However, members of UCSB affiliates may join for a reduced fee, and students and faculty at other University of California campuses, public school teachers, and faculty from reciprocating libraries may also obtain borrowing privileges with no charge, subject to verification.

The new and renovated facility added 60,000 square feet (5,600 m2) of new space and renovated 90,000 square feet (8,400 m2) more, including a 20% increase in study space, a 24-hour learning commons, a new home for the Art & Architecture Collection, a state-of-the-art Special Research Collections facility, the Interdisciplinary Research Collaboratory, and bookable group study rooms.

California Ethnic and Multicultural Archives (CEMA) is a permanent program of UCSB and a division of the Department of Special Research Collections.

The collections represent the cultural, artistic, ethnic, and racial diversity that characterizes the state's population.

Holdings in the African American Collections are papers from Grover Cleveland Barnes, the Bay Area Black Panther Party, William Downey, Charles C. Irby, Anita J. Mackey, Horace J. McMillan, Kincaid Rolle, Tuskegee Airman Lowell Steward, and Samuel L. Williams.

[20] Holdings from the Chicano/Latino Collections include the papers of Oscar Zeta Acosta, Norma Alarcón, Juana Alicia, Carlos Almaraz and Los Four, Alurista, Francisco Camplís, Reynaldo J. Carreon, Sean Carrillo, Ana Castillo, Centro Cultural de la Raza, Federico and Bertha Claveria, the Comisíon Femeníl Mexicana Nacional, the Confederation of la Raza Organizations Collection, Lucha Corpi, Bert Corona, Richard (Ricardo) Cruz and Catolicos por la Raza, Eddie Davis (West Coast Eastside Sound Archives), Richard Duardo, Maria Duke Dos Santos, Ricardo Favela, Juan R. Fuentes, Adelina García, Ben Garza, Shifra Goldman, Maya Gonzalez, Hector Gonzalez, Dan Guerrero, Lalo Guerrero, Mark Guerrero, Paul Holguin, Leo Limon, Yolanda Lopez, Ralph Maradiaga, MEChA, Miguel Mendez, Marcy Miranda, José Montoya, the National Network of Hispanic Women, Victor Ochoa, Carlos Ornelas, Sheila Ortiz-Taylor, Ernesto Palomino, James Prigoff, Eloy Rodriguez, Patricia Rodríguez, Charles Rojo, Gil Sanchez, Self Help Graphics & Art, Simon Silva, Alvaro Suman, El Teatro Campesino, Rini Templeton, Mario Torero, Salvador Roberto Torres, Don Tosti (Edmundo Martinez Tostado), Emigdio Vasquez, Luís Valdez, Linda Vallejo, Esteban Villa, and Helena Maria Viramontes.