The most notable collection includes the archives of the Japanese American Citizens League Legislative Education Committee (JACL-LEC), an organization created to promote redress that ultimately became the Civil Liberties Act of 1988.

A national Japanese American Library began in 1967 as an idea shared between two individuals, Karl Matsushita and Tetsuden Kashima.

However, the project did not come to fruition until 1969 with the onset of strikes throughout San Francisco State, wherein students demanded the creation of ethnic studies programs at the university.

Karl Matsushita and Tetsuden Kashima began compiling basic curriculum materials, with the bulk of the early collection coming from donations made by those involved in the project.

[2] The library is dedicated to collecting and preserving materials and objects which pertain to the history and identity of the Japanese American people.