Information for Electronic Resource Vendors

This page contains relevant information for Library vendors seeking to provide access to electronic resources, including Columbia University’s FTE, IP ranges, and email domains.This is intended to provide an overview of CU's electronic resources information environment. For more details contact the Electronic Resources Librarians.

For policy information, see "The Libraries' Expectations of Collection Vendors" portion of our Collection Development Policies & Strategies.

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Columbia University, located in New York City. is a major U.S. research university. Columbia's Website provides more detailed information about the University. 

Licensed electronic resources must be able to be made available to the entire (current) Columbia community, including locations in campus buildings, dorms, offices, libraries, as well as to off-campus locations such as faculty offices and housing. All Columbia users of licensed commercial resources are validated through the University's authentication/authorization system, using either Kerberos or an equivalent Web-based technique.

Updated 07-27-2026

Size of site in number of FTE (full-time equivalent) users:

Columbia University Division Students Faculty Total
Columbia 31,843 4,881 36,724
Barnard 3,200 364 3,564
Teachers College 4,070 212 4,282
Union Theological Seminary 234 31 265
Total 39,347 5,488 44,835

 

Sources:

Domain name

*.columbia.edu

Email Domains

Users have email addresses at the following Columbia University email domains. There are also forwarding domains that may be used (Columbia's Approved Forwarding Domains):

  • @columbia.edu
  • @cumc.columbia.edu
  • @barnard.edu
  • @tc.columbia.edu
  • @uts.columbia.edu
  • @utsnyc.edu

Proxy Server

The Libraries operates a rewriting proxy server from within campus IP ranges, at present on the 128.59.xxx.xxx subnet.

Columbia IP Address Ranges

  • Columbia University is registered with the IP Registry.

  • NOTE: The information below is correct as of 7/13/2021. All IP addresses within these ranges are for Columbia University.

Network Address Ranges CIDR Notation Type Description
128.59.*.*

128.59.0.0 -
128.59.255.255

 128.59.0.0/16 CLASS B Morningside Heights
129.236.*.*

129.236.0.0 -
129.236.255.255

 129.236.0.0/16 CLASS B Lamont Doherty / Nevis
132.174.253.182

132.174.253.182 -
132.174.253.182

 132.174.253.182/32 CLASS B Law Library IP
156.111.*.*
156.145.*.*

56.111.0.0 -
156.111.255.255

156.145.0.0 -
156.145.255.255

 156.111.0.0/16
156.145.0.0/16		 CLASS B Columbia Medical Center
160.39.*.*

160.39.0.0 -
160.39.255.255

 60.39.0.0/16 CLASS B CIESIN / Morningside Heights /
Barnard College
192.12.82.*

192.12.82.0 -
192.12.82.255

 192.12.82.0/24 CLASS C [testing, etc.]
192.5.43.*

192.5.43.0 -
192.5.43.255

 192.5.43.0/24 CLASS C

207.10.136-143.*

207.10.136.0 -
207.10.143.255

207.10.136.0/21

CLASS C

 

209.2.47.*

209.2.47.0 -
209.2.47.255

209.2.47.0/24

CLASS C

 

209.2.48-51.*

209.2.48.0 -
209.2.51.255

209.2.48.0/22

CLASS C

International House Dormitory

209.2.185.*

209.2.185.0 -
209.2.185.255

209.2.185.0/24

CLASS C

 

209.2.208-223.*

209.2.208.0 -
209.2.223.255

209.2.208.0/20

CLASS C

Interchurch Building

209.2.224-239.*

209.2.224.0 -
209.2.239.255

209.2.224.0/20

CLASS C

 

  • Proxy Server IP: 128.59.222.107

  • Test Proxy Server IP: 128.59.241.157

 

Notes

  • In the above notation scheme "*" (asterisk) is used as a placeholder for all numbers in the range 0-255.

  • This table formerly included CLASS C IP range 192.5.43.* However, here are currently no devices on that network and it is unlikely that any future residents on that network will be Columbia- affiliated.

  • CIESIN (Center for International Earth Science Information Network) added 7/23/98.

  • Columbia Biosphere addresses changed 9/23/99.

  • New HS range 156.145.0.0 added 3/15/2001.

  • Columbia Biosphere addresses removed, 12/23/2003.

  • Use of 192.12.82.0 Class C license clarified, 9/20/2004.

  • New Law Library Proxy IP 132.174.253.182 added 7/13/2021

We encourage vendors to contact us to discuss these requirements if there are any questions about them.

Proxy Server

Columbia employs a proxy server when needed to provide access to members of the Columbia community not directly connected to the campus network.

EZproxy URL: https://ezproxy.cul.columbia.edu/login?url=

OpenURL

Columbia uses link resolver software to connect users to online full text options and to internal services for locating and requesting full text. The openURL resolver accepts queries in versions 0.1 and 1.0.

Personal IDs/Passwords

Authentication via individual, personal id/passwords is unworkable at Columbia, given the size of the campus and the number of departments, schools, centers needing access to networked information.

Cookies Policy

Persistent cookies are not an acceptable means of authorization or profiling in the Columbia environment. Public workstations are configured to erase all temporary files each time the browser is restarted. Session cookies used by the vendor solely for authorization or session-management are acceptable.

Privacy Requirements

Services licensed by Columbia that gather user or marketing data are required to notify users in each session how and why this data is being collected and to provide users the option of not having such data collected about them.

Title-Level Access

It is extremely important for us to be able to connect from our own Web-based campus information system menus directly to specific external databases or "titles," rather than via vendor "welcome" or menu screens. Because we obtain online services from a large number of information vendors, we need to be able to interpose our own menus, finding aids, expert help systems, etc. between the user and specific remote resources. In other words, we need to be able to go directly from a menu entry on our system to the actual opening search screen of a SINGLE remote database, without having users navigate additional introductory vendor screens or menus. If we are licensing multiple databases from a single vendor, each must be individually addressable at a single URL.

Hardware Environment

No campus-wide statistics are available. Staff, desktop & laptop machines are normally either Intel or Apple Macintosh PCs running various levels of Microsoft & Apple software. Public workstations include Intel-based PCs running Linux.

Software & Access Environment

We strongly prefer "open" products at Columbia that are wide-area networkable across all platforms and searchable using recognized national and de facto standards. No local loading of databases is feasible because of the high costs and overhead associated with it. Proprietary database packages or retrieval systems are not normally purchased or supported by Columbia University Libraries.

Browser Requirements

All access and full functionality must be available to those with Chrome, Firefox or Microsoft Edge. In addition, because Columbia continues to have a number of users with slower, modem-based connections, all information and services should be usable at dial-up speeds as well.

CU Internet Connection

Central campus has a 155 Mbps connection to Broadwing, which provides access to the commodity Internet. The university is also a member of NYSERNet, with a 155 Mbps Internet 2 connection via the Abilene network. Students, faculty and staff have the option of connecting their personal computers directly to the campus network using high-speed wired ethernet or wireless service. Many connect to campus remotely via non-Columbia ISPs. A small campus modem pool is available as backup for those without ISP access.

Information providers with whom Columbia contracts for access to databases or other information services are asked to communicate with us regularly and in a timely way about the following:

  • Planned service unavailability

  • Expected uptime after extended emergency downtime

  • Any significant change in the content or scope of the database or information service

  • Any significant change or enhancement to the user interface, searching capabilities, technical requirements (e.g., Java, XML, special plug-ins)

  • Any change to existing authentication / authorization techniques

  • Any change to the base URL to which local users and interfaces must connect. (This is important in order for us to update local proxy servers and Web interfaces.)

  • Any other change to the service that might affect local systems, user access, local documentation, or the scope and nature of the service

Vendors are asked to forward such information via email to CU Libraries at the following address: cul-ner@columbia.edu

CU Libraries strongly prefer that statistics be provided in a COUNTER compliant format. Vendors are requested to collect, format and make available use statistics to us as described in those guidelines.

Columbia University Libraries branding should be prominent and consistent across all of our web properties and services. CUL expects the option to place prominent branding (preferably a Columbia University Libraries banner) on vendor and publisher pages and service. 

For policy information, see The Libraries' Expectations of Collection Vendors portion of our Collection Development Policies & Strategies.

 

Fully Functioning Library Banner

This is the desired level of branding across Columbia University Libraries electronic resources.

Design Requirements

  • The CUL banner should have top presence, above any vendor, publisher, or product logos or branding.

  • The CUL banner should be accessible across all pages of the e-resource(s).

Functional Requirements

  • The Columbia University Libraries banner should be fully interactivce and clickable with drop-down menus, per the following example.
  • Advertising should not be placed on pages or services associated with library resources. For the avoidance of doubt, this does not include advertising that is part of the content itself, such as ads found within journals, magazines, archival or primary source material, etc.

CLIO library catalog quicksearch page

 

Library Prominent Banner

Design Requirements

  • The Columbia University Libraries banner should be the main and largest branding/logo on the page.

  • The CUL banner should have top left presence, above any vendor, publisher, or product logos or branding.

  • The CUL banner should be accessible across all pages of the e-resource(s).

 

Functional Requirements

  • Columbia University Libraries banner should be clickable back to the library home page, https://library.columbia.edu/.

  • A link to "Ask a Columbia Librarian" should be on the site, https://resolver.library.columbia.edu/lweb0031.

  • Advertising should not be placed on pages or services associated with library resources. For the avoidance of doubt, this does not include advertising that is part of the content itself, such as ads found within journals, magazines, archival or primary source material, etc.

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Contact for General Information, Ordering, Payment, Problems, Technical:

cul-ner@columbia.edu

Columbia University Libraries
Collection Strategies - 106 Butler Library
535 West 114th Street
New York, NY 10027

Columbia University Libraries
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Phone
212-854-7309
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