Research

• The UCSB Library's print and electronic collections support the UCSB research community through a combination of on-site print resources, licensed electronic journals and e-books, and rapid access to the entire 40-million volume collection of the University of California libraries. UC Library Search can be used to locate UCSB materials, and to search for and request materials owned by the UC Libraries as well as those held beyond the UC collections.
• UCSB Library has access to a wide range of online articles and databases. Their website makes it easy to search by subject, type and materials indexed. Additionally, the Library has access to the Online Archive of California, which provides free public access to detailed descriptions of primary resource collections by more than 300 contributing institutions. 
• The UCSB Library is also home to the Alexandria Digital Research Library, which is a collection of digital research materials, including images, text, streamed media, and numeric and spatial data. 
• Special Research Collections (3rd floor, Mountain Side) houses the unique and rare treasures of the UCSB Library and is internationally recognized for its performing arts collections, including the Cylinder Audio Archive and Discography of American Historical Recordings. Other highlights include the California Ethnic & Multicultural Archives, the American Religions Collection, Santa Barbara History Collection, and the University Archives. Special Research Collections holdings are non-circulating but are available for research in the reading room by appointment. Please also visit their page on Planning Your Research for additional information.
• The Music Library is currently located on the second floor of the Music Building and houses the majority of the UCSB Library's collections related to music. Their collections emphasize music of the Western art traditions and diverse world cultures, particularly the vernacular and traditional music of Eastern Europe, India, the Middle East, and the United States. Formats include books, scores, sound recordings, journals, and videos. Music Library questions can be directed here. The Library is planning to move all Music Library collections, services and staff to the main library in 2024 as part of the new Arts Library. You can learn more about this project in this news release.
• UCSB faculty, students, and researchers may use this Purchase Recommendation Form for requesting materials (books or other media) not already owned by the UCSB Library and that are needed for research and teaching. The Library can purchase both physical and electronic copies of materials. The UCSB Library welcomes suggestions for additions to the collections. For additional information about Library collections, please contact their Collection Strategies Team.

Every academic department is assigned a subject librarian. You may contact your subject librarian to inquire about research resources, Library instruction, or to set up an appointment. Visit the Library's Subject Librarians page for contact information for your subject librarian.

Librarians can help faculty navigate copyright and fair use questions, questions about Open Access (OA) publishing, UC systemwide OA policies, the OA licenses the University of California has with many major publishers, and the Library's OA Fund that supports authors who want to make their research open to readers immediately upon publication. Policies and breakthroughs in open-access publishing are ever-evolving - to find the latest information on UCSB's policies, visit the Scholarly Communication page.

• The UCSB Open Access Publishing Fund supports authors who want to make their research open to readers immediately after publication. After applying and being approved, eligible authors will be reimbursed for article processing charges (APCs) for articles published in eligible journals. The OA Fund is supported and administered by the UCSB Library. The purpose of the Fund is to cover the cost of APCs in open access journals so that no UCSB author who desires to publish open access is disadvantaged by the lack of funds to cover relevant fees.
• The University of California has transformative open access publishing agreements and publishing discounts in place with a broad range of scholarly publishers, including several of the world’s largest commercial journal publishers, as well as society, not-for-profit, and fully open access publishers. These agreements and discounts are in place to make it easier and more affordable for UC authors to publish open access by reducing the amount that authors are responsible for paying when publishing open.

Faculty members can place course materials on reserve to ensure that all students in their classes have access to them. Electronic reserves allow students enrolled in a class to log onto password-protected course pages to access digital materials. Physical items can also be placed on reserves for students to check out at the Library Services Desk. Requests for materials to be placed on Course Reserves should be submitted one month before the beginning of the academic quarter. Please submit all of your Course Reserves requests (books, articles, chapters, films, course lectures/notes, etc.) using the Course Reserves system and consult the Course Reserves page for more information.

UCSB librarians partner with faculty to help foster information literacy skills, dispositions, and competencies to support students' academic success and lifelong learning. The Instruction Program promotes critical thinking, self-discovery, and ethical participation in diverse learning communities by offering course-integrated sessions, workshops, and digital learning objects such as online research guides.

To request instruction from an instruction librarian, please complete the Library Instruction Request Form a minimum of two weeks before your desired date of integration. Please see the Library's page on Instruction for more information.

Library accounts for new faculty are automatically activated within a week of completion of hiring paperwork. To borrow material, bring the item(s) you want and your UCSB Access ID card to the Services Desk. Most books can also be checked out at the Self Check-Out machines that are located in the Library. See the Library's page on Borrowing for more information.

The Interlibrary Loan service allows UCSB students, faculty, and staff to borrow from other libraries if the items are not available at UCSB Library. Requests can be made through the item's record in UC Library Search, via "Get it at UC" links in the article databases, or by going to the Library's page on Interlibrary Loans.

• DREAM Lab
  • The DREAM Lab (2nd floor, Mountain Side) supports data-intensive research, experimentation, and learning with new technologies, and access to advanced computational methods for students, faculty, and staff across the campus. It offers consultations, access to datasets, virtual machines and remote access to specialized software, analytical software and tools, a VR/AR studio, and a wide range of workshops, including data carpentry workshops. Visit the Library's page on the DREAM Lab for more information.
• Research Data Services
  • Research Data Services (RDS) helps UCSB researchers manage and preserve their research data through consultations, long-term engagements, and instructional workshops. They help throughout the research data lifecycle, from pre-project planning (e.g. funder requirements, data management planning and proposal assistance) to post-project data preparation, curation support, and deposition in a data repository. Research facilitators offer consultation and workshops, with specific expertise in digital humanities and social sciences. Visit the Library's page on Research Data Services for more information.

Facilities

The Faculty Study (Room 1505A, Mountain Side) is a quiet reading room reserved for faculty use (use your Access ID card for entry). In addition to study tables and lounge seating options, the space includes a small enclosed room to facilitate faculty discussion and collaboration. The Faculty Study has 32 seats and is not equipped with any technology, but is fully wireless. Visit the Library's Faculty Study page for more information. 
The Library has a variety of study areas, including designated quiet floors, Late Night Study, reservable and drop-in group study rooms, TA consultation rooms, and a presentation practice room. Visit the Library's page on Study Areas for additional information.

Additional Information

Visit the Library's Services for Faculty page for more details on all Library services and contact information.