[citation needed] Its 7.2 million volumes ranked 19th among libraries in the United States in 2012.

[2] The University of Washington Libraries have a collection of more than 9 million books, journals, millions of microforms, thousands of maps, rare books, film, audio and video recordings.

The UW Libraries special collections holds over three-thousand audio recordings of Pacific Northwest indigenous languages.

Services and resources are provided primarily for University of Washington students, faculty, and staff as part of the Libraries' mission to support teaching, learning, research, and service at the University of Washington.

Researchers throughout the world have access to a broad range of materials and various interlibrary loan and document delivery services.