UCLA Library

What UCLA Library does

UCLA Library is a campus-wide academic library network operating as a division of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), within the University of California system. Established in 1919, it comprises 12+ affiliated library units including Powell Library, Charles E. Young Research Library (YRL), Louise M. Darling Biomedical Library, the Science and Engineering Library, the Arts Library, and the Walter H. Rubsamen Music Library, plus the UCLA Film & Television Archive and the UC Southern Regional Library Facility. The library holds 18 million titles across physical and digital formats in 400+ languages, 4 million+ digitized items, and serves 8 million+ journal article downloads and 18,000 reference sessions annually. Its core technology stack includes UC Library Search (systemwide discovery/circulation across 10 UC campuses), UCLA Library Digital Collections, UCLA Dataverse (research data repository), eScholarship (UC-wide open access publishing), and the Data Science Center, supported by VPN/proxy infrastructure for off-campus access.

The library's business model is a hybrid of institutional allocation and diversified revenue streams: primary funding comes from UCLA and the UC system, supplemented by grants (notably the $13M Arcadia grant for the Modern Endangered Archives Program, a $1.85M Sloan Foundation grant, and CLIR Hidden Collections grant), private donations and named endowments (Karmiole, Davise, Mitchell), and transactional revenue from Film & Television Archive licensing and exhibition lending for museums and festivals. Customer segments include UCLA students (primary), faculty and researchers (primary), UCLA Health, the Veterans Affairs West Los Angeles Medical Center, professional school communities (Law, Medical, Anderson), visiting scholars, and the general public via library cards and free public programming. Services are free for UCLA affiliates; pricing is not the primary commercial lever.

The library operates multiple preservation, research support, and technology-fabrication programs (Lux Lab for 3D printing/laser cutting, CLICC Virtual Desktop, Preservation & Conservation Laboratory), maintains strategic partnerships with foundations (Arcadia, Sloan, Getty, Haynes, Packard Humanities Institute), academic institutions (Ritsumeikan University), and industry partners (Turner Classic Movies), and is led by Norman and Armena Powell University Librarian Athena N. Jackson (appointed January 2024).

Name

UCLA Library

Legal name

The Regents of the University of California

Website

https://library.ucla.edu

Company type

Public

Founded year

1919

Operating status

Operating

Short description

UCLA Library is a campus-wide academic library network providing access to 18 million titles, digital collections, research data services, and preservation programs for UCLA students, faculty, researchers, and the broader public.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Academic Library Services

NAICS

Libraries and Archives (51921), Web Search Portals, Libraries, Archives, and Other Information Services (5192)

akta.pro primary industry

Academic & Research Library Operations (College/University Libraries) (EDAEAGAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Digital Library & Electronic Resources Operations (e-Resources, Repositories, Licensing) (EDAEAGAF), Special Libraries (Law, Medical, Corporate, Government) Operations (EDAEAGAD), Library User Services & Information Support (Reference, Research Help, Instruction Support) (EDAEAGAL)

Keywords

• Academic library services
• Digital collections access
• Research data management
• Special collections preservation
• Library discovery systems

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. University Funding: Primary operational funding from UCLA and the University of California system as an academic division of the university
2. Grant Funding: External grants from foundations and government agencies supporting specific programs like the $13 million Arcadia grant for MEAP and CLIR grants for manuscript digitization
3. Private Donations and Endowments: Philanthropic contributions including named endowments (Davise Fund, Mitchell Endowments, Karma Fund) supporting collections, fellowships, and programs
4. Licensing and Royalties: Revenue from licensing Film & Television Archive footage and materials for productions, museum exhibitions, and commercial use
5. Media Loans and Exhibition Lending: Fees for lending moving image media to theaters, film festivals, and cultural institutions; lending Special Collections items for museum exhibitions globally

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels9 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

UCLA Library operates a campus-wide network of 12 affiliated libraries providing access to 18 million titles across physical and digital formats in 400+ languages, along with research support services, digital collections, data management tools, open access publishing (eScholarship), a moving image archive (Film & Television Archive), preservation facilities, and a Data Science Center. It serves UCLA students, faculty, staff, visiting scholars, and the general public through on-campus locations, digital remote access, library cards, interlibrary loan, and specialized programs such as the Modern Endangered Archives Program.

Product overview

UCLA Library is an academic library system providing a comprehensive suite of collections, digital resources, research services, and technology-enabled learning spaces. The core offerings include UC Library Search (the integrated catalog and discovery system), UCLA Library Digital Collections (digitized rare materials), UCLA Dataverse (research data repository), eScholarship (open access publishing platform), and various A-Z Databases. Supporting infrastructure includes the Data Science Center for research data support, the Lux Lab for 3D printing and fabrication, CLICC (technology-enabled classrooms and virtual desktop), Film & Television Archive (moving image preservation), Course Reserves management via Bruin Learn integration, Interlibrary Loan services, Equipment Lending, Study Space Reservation, and Preservation & Conservation services. The system encompasses multiple specialized library locations including the Biomedical Library, Music Library, Science and Engineering Library, and Charles E. Young Research Library.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• UC Library Search

Quantifiable outcome

• 18,000+ reference sessions conducted annually
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, notable and flagship.

• Packard Humanities InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration to make Hearst Metrotone newsreels available online, providing global digital access to historic newsreel collections from the Film & Television Archive through a dedicated website
• Center for Law in the Public InterestnotableOthersDonated historic legal archives to UCLA Library Special Collections, preserving landmark civil rights and environmental cases for future research
• East West PlayersnotableStrategic or Co-development PartnerDigitized audiovisual recordings from the nation's longest-running Asian American theater company now available through UCLA Library Digital Collections
• Ritsumeikan University (Kyoto)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerYanai Initiative collaboration to digitize thousands of early modern Japanese books from UCLA, Berkeley, and UCSF, potentially creating the largest digital collection of its kind
• OCLCcoreTechnology or IntegrationParticipation in OCLC SHARES Program enabling UCLA students, staff, and faculty to access partner libraries and resources worldwide
• Karmiole Endowed Research Fellowship PartnersnotableStrategic or Co-development PartnerEndowed fellowship advancing scholarship for future generations through rare book and manuscript research
• TCM (Turner Classic Movies)notableStrategic or Co-development PartnerTCM honors UCLA Film & Television Archive's 60th anniversary with 24-hour marathon of restored classics and programming features
• Librarians Association of the University of California (LAUC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStatewide organization of all UC librarians advising on professional matters and promoting utilization of librarians' professional abilities
• UCLA Academic Senate Committee on Library and Scholarly CommunicationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernance committee advising on library matters and scholarly communication issues at UCLA
• The CarpentriesnotableStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity of instructors in data science research providing training and professional development for librarians and researchers

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• UC Berkeley Library: The flagship UC system library and UCLA's closest peer; both operate as top-tier research university libraries within the UC system, share UC Library Search infrastructure, host major special collections, and serve comparable academic populations on adjacent campuses.
• Stanford Libraries: Comparable top-tier private research university library system with similar scale of special collections, digital initiatives, and data services; competes directly for faculty, researcher loyalty, and national library rankings in the California academic ecosystem.
• Harvard Library: The largest and most heavily endowed academic library system in the U.S.; comparable in operating research library collections, digital preservation programs, and special collections depth, and is UCLA's principal benchmark for national rankings.
• Yale University Library: Major private research university library with similarly deep special collections (Beinecke, Manuscripts & Archives) and digital scholarship infrastructure; competes with UCLA for top-tier rankings and visiting scholar engagement.
• Columbia University Libraries: Top-tier Ivy League research library system with comparable scale of digital collections, special collections, and data services; a direct competitor for the same pool of researchers, grants, and academic library prestige.
• University of Michigan Library: Large public research university library with comparable digital preservation initiatives, open access publishing platforms, and special collections; competes for the same AAU/public-R1 library rankings and federal grant funding.

Broad incumbents

• New York Public Library: Massive public research library with broader public-serving mission rather than single-university focus; comparable in collections scale and digital initiatives but serves a fundamentally different primary user base (general public vs. academic).
• Library of Congress: The national library of the U.S. and largest library in the world; operates in adjacent space with overlapping preservation, cataloging, and digital initiatives, but with national-scope mission rather than single-institution focus.

Emerging players

• Internet Archive: Nonprofit digital library offering mass digitization, preservation, and lending of books, audio, and video; competes with UCLA Library Digital Collections in the global online access layer, particularly for public-domain and at-risk materials.

Others

• ITHAKA / JSTOR: Scholarly content platform serving academic libraries; not a peer institution but an enabling infrastructure provider whose JSTOR and other services UCLA Library subscribes to and competes with in open access publishing via eScholarship.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/UCLALibrary
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@UCLALibraryOfficial
• Facebookfacebook.com/uclalibrary
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ucla-library
• Instagraminstagram.com/uclalibrary

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about UCLA Library