1000 Museums

The USC Libraries, which date to the founding of the University of Southern California in 1880, actively support the discovery, creation, and preservation of knowledge. The collections, which are open to the public, encompass the breadth of academic inquiry, with particular areas of strength in American literature; cinematic arts; East Asian studies; Iberian, Latin American, and Hispanic studies; Lewis Carroll; Los Angeles regional history; Lion Feuchtwanger and the German émigré experience; natural history; and USC history and the university’s intellectual life.

The libraries also produce original programming for the Southern California community, in the form of lectures, conferences, performances, and exhibitions on a wide range of topics—usually featuring works from the university\’s collections and highlighting the libraries\’ role in discovery and creativity.

A portion of the USC Libraries\’ holdings is accessible online through the USC Digital Library, which contains hundreds of thousands of images focused particularly on Los Angeles and the Southern California region, the Western United States, and the Pacific Rim. The images derive from materials held either by the USC Libraries or from partner institutions.