Library Services

Computers and Wi-Fi are available throughout the library for viewing media and performing space-related research. Streaming media services are available to all users in the library.

The Sally Ride Room, containing books about Sally Ride written by Sally Ride and co-written by other authors about the earth and space travel, is located on the top floor of the Library. Framed pictures of Sally Ride with fellow astronauts line the walls. Display shelves contain photo albums of Sally Ride from earlier stages of her life with family and friends. Physical artifacts such as a tennis racket, a baseball bat, an elementary school report card, high school yearbooks, a microscope, and a telescope are displayed throughout the room. The Library also provides information to parents and teachers about Sally Ride’s company, Sally Ride Science @ UC San Diego.

The other five floors of the library contain space science related books and periodicals pertaining to historical and current space developments. One floor contains a collection of science fiction literature for adults, teens, and children including graphic novels. Another floor contains government documents and NASA archives which are available to researchers worldwide—both print and online. The first floor contains self-teaching guides and basic textbooks on subjects such as astronomy, physics, stargazing, and viewing other astronomical phenomena such as meteor showers, solar/lunar eclipses, solar equinoxes, solar solstices, and phases of the moon.

A very rich media collection rounds out the Library’s holdings. The media collections contain standard and Blu-Ray DVD formats, including:

Librarians, information professionals, and space science professionals specializing in chemistry, astrophysics, and geophysics work collaboratively in the Library to provide various STEM programs catering to students and educators with an emphasis on encouraging girls and young women to consider STEM careers. The Library’s users are also assisted and supported by MLIS students from local library schools who are interested in special library careers focusing on space science.

Library users are a diverse group that include: