The UC Merced Library's Archives and Special Collections collects, preserves, and provides access to unique records, rare books, manuscripts, audiovisual material, cartographic material, ephemera, digital files, and other primary source materials to advance knowledge of UC Merced, the San Joaquin Valley, and the Sierra Nevada regions, and to support the teaching, research, and public service mission of the University.
We actively collect materials detailing the rich cultural and environmental history of the San Joaquin Valley. Of particular interest are materials that trace the identities, representations, and experiences of the diverse ethnic groups that have settled in the Valley, especially under-documented groups; materials that document the literary, cultural, and artistic history of the region, and the region's social, political, and environmental concerns, including agriculture, land use, water, labor, and education.
UC Merced’s prime location and deep institutional roots of collaboration and research in the Sierra Nevada make collecting and preserving materials about the region a strategic priority. We collect materials that trace the history and impact of human settlement in the region; its climate, geology, and natural resources; the governmental and non-governmental entities that have shaped the region’s land, water, ecosystems, policies, and public perceptions; and the region's representation in the creative arts.
The UC Merced University Archives documents the growing and rich history of the University of California’s tenth campus. The archives’ scope includes documents relating to the initial conceptions of the University, the at-times controversial processes of selecting Merced as the campus's new home, to documents discussing academic planning, site construction and various promotional materials relating to campus events.
As part of our commitment to document the history of UC Merced, we collect materials related to the academic and research activities of its faculty. Of particular interest are those works that have had a significant impact on the world outside academia, and whose area of impact exists in concert with the Library's other collection areas of emphases, or those faculty who have established new areas of study that have had a significant impact on academia itself.
More information about the Library's archival collections, as well as our digital collections, can be found on the following websites:
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