As the caretakers of 6 million books and over 2 million digital items, USC librarians are the knowledgeable guides to a bounty of literary, digital and tactile treasures. Follow along as we feature the objects and collections they prize most across our 18 libraries.
(From left) Taylor Dwyer with a charred piece of the book Jud Süß (Power) by German writer Lion Feuchtwanger. Derek Quezada, USC Libraries special collections, with a volume from Denis Diderot, Encyclopédie (Paris, 1751–1765). The Encyclopédie was a comprehensive attempt to describe everything in the natural world. Jessica Gambling with a photo of Kappa Alpha Theta sorority members in front of Widney Hall, taken circa 1890.


Doheny Memorial Library
“When in doubt, go to the library”
—J. K. Rowling, author
Jungeun Hong, director, special projects Japanese Studies librarian, with film reels made in 1936 in Korea by USC alumnus Victor Wellington Peters for the 50th anniversary of Ewha college (established in 1886). Peters went to Korea for missionary work during the Japanese Occupation. These films were restored by the USC HMH Foundation Moving Image Archive.
“I have always imagined that Paradise will be a kind of a library.”
—Jorge Luis Borges, author
Doheny Memorial Library
Jynna Hughes, librarian assistant manager, Library for International and Public Affairs at the Dr. Joseph Medicine Crow Center, with Brave Wolf and the Thunderbird by Joe Medicine Crow.
Leavey Library


(From left) Alexis Bard Johnson, curator with ONE Archives USC Libraries with “Sci-Fi, Magick, Queer L.A.: Sexual Science and the Imagination,” and Shannon Marie Robinson, head, Architecture and Fine Arts Library, holds a sample tile that is a mixture of aggregate and debris scooped directly from the river from the Material Lab. “The terrazzo is an excellent example that materiality isn’t just about physical properties or aesthetics. Rather, materials tell stories, and those stories deeply connect us to objects and the built environment.”
“Libraries store the energy that fuels the imagination. They open windows to the world and inspire us to explore and achieve, and contribute to improving our quality of life.”
—Sidney Sheldon, author



(Clockwise from top left) Billy T. Smith, Cinematic Arts Library, holds one of the swords featured in the 1995 film, Braveheart, part of the Cinematic Arts Library collection; Olivia Carreon, library supervisor of Wilson Dental Library, holds I Want to Die But I Want to Eat Tteokbokki by Baek Sehee; (From left) USC Digital Library director Deborah Holmes-Wong and metadata librarians Zoë Nissen and Wayne Shoaf. “I chose to be photographed in front of one of our high-resolution cameras because the quality of the images it produces ensures that viewers get the best, most faithful reproduction of the original book or artifact…” —Deborah Holmes-Wong

Melissa L. Miller, head, Hoose Library of Philosophy, with her favorite book, Dr. Flewelling & The Hoose Library: Life and Letters of a Man and an Institution.
“The most important asset of any library goes home at night – the library staff.”
—Timothy Healy, former New York Public Library president
An evening view across the Leavey Library reflecting pool to the Doheny Memorial Library (Photo/Chris Shinn)