The collection has three major foci: works by and about women; works that explore contemporary American politics; and works produced in Latin American countries. Other titles complement departmental collecting emphases (such as dance or California), or are particularly outstanding exemplars of the form that do not fall into the above categories. The collection includes numerous illustrated editions of Mallarme's typographic poem Un Coup de dés jamais n'abolira le hasard.
A selection of early and important book artists whose works from the 1960s and 1970s are represented in the collection.