Mission Statement:
UIUC’s Global Popular Culture collection supports the University of Illinois community in both their academic and personal lives. We balance research with fun through our collection as we offer guides and programming to reduce the barrier to entry for all to have access to diverse popular culture materials of all formats.
Vision Statement:
UIUC’s Global Popular Culture Collection team is working to make our materials more accessible, findable, and browsable. This pursuit will be accomplished through the development of browsing and finding aids for our collection as well as through collaborative programming and innovative marketing practices to inform the University of Illinois community about our services.
Who We Are:
The International and Area Studies Library
The International and Area Studies Library is home to the Global Popular Culture Collection. This collection supports teaching, research, and related student interests on topics and formats related to popular culture and study of popular culture. The collection includes items covering the study of popular culture itself, as well as primary sources and secondary literature covering popular culture phenomena. Electronic books and related materials supporting popular culture are also included. The Global Popular collection began in 2021, formed as a merger of the popular culture collection maintained in the former Undergraduate Library and related materials in the International and Area Studies Library. Collaboration is key to building this collection, which has several related and interdependent collections maintained by other campus libraries.
Funk Agricultural, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences Library
Funk Agricultural, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences Library is home to a Cookbook Collection and a Graphic Science Collection, supporting both recreational and educational interests. Funk’s wide-ranging cookbook collection includes cuisines from around the world, plant-based diets, and quick and easy recipes. The Graphic Science Collection, which began in 2022, features comic literature exploring scientific themes and disciplines. Both collections support teaching, research, and scientific curiosity.
Grainger Engineering Library and Information Center
Grainger Engineering Library and Information Center holds UIUC’s collection of tabletop games as well as a selection of the most current video games behind its circulation desk. While these stacks are not open, browsing aid binders for both collections are available at the desk for patron use. If you would like to play a game, but do not have access to the prerequisite console, both GELIC’s Idea Lab Makerspace and the UIUC Media Commons provide access to lendable consoles to UIUC patrons. On the shelves surrounding the first-floor cafe area, GELIC holds a popular reading collection.
Literatures and Languages Library
The Literatures and Languages Library houses the literature of North and South America (the latter in conjunction with the International and Area Studies Library) and Western Europe in original languages and English translation. Moreover, it has English, French, Greek, and Portuguese literature from around the world. Traditional and contemporary authors writing in a wide variety of genres, such as poetry, romance, literary fiction, science fiction, mystery/ thrillers, etc., are featured. To find a new read or author, stop by the New Book section located to the left of the central main door of the Reading Room.
Music and Performing Arts Library
The Music and Performing Arts Library holds popular music materials from around the world in multiple formats. This includes everything from sheet music for Taylor Swift songs and video game music, to Kendrick Lamar CDs, to LPs of Ukrainian folk music, and performance and documentary DVDs. MPAL has playback equipment to loan and listening rooms that support all of our media formats. We also have streaming audio and video resources like Popular Music Library, QwestTV, and more. In addition, we have books at all reading levels about popular artists and genres. These collections support teaching, research, and recreation.
Social Sciences, Health, and Education Library
Social Sciences, Health, and Education Library (SSHEL) is home to the Leisure Reading Collection of New York Times best sellers. This collection supports recreational reading interests in fiction and non-fiction. SSHEL also houses the youth literature collection which includes popular young adult novels, picture books for young children, and graphic novels. The youth literature collection supports teaching and research in children’s literature, especially for the programs in teacher education and youth services in libraries, as well as for families!
Ricker Library of Architecture and Art
Ricker Library of Architecture and Art houses the Social Justice Zine Collection which provides access to stories and voices underrepresented or missed in mainstream and academic publications and media. In addition to the zine collection, Ricker’s collections include other materials about popular art.
