ULS is the only official U.S. Patent and Trademark Depository Library in Virginia. Another specialized service is interlibrary loan, through which students may borrow materials or obtain photocopied articles from public and academic libraries throughout the United States. The Media Resource Services units contain non-print materials such as videos, cassettes, microscopes, posters, filmstrips, music scores and multimedia. Cabell Library Media Resource Services houses materials to support Academic Campus curricula. Tompkins-McCaw Library Media Resources contains materials for all the health sciences programs.
Many more titles are available electronically from the library's web site.
ULS maintains reserve collections to provide VCU students, faculty and staff access to course readings and other materials. An ID is required to use the reserve collections. Loan periods for reserve materials are two hours, one day or three days. Reserve collections are located at the Circulation and Reserves Desk and in Media Resource Services in Cabell Library and the Service Desk in Tompkins-McCaw Library. Special Collections and Archives includes rare books, manuscripts by Virginia authors, medical artifacts, papers of prominent Richmonders and materials related to VCU history.