The Ken Swerilas Collection is a world class collection of jazz, blues, and country 78rpm discs from the earliest days of the recording industry through the 1950s. Over many decades, canvassing around the country Swerilas collected over 30,000 rare discs. After his passing in January, 2015, a portion of his collection was sold to support the family, but the vast majority was acquired by the UCSB Library in 2017 and is currently being cataloged. Much of it will also be digitized through the Library's ongoing initiatives to provide public access to sound recordings. 

There are also rare jazz publications, discographies, photographs, and other ephemeral items, some of which will be cataloged and some of which will form a Ken Swerilas manuscript collection. 

This page will be updated as progress is made in cataloging the collection. 

A complete and up-to-date list of the recordings in the collection can be found by searching UC Library Search. Digital copies can be requested through a Special Collections Research Account.

For more information on the collection or assistance in using the materials, please contact Special Collections staff at special@library.ucsb.edu.