Special Research Collections

What do Fidel Castro, Sid Vicious, JonBenet Ramsey, Larry Rivers, William Burroughs, and Benazir Bhutto have in common? They are all subjects of investigative reporting by the award-winning American journalist Ann Louise Bardach.

Archivists at UC Santa Barbara Library Special Research Collections have recently launched the Black Lives Matter Community Archives project in order to document the impact of the Black Lives Matter movement in Santa Barbara. 

All people living in Santa Barbara County who are invested in fighting anti-Blackness are encouraged to share their experiences and submit content to this collection. 

UC Santa Barbara Library Special Research Collections was given an impressive collection of theatrical Shakespeare recordings last fall, a legacy of scholar and author, Dr. Robert J. O’Brien, who accumulated the collection over his many years of study, collection, and travel.

Starting October 6, UCSB Library Special Research Collections (SRC) will offer limited research appointments in SRC’s Reading Room for UC Santa Barbara faculty and graduate students to access on-site SRC materials that are not available online and to access non-circulating materials from the Main Library and Music Library that are not available via the pickup and mailing service. UCSB Library remains closed for general walk-in use.

Dalip Singh Saund made history in 1957 when he became the first Asian American, the first Indian American, and the first Sikh elected to the United States Congress, serving California’s 29th District in the House of Representatives until 1963. His papers were recently donated to UCSB Library Special Research Collections so researchers can study his life and impact on history. 

When will the Library building reopen?

The exact date isn’t yet known, but when it is, we will post it to the Library website. Our reopening will occur in conjunction with state and county public health guidelines for the reopening of higher education, which could result in adjustments to our plans. 

Mitchell Kriegman, a screenwriter, novelist, director, performer, and producer known for creating the acclaimed Nickelodeon and Disney series, Clarissa Explains it All, Bear in the Big Blue House, and The Book of Pooh, among others, is donating his papers to UC Santa Barbara Library.

The coronavirus outbreak is affecting the entire world and will alter our lives in ways we can’t yet predict. We understand that every individual has been impacted and the personal experiences of UCSB students, faculty, and staff are unique. 

Thousands of historic sound recordings held by UCSB Library will soon be freely accessible online thanks to a prestigious $349,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

UC Santa Barbara Professor Emeritus John Ridland passed away in Santa Barbara on January 29. Professor Ridland taught for over 40 years at UCSB, retiring in 2005. He was one of the founding faculty of the College of Creative Studies and a professor in the English Department, focusing on Robert Frost studies.