The University of the Virgin Islands (UVI) is a public Masters II university, a Historically Black College and University, and a Land-Grant institution in the United States Virgin Islands (USVI), chartered on March 16, 1962, as the College of the Virgin Islands by Act No. 862 of the Fourth Legislature of the U.S. Virgin Islands. In 1986, the College of the Virgin Islands was renamed the University of the Virgin Islands to reflect the growth and diversification of its academic curricula, community and regional services, and research programs. That same year, the United States Congress named UVI one of America's Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU); therefore, it holds the distinction of being the only HBCU outside of the continental United States.

On July 17, 2004 the University of the Virgin Islands Libraries became one of the ten founding partners that officially established the Digital Library of the Caribbean (dLOC) at a Planning Committee meeting held in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Materials are drawn from the Universities libraries' collections and include items that enhance access to sources of information on Virgin Islands' history and culture for scholars, students, historians, and researchers in the territory and abroad. Collections include:

Today, UVI's contributions to dLOC include over 6,000 items, all sources of information on Virgin Islands' history and culture.