ Studies, Literature and Literary Studies, Los Angeles/California and the West, Religion and Civic Culture, Science Technology and Medicine, and Visual Arts. Notable holdings highlighted by USC Libraries staff include digitized back issues of the campus newspaper the Daily Trojan, historic photographs of Los Angeles, and Dance Heritage videos. Materials in USCDL collections may be protected by copyright, and the platform publishes rights and use information alongside each item; commercial use of copyrighted works requires permission from the rights holder.

History

USC's own news service reported in October 2024 that the USC Digital Library had turned 30 that year, dating its origin to 1994, the same year USC's Leavey Library opened. Per USCDL's own FAQ, the platform builds on the foundation of an earlier program called Archiving, Imaging & Metadata Services (AIMS), continuing services previously provided by AIMS staff in a revised organizational framework; USCDL also incorporates digital content previously developed for an earlier "USC Digital Archive," carrying forward that archive's mission under its current name, and draws on selected materials from the USC Institutional Repository.

Funding and governance

USCDL is administered by the USC Libraries, an administrative unit of the University of Southern California, a private nonprofit university that has held federal tax-exempt status since October 1934 (EIN 95-1642394). USCDL's own site lists its supporters as the Getty Foundation, the John Randolph Haynes and Dora Haynes Foundation, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the National Historical Publications and Records Commission, the John Templeton Foundation, the James H. Zumberge Research and Innovation Fund, the U.S. Department of Defense's Imagery Management Operations Center, and the USC Alumni Association.

Leadership

Deborah A. Holmes-Wong serves as director of the USC Digital Library, leading a team that includes metadata librarians and digitization staff; as of an October 2024 USC news report, that team included metadata librarians Zoë Nissen and Wayne Shoaf. USCDL operates within the USC Libraries, which has been led by Melissa Just, Dean of the USC Libraries, since her appointment took effect in November 2023.

Location and contact info

Address

USC Digital Library
3434 South Grand Avenue, CAL 207 MC 2810
Los Angeles, CA 90089-2810

Contact

Online form. libanswers.usc.edu

Website. https://digitallibrary.usc.edu/