The school library announced that it will be partnering with the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) to grant current Honors and AP students library cards. Students will be able to access the Arts, Music, Powell, Young Research, Rosenfeld, Biomedical, Science and Engineering and Geology Libraries to check out books and utilize UCLA resources on-campus. Cards will be issued to students after submitting an online request form to Mudd Library.
Upper School Librarian Kacie Cox said the school is continuing the partnership after a brief hiatus due to the pandemic.
“Harvard-Westlake has taken advantage of [the library] starting in 2013,” Cox said. “When COVID-19 hit in 2020, the program was put on pause,” Cox said. “We decided this year was a good time to restart the program because we had a few students ask about it. We are currently working with our UCLA representative to see if they could open up registration for all students going forward.”
History teacher Erik Wade said he signed up his students to receive a library card because of the library’s valuable resources.
“Given Harvard-Westlake is a college preparatory institution, it makes sense to ensure students have access to UCLA’s holdings,” Wade said. “My students are exposed to historians who access archives at their respective universities and beyond. To be able to do so as a high school student, an opportunity I never had, is a no-brainer. Students who are interested in ethnic, gender, and LGBTQIA+ studies topics will have access to subject guides and resources that UCLA librarians and scholars have developed and contributed to. ”
Wade said having access to university-level resources will help students when conducting their own research.
“In an age where disinformation and misinformation appear to rule the day across our news or social media feeds, it’s nice for students to know they will have access to quality information, evidence and facts,” Wade said. “This is truly the most important foundation for any type of discovery – personal, institutional and communal. I hope this will push my range of students to be more curious because they will have more opportunity to explore, in-depth and breadth, the questions they’re asking and locate some answers.”
Liv Lee ’26 said she is looking forward to utilizing the library card program as it will provide a productive study space for her schoolwork.
“It’s really exciting because I live really close to UCLA , so it’s an amazing opportunity for me to experience the library as well as use the resources available there,” Lee said. “As a person who loves studying in aesthetic spaces, I think it will provide a good study environment for me to focus on my work.”
