Looking for Archives and Manuscripts?

CLIO contains records for personal papers, corporate archives, collections of prints and drawings, and oral history transcripts located in the Avery Architectural & Fine Arts Library, the Rare Book and Manuscript Library, the Columbia Center for Oral History Archives, the Lehman Suite, the Barnard Archives, the Columbia University Archives, the Burke Library Archives, and the Health Sciences Library.

Records for archives and manuscript collections may be retrieved by any CLIO search.

To search only for archives and manuscripts:

  • Select the "Archival Collections" limit from either the Quick Limit menu or the Pre-set Limits Location menu.
  • Search by keyword, for example "civil rights" or publishing. You can narrow your search by adding terms, for example "civil rights"  women.
  • Records relating to individuals or organizations must be searched as a keyword search, for example frances perkins, allen ginsberg, "east side house"
  • Specific genres (diaries, deeds, photoprints, etc.) of manuscript and archival material can be retrieved by a keyword search. A complete list of genre terms is available at: https://library.columbia.edu/help/clio/genre_terms.html

The Archival Collections Limit does not retrieve records for collections of papers which are held as microfilm or microfiche (e.g., the NAACP Papers). These records will be retrieved by searching CLIO without any location limits.

CLIO does not include archival and manuscript records in the Law or Teachers College libraries. Please contact these libraries directly for information about their collections.

The Archival Collections Portal lists many collections in the archives and special collections, including finding aids, and offers the ability to browse a specific library's collection.

Most Medieval and Renaissance manuscripts are not cataloged in CLIO. Search the Digital Scriptorium for Columbia's codices and fragments, as well as its medieval archival holdings.

If you would like further assistance, Ask a Librarian for help.