Cinematic Arts Library

Cinematic Arts Library Exterior
Cinematic Arts Library Film Reels

Library Hours

  • Cinematic Arts Library
Sun Oct 06
noon to 8pm
Mon Oct 07
9am to 8pm
Tue Oct 08
9am to 8pm
Wed Oct 09
9am to 5pm
Thu Oct 10
9am to 5pm
Fri Oct 11
9am to 5pm
Sat Oct 12
Closed
Sun Oct 13
noon to 8pm
Mon Oct 14
9am to 8pm
Tue Oct 15
9am to 8pm
Wed Oct 16
9am to 8pm
Thu Oct 17
9am to 8pm
Fri Oct 18
9am to 5pm
Sat Oct 19
Closed
Sun Oct 20
noon to 8pm
Mon Oct 21
9am to 8pm
Tue Oct 22
9am to 8pm
Wed Oct 23
9am to 8pm
Thu Oct 24
9am to 8pm
Fri Oct 25
9am to 5pm
Sat Oct 26
Closed
Sun Oct 27
noon to 8pm
Mon Oct 28
9am to 8pm
Tue Oct 29
9am to 8pm
Wed Oct 30
9am to 8pm
Thu Oct 31
9am to 8pm
Fri Nov 01
9am to 5pm
Sat Nov 02
Closed
Sun Nov 03
noon to 8pm
Mon Nov 04
9am to 8pm
Tue Nov 05
9am to 8pm
Wed Nov 06
9am to 8pm
Thu Nov 07
9am to 8pm
Fri Nov 08
9am to 5pm
Sat Nov 09
Closed
Sun Nov 10
noon to 8pm
Mon Nov 11
9am to 8pm
Tue Nov 12
9am to 8pm
Wed Nov 13
9am to 8pm
Thu Nov 14
9am to 8pm
Fri Nov 15
9am to 5pm
Sat Nov 16
Closed
Sun Nov 17
noon to 8pm
Mon Nov 18
9am to 8pm
Tue Nov 19
9am to 8pm
Wed Nov 20
9am to 8pm
Thu Nov 21
9am to 8pm
Fri Nov 22
9am to 5pm
Sat Nov 23
Closed
Sun Nov 24
noon to 8pm
Mon Nov 25
9am to 8pm
Tue Nov 26
9am to 8pm
Wed Nov 27
9am to 5pm
Thu Nov 28
Closed
Fri Nov 29
Closed
Sat Nov 30
Closed
Sun Dec 01
noon to 8pm
Mon Dec 02
9am to 8pm
Tue Dec 03
9am to 8pm
Wed Dec 04
9am to 8pm
Thu Dec 05
9am to 8pm
Fri Dec 06
9am to 5pm
Sat Dec 07
Closed
Sun Dec 08
noon to 8pm
Mon Dec 09
9am to 8pm
Tue Dec 10
9am to 8pm
Wed Dec 11
9am to 8pm
Thu Dec 12
9am to 8pm
Fri Dec 13
9am to 5pm
Sat Dec 14
Closed
Sun Dec 15
noon to 8pm

Collections in the Cinematic Arts Library Archives are now available for consultation by USC faculty, staff, and students. Researchers please be aware due to the impact of COVID-19 we are drastically understaffed, so allow six to eight weeks for most archival research requests to be filled
 

Stephen L. Hanson, Head  (213) 740-7273

For reference assistance, please contact: cin@usc.edu.

For archives assistance, please contact ctlibarc@usc.edu or contact Sandra Garcia-Myers 213-740-8383. 

About this Library

The University of Southern California Cinematic Arts Library's primary mission is to support the curriculum of the School of Cinematic Arts and to foster study and research. In addition to an extensive book collection, the library also holds many archives focusing on the history of the film industry and containing many rarely seen photographs, as well as scripts, scores and other artifacts.

The Cinematic Arts Library is committed to becoming a multimedia archive of materials ranging from the raw materials that go into the making of motion pictures, to the finished products themselves, and to all of the new technologies for preserving the moving image and presenting it to a new generation of filmgoers. The library promotes interdisciplinary teaching and collaborative projects such as digital imaging and archiving.

The Cinematic Arts Library is located on the ground floor of the Doheny Memorial Library on the University Park campus.

There are no posted reference hours at the Cinematic Arts Library, but please contact the library for reference questions and to schedule a time when a staff member can be available to answer any reference inquiries. 
 

The Louis B. Mayer Film and Television Study Center

Established through a grant from The Louis B. Mayer Foundation, The Louis B. Mayer Study center offers a viewing collection of almost 13,000 motion picture and television titles in DVD, Laser disc, and VHS formats. Videos may be checked out by USC faculty for classroom screenings in all disciplines, or may be placed on course reserve in Leavey Library if not required for cinema and television classes.

The Study Center maintains 20 viewing stations open to Cinema and Theater majors, and to all students enrolled in the School of Cinematic Arts film and television courses, the Thornton School of Music's film scoring classes, or with a legitimate USC course-related assignment. Other students may view films in the Leavey Library's 24 hour DVD Center. All viewing within the Louis B. Mayer Study Center must be course-related in accordance with U.S. Copyright Law governing public exhibition.

Requests to view videos for individual course-related research may be made.

 

The David L. Wolper Center and Archives

Barbara Whitehead, Curator Contact: bwhitehe@usc.edu

The producer of some 800 collective works, David L. Wolper is a recipient of the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Oscar from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and an inductee to the Television Hall of Fame. Throughout his career, Mr. Wolper's television programs received more than 50 Emmy, 7 Golden Globe, and 5 Peabody Awards. His motion picture films garnered 20 Oscar nominations, and 3 awards.

David Wolper donated his personal archives to be housed in the David L. Wolper Center at the University of Southern California. This collection of memorabilia traces Wolper's career over the past half-century of entertainment and covers the process of filmmaking from the initial stages of development through distribution. The holdings of the David L. Wolper Center are primarily paper materials and viewing copies of his films on tape or DVD.  The Wolper Center does not have his actual films or the original footage that he used to make them.

The David L. Wolper Center is located on the ground floor of USC's Doheny Memorial Library. Please contact us for an appointment.

 

Warner Bros. Archives

Bree Russell, Curator  Contact: barussel@usc.edu

Presented to USC by Warner Communications in 1977, the USC Warner Bros. Archives is the largest single studio collection in the world. It is the only collection to bring production, distribution and exhibition records together to document the activities of a vertically integrated studio. The making of many classic films such as The Jazz SingerCasablanca and Rebel without a Cause is documented from story purchase through theatrical release and chronicled down to the daily contributions of writers, directors, producers and actors. 

The USC Warner Bros. Archives contains the records of Warner Bros. Pictures Inc. and its motion picture-related subsidiaries (including First National and Vitagraph). The records document the period from 1918 (the release of the brothers’ first major feature film) through 1968 (the sale of the studio to Seven Arts). Also included are extensive production records for Warner Bros. television series from 1955-1968. The holdings include:

  • Legal, production, story and publicity files 
  • Correspondence, memoranda and documents 
  • Scripts, treatments, outlines and synopses 
  • Publicity and historical stills 
  • Film music scores, orchestral parts and original sketches 
  • Art department stills and set drawings 
  • Animation drawings and backgrounds 
  • Stanley-Warner theater chain exhibition records 

Materials may be viewed by appointment only.

The Warner Bros. Archives are managed by the School of Cinematic Arts.

For Warner Bros. Archive inquiries, please fill out this archival request form. 
If you have further questions regarding the Warner Bros. Archive, please write to wbarchives@cinema.usc.edu