The Chicano Collection/ Colección Chicana was first established in 1978, when a collection of nearly 17,000 items was transferred from the Centro de Estudios Chicanos to Love Library, both at San Diego State University (SDSU). This transfer occurred through the efforts of Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) Director Gus Chavez, with support from the Mexican American Studies faculty and Chicano students. Chavez appealed to Library Administration to transfer the materials from the Centro de Estudios Chicanos because of funding and space constraints.

The Colección Chicana shares the distinction with the Chicano Library Resource Center at San Jose State University and the Chicano Resource Center at Cal State Fullerton as being one of three universities in the CSU system that provides a dedicated space for Chicano materials.

Developed to meet the needs of SDSU students and faculty conducting research in the emerging field of Chicano studies, the collection includes books, pamphlets, newspapers, magazines, and other materials documenting Chicana/o life and culture. Over the years, the Colección Chicana has evolved into a reading room, a space for collaboration, and home to an ever-growing collection of materials and resources designed to advance knowledge and understanding of the Chicano experience.