Clark Memorial Library

What Clark Memorial Library does

The William Andrews Clark Memorial Library is a specialized research library within UCLA's Humanities Division, operating as a nonprofit institution at 2520 Cimarron Street in Los Angeles, California. It was established from the private collection of William Andrews Clark Jr., deeded in 1926 and transferred to UCLA custody in 1934, and now operates with 12 staff serving academic researchers, UCLA students, and the general public. The library specializes in 17th- and 18th-century English literature, early modern drama, book arts, fine press printing, and Montana/Western Americana, with core holdings including all four Shakespeare folios, 18 quarto editions of Shakespeare plays printed before 1640, 215 additional playbooks printed before 1660, the Paul Chrzanowski Collection of 120+ rare early English books, and 1,890 bound volumes in the Montana and the West archive.

Access to physical collections is mediated through the Aeon request system, with registered researchers consulting materials in the Reading Room Monday through Friday from 11:30am to 4:30pm. The library's technology stack consists of UC Library Search for catalog discovery, the Online Archive of California for finding aids, and Calisphere for digital collections — there is no commercial platform or paid offering. Business operations are entirely institutional: revenue is derived from University of California academic budget allocations, supplemented by optional donations through the Center for 17th- & 18th-Century Studies giving program and the Adopt-A-Book campaign. The library co-hosts fellowships, the Henry J. Bruman Summer Chamber Music Festival, Open House events, class visits, public tours, and Spotlight Talks in partnership with the Center for 17th- & 18th-Century Studies and UCLA departments.

Programmatic activity has expanded in recent years through the Instruction and Engagement Fellowship program for UCLA Ph.D. students, cross-disciplinary collaborations (such as the Open Edo conference with the UCLA East Asian Library), and active digital outreach via Instagram, YouTube, and 'The Clog' blog. The library serves a global scholarly audience digitally while remaining a free, appointment-based physical research destination, with no commercial pricing model and no revenue generation outside institutional and donor support.

Name

Clark Memorial Library

Legal name

William Andrews Clark Memorial Library

Website

https://clarklibrary.ucla.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1934

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The William Andrews Clark Memorial Library is a UCLA Humanities Division nonprofit research library specializing in 17th- and 18th-century rare books and manuscripts, serving academic researchers, UCLA students, and the public with collections including all four Shakespeare folios and the Paul Chrzanowski rare English books collection.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Academic Research Library

NAICS

Libraries and Archives (51921), Libraries and Archives (519210)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industry

Archives, Special Collections & Preservation Operations (Rare Materials, Conservation) (EDAEAGAJ)

Keywords

• Rare book library
• Special collections research
• Archival manuscripts
• Humanities research library
• Early modern collections

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Institutional Funding: As a UCLA Humanities Division library, the Clark Memorial Library is funded through University of California institutional allocations and does not generate commercial revenue. Donations are accepted through the Center for 17th- & 18th-Century Studies giving program.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Clark Memorial Library provides free research access to rare books, manuscripts, and special collections focused on 17th-18th century English literature, early modern drama, book arts, Oscar Wilde and fin-de-siècle studies, fine printing, and Western Americana. The Research Reading Room serves as the primary research facility, while digital collections extend access through Calisphere and the Online Archive of California. The library operates within UCLA's Humanities Division and admits researchers by appointment through the Aeon request system.

Product overview

Clark Memorial Library is a specialized research library within UCLA's Humanities Division, offering a single integrated service focused on access to rare books, manuscripts, and special collections. The core offering centers on the Reading Room where researchers consult materials from specialized collections including the Paul Chrzanowski Collection of early English books, the Montana and the West archive, the Early Modern drama collection with its Shakespeare holdings, and the Book Arts & Fine Press collection. Digital Collections and Research Guides support and extend access to these physical holdings. All access is mediated through the Aeon request system and UC Library Search discovery platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Research Reading Room An on-site research appointment-based service at the Clark Memorial Library that provides registered researchers with access to rare books, manuscripts, and special collections through Monday-Friday appointments.
• Digital Collections Access Online access to digitized portions of the library's rare books, manuscripts, and special collections via the Calisphere platform and the Online Archive of California.
• Paul Chrzanowski Collection of Pre-1600 English Imprints A research collection of pre-1600 English imprints made available to scholars through the Research Reading Room.
• Montana and the West Collection A research collection on Montana and the broader American West, made available to scholars through the Research Reading Room.
• Early Modern Collection A research collection focused on 17th-18th century English literature and early modern drama, including all four Shakespeare folios and 18 quarto editions of Shakespeare plays printed before 1640.
• Book Arts and Fine Press Collection A research collection of book arts and fine press materials, available to scholars through the Research Reading Room.

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• UCLA Humanities DivisioncoreOthersThe William Andrews Clark Memorial Library is part of the Humanities Division within UCLA College. As a UCLA research library, it operates under the university's institutional framework and benefits from university infrastructure, staffing, and academic integration.
• Center for 17th- & 18th-Century StudiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Center for 17th- & 18th-Century Studies (1718.ucla.edu) operates in conjunction with the Clark Library, co-hosting events like the Henry J. Bruman Summer Chamber Music Festival, organizing fellowship programs, and managing giving initiatives. The Center and Library share newsletter distribution and event programming.
• UCLA East Asian LibraryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration during events such as the Open Edo conference on Japanese art, where materials from the UCLA East Asian Library were displayed at the Clark. Japanese Studies Librarian Tomoko Bialock contributed expertise for the exhibition.
• Los Angeles BirdersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Los Angeles Birders for bird walk guides during community events like 'Bookish Biomes: Assembling Nature's Histories at the Clark Library.'
• Bruin BeekeepersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUCLA student organization partnership for educational programming about bees and beekeeping during community events at the Clark Library.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens: The Huntington is a major independent research library in San Marino, California with deep holdings in rare books, manuscripts, and British/American literature. It is a direct regional peer sharing the same Southern California ecosystem and competing for visiting scholars and humanities donors.
• Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library (Yale): Beinecke is a premier university rare book and manuscript library at Yale, with major early modern and English literary holdings. It is a direct comparator as a top-tier academic special collections library competing for scholars and major acquisitions.
• Newberry Library: Newberry Library is an independent research library in Chicago focused on the humanities, with strong holdings in early modern European history and the history of cartography. It is comparable to the Clark as an independent humanities special collections library with fellowship programs.
• American Antiquarian Society: AAS is a research library in Worcester, Massachusetts specializing in early American history and culture through 1876. It is comparable to the Clark in serving humanities scholars through a specialized early-period collection and offering research fellowships.
• Folger Shakespeare Library: The Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C. is the world's largest Shakespeare collection and specializes in early modern English materials. It is the most direct peer to the Clark Library's Early Modern Collection, both serving Shakespeare scholars and competing for the same pool of researchers and donors.
• Folger Shakespeare Library (already listed): Placeholder to be removed.
• Library Company of Philadelphia: The Library Company of Philadelphia is an independent research library founded in 1731, with deep holdings in early American books, manuscripts, and prints. It is comparable to the Clark as a historic, independently-operated research library with rare collections and a fellowship program.
• Harry Ransom Center (University of Texas at Austin): Harry Ransom Center is a humanities research library and museum with major rare book and manuscript collections, including extensive early modern literature. It is a direct peer as a university-affiliated special collections library serving advanced scholars.

Broad incumbents

• Bodleian Libraries (University of Oxford): The Bodleian Libraries is one of the world's largest and oldest academic library systems, with vast rare book and manuscript collections. It is a broad incumbent competitor for international scholars and prestige in early modern literary studies.

Others

• Center for 17th- & 18th-Century Studies (UCLA): The Center is the Clark Library's UCLA-affiliated partner for events, fellowships, and giving. It is a thematically related institution that co-programs with the library and shares newsletters and audiences.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCWg2sZ_9t4JTHfLIoD05IqA
• Instagraminstagram.com/clark_library
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/clark-memorial-library

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Clark Memorial Library