Its collections support research and instruction in the College of Fine Arts which includes the School of Music, the Departments of Art and Art History, and Theatre and Dance. The collection includes materials on most art and design movements and schools, photography, and art education. Artists of most periods and nationalities and studies of their works are represented, as well as most media and techniques. Materials on Latin American art and artists are located in the Benson Latin American Collection. Most historical periods and geographical areas are covered in both classical and popular idioms, though the emphasis is on the western classical tradition.
Music is represented in a wide variety of printed and recorded formats.
There are other music collections at The University of Texas at Austin. Latin American music is collected at the Benson Latin American Collection. Materials on other types of theatrical presentations such as magic, circuses, and pantomime are included. The Fine Arts Library holds texts of major plays originally written in English or translated into English, with contemporary plays collected most heavily. While the Perry-Casta eda Library also holds texts of plays in English and other languages, its emphasis is generally on plays as a literary form and on literary criticism.