About

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    The Global Studies division of Columbia University Libraries and Information Services develops research collections from and about many regions of the world in a wide range of languages. We are responsible for collection development for Africa, Latin America and Iberia, Russia, Eurasia and Eastern Europe, South and Southeast Asia, Jewish Studies, and Middle East and Islamic Studies. (For East Asia, please visit the C.V. Starr East Asian Library;  Western European studies resources (non-Iberian) are collected according to discipline or subject area by several librarians throughout our library system.) 

     Our collections support the numerous courses, programs and research initiatives that focus on different world regions, and on the study of global processes and topics. In addition to supporting students, faculty, and researchers in the Columbia community, our collections serve as preeminent resources for scholars beyond Columbia.  Global Studies collections are located throughout the campus libraries, according to subject.  Please visit individual collection pages for more information.  Librarian offices are located in the Lehman Social Sciences Library in the International Affairs Building.

    Our librarians possess in-depth knowledge of their world regions and subject areas, along with awareness of the scholarly communication trends, publishing, and book markets for those regions.  They are available to assist researchers who use our collections. Please see our staff page for more information. 

    For many decades our division had been known as "Area Studies." In the Fall 2012 we changed our name to "Global Studies."  Our core mission of in-depth collecting of materials from and about the world in many languages remains unchanged. These traditional strengths support emerging and shifting approaches to the study of the world and global trends. Our new name brings us into alignment with global research and teaching initiatives at Columbia and beyond and communicates the nature and scope of our collections and research support services.

We invite you to explore our collections and to contact our librarians for assistance.