University of Southern California Libraries

Background

As of 2024, the University of Southern California Libraries consisted of 22 libraries, which held six million volumes, 2.9 million electronic books, 761 video games, and 400,000 streaming films, videos, and sound recordings. In 2024, the USC Libraries had 1.9 million physical visitors, 3.2 million online visitors, and serviced 32.9 million online database searches. ²

Activities

2025 Budget Cuts

In 2025, the University of Southern California experienced a $200 million budget deficit, up from $158 million in the previous year. The deficit was attributed to numerous factors including a decline in international student enrollment and a reduction in federal funding after cuts implemented by the second Trump administration, particularly to the U.S. Department of Education. In response to the deficit, the university announced numerous layoffs and cuts. Around the same time, the University of Southern California Libraries began shortening the hours of operation of many of its libraries. ^{3 4}

Anti-Racism Resources

The University of Southern California Libraries produces numerous research guides, including “anti-racism resources.” In this database, the USC Libraries recommends to readers far-left anti-racist works, including the New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander, White Rage: The Unspoken Truth of Our Racial Divide by Carol Anderson, and White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk about Racism by Robin DiAngelo. USC Libraries also recommends books concerning alleged “unconscious bias” against non-white races, and “social equality/equal justice.” ⁵

Banned Books Week

The University of Southern California Libraries, as part of the American Library Association, hosts “Banned Books Week” in the month of October. The event highlights books that have been banned or de-prioritized by governments and private institutions. In 2024, the USC Libraries highlighted their choice of the “Top 10 Most Challenged Books of 2024,” which included numerous books with LGBT themes, including All Boys Aren’t Blue: A Memoir-Manifesto, Gender Queer: A Memoir, and Flamer. ⁶

ONE Archives

The University of Southern California Libraries asserts that its ONE Archives are “the largest repository of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer materials in the world.” ONE Archives was established in 1952 by the One Institute, a gay-focused publishing organization, and was acquired by USC in 2010. ⁷

USC Shoah Foundation Visual History Archive

As of 2025, the University of Southern California Libraries was hosting the USC Shoah Foundation Visual History Archive, an extensive repository of pictures, audio recordings, and videos of Holocaust survivors founded by film director Steven Spielberg after the making of Schindler’s List. ^{8 9}

Land Acknowledgement

The University of Southern California Libraries has posted a “Land Acknowledgement” on its website acknowledging that the organization operates on or near the land of eleven Indigenous tribes whose “rightful claims to these lands have never been voluntarily relinquished nor legally extinguished.” ¹⁰

“Statement on Inclusive Descriptions”

As of 2025, the University of Southern California Libraries was maintaining a “Statement on Inclusive Descriptions,” which acknowledged that some of the language used in its online database might have been “inaccurate, biased, offensive, or outdated.” USC Libraries stated that it was in the process of identifying instances of that language to “remediate” it to ensure that all descriptions “reflect and amplify diverse voices” and otherwise maintain “inclusive language” in the library system. ¹