The UC Merced Library is an indispensable partner in learning, discovery, and the creation of knowledge. We are engaging with students, faculty, and the larger community to further the research, education, and service mission of the university.
Our Impact
- We create tech-forward digital and physical spaces that support academic success, collaboration, and information access.
In the past academic year (FY2022-2023), we recorded over 386,000 visits to the Kolligian Library and 356,000+ virtual visits to the Library website and its research guides.
- We equip students with skills needed to find, evaluate, and effectively use a range of information sources.
Our Library staff taught sessions to over 2,600 undergraduate and graduate students to support their coursework and research projects.
- We create experiences to cultivate student belonging, connect our campus community with library resources, and spark inquiry.
Our Library staff connected with hundreds of students at summer orientations, shared resources through 549 reference transactions, and hosted exhibits and events that highlighted faculty research and our region’s history.
- We offer students valuable employment and mentorship experiences to expand their workplace competitiveness, professional skills, and awareness of information-science careers.
We work yearly with 40+ students across our Library operations; a number of alumni have since pursued professional work in libraries, archives and museums.
- We preserve and create broad access to primary source collections of interest to the region and wider world, including materials at risk of being overlooked, lost, or destroyed.
We acquired over 30,000 George Ballis photographs spotlighting farm worker communities in the Central Valley and rescued the archives of Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks from wildfire.
Our Giving Opportunities
With your support we can engage in projects and activities that enhance the Library’s physical and digital spaces, contribute to students' academic success, meet researcher needs in our evolving information landscape, preserve distinctive collections, and invest in student education & employment. Your generosity will sustain the Library’s commitment to preserving our past, expanding engagement, and investing in our future. Contribute by giving to one of these three funds.
University Library Catalyst Fund (unrestricted)
Flexible funding will be applied to the Library’s most pressing needs and initiatives aligned with our overarching funding priorities.
Archives & Special Collections Expansion Fund (2024-2025)
Funding will be dedicated to the creation of two important spaces for archival research and education:
- a reading room for archives access;
- a learning/programming space for promoting archival research and collections.
These two important spaces will complement the secure archives project currently underway. The secure archives project will significantly increase our storage capacity for archival materials in a temperature and humidity-controlled space and is funded through a capital infrastructure grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH).
The expansion of the storage and public spaces for Archives & Special Collections is vital for the Library’s establishment of a Sierra Nevada-Central Valley Archive. If interested in contributing to an endowment for this regional archive, please contact University Librarian Haipeng Li haipengli@ucmerced.edu.
Establishing the Sierra Nevada Central Valley Archive (PDF)
Our Funding Priorities
