News
Taylor & Francis eBooks Available on the Move for New York University and Columbia University Users through the Palace app
Columbia University faculty and students can now enjoy instant access to thousands of ebooks on their mobile devices with the introduction of Taylor & Francis to the Palace Project app, which provides readers with secure and streamlined connection to a vast range of resources.
2026 Clampett Humanitarian Award Goes to Richard and Wendy Pini
Elfquest creators Richard and Wendy Pini, who donated $500,000 to establish the Wendy and Richard Pini Comics and Cartoon Endowment at the Libraries, receive the 2026 Bob Clampett Humanitarian Award, awarded by Comic-Con to "people in comics and the popular arts who have worked to help others."
AI Literacy: Join the Latest Cohort
Beginning in July 2026, Ithaka S+R will convene a cohort of 15-20 colleges and universities, including Columbia University Libraries, to explore how existing information literacy frameworks can be adapted and revised to reflect the changing realities of an AI-driven information ecosystem.
Columbia University's Revolutionary War History Told in a Diploma | Columbia Close-Up
Columbia University's Revolutionary War history told in a diploma: University archivist Jocelyn Wilk shares a recent acquisition in the Rare Book & Manuscript Library - a 1775 diploma from King's College, the predecessor to Columbia.
The U.S. Semiquincentennial and Columbia University
As the United States marks its semiquincentennial, or 250th anniversary, Columbia News reflects on the story of a University that began before the nation itself. Discover archival treasures in the Libraries that help readers explore the past through rare documents and collections.
What 1976 Reveals About 1776 (and 2026): The American Bicentennial at Columbia, Revisited
What 1976 reveals about 1776 (and 2026): The American Bicentennial at Columbia, revisited. Columbia News reports on a new exhibition in the Rare Book & Manuscript Library that explores how the University marked the United States’ 200th birthday in 1976.
Michelle Margolis | Movers & Shakers 2026 - Educators
Librarian for Jewish Studies Michelle Margolis was included in the Library Journal Movers & Shakers 2026, which recognizes "the people shaping the future of libraries," for her work to share Jewish stories and collections with both Columbia students and the public. (Photo by William Neumann Photography)
The Wellesley Half-Dozen
Rare Book Librarian Jane Siegel introduces "the six young women hired by Melvil Dewey in 1883 to work at Columbia College library [who] captured the imagination of 20th-century library historians as groundbreaking fore-mothers of female employment and/or the beginnings of low-paid exploitation of women in the library workforce."
How Well Do You Know the History of Columbia’s Commencement?
How well do you know the history of Columbia Commencement? From graduation tchotchkes to special speakers, Columbia News consults the Libraries' University Archives to test readers' knowledge of one of Columbia's most cherished traditions.
The Great Columbia Book Slide of 1934
In honor of National Library Week, Columbia News looks back to when librarians needed to "move some 700,000 books from Low Library to the newly-constructed Butler Library. The solution: a giant slide from the steps of Low Plaza to South Lawn. A classic example of working smarter, not harder!"
SAA 250 for the 250th: 1776 Register of Admissions | University Archives
The Society of American Archivists (SAA) "presents 250 for the 250th, an online repository that tells the story of our country in documents," including a 1776 register of admissions from the University Archives that "explains why there were no admissions at King’s College for the year 1776."
For the Record: A History of the Law Library Through Artifacts and Treasures
A special exhibition in the Li Lu Law Library Milton Handler Rare Books and Manuscripts Room, "For the Record: A History of the Law Library Through Artifacts and Treasures," traces the path of Columbia Law School from its origins to the present day.
The New Red Scare
The new Red Scare: Columbia Magazine reports on a recent discussion with families affected by 1950s McCarthyism, including Molly Jong-Fast, MaryLouise Patterson, and Michael Meeropol, which addressed the parallels of the Red Scare to American politics and society today.
The U.S. Semiquincentennial and Columbia University
To mark 250 years of American independence, Columbia News brings together the many ways in which the University engages with this national legacy, including archival treasures in the Libraries that explore the past through rare documents and collections.
Histories of Native American Treaties and Anti-Chinese Violence Win Bancroft Prize
The New York Times reports that "a study of the financial aspects of treaty relationships between Native nations and the United States and a sweeping history of legal discrimination against Chinese immigrants" are awarded the 2026 Bancroft Prizes.
Lessons of Jewish History
Lessons of Jewish history: Columbia Magazine consults Librarian for Jewish Studies Michelle Margolis on the 75th anniversary of the Institute of Israel and Jewish Studies (IIJS) about its role in connecting the Columbia community to the currents of Jewish thought.
We spent an hour in five of Columbia’s favorite libraries. Here’s what we found.
Columbia Daily Spectator reporters spent an hour in five campus libraries - Milstein, Butler, the Science & Engineering Library, the Business & Economics Library in Uris, and Avery Architectural & Fine Arts Library. Here's what they found.
Obama Took On Recession, Health Care and Iraq. What He Didn’t See Coming Was Trump.
Accessible through the Libraries' Oral History Archives, "a new set of oral history interviews documents how Barack Obama and his advisers missed the shifting mood of the country that would ultimately replace him with a successor they considered a 'con man,' 'clown' and 'laughingstock,'" reports the New York Times.
Complete Obama Presidency Oral History Archive Is Now Available
Columbia News announces that the "complete Obama presidency oral history archive is now available: Columbia University’s Incite Institute offers more than 450 perspectives from the Obama White House and beyond," which will be accessible to researchers through the Oral History Archives.
Presidents' Days: From Obama to Trump
"Presidents' days: From Obama to Trump": The New Yorker writes that the official oral history of the Obama White House, accessible through the Libraries' Oral History Archives, "is a stark and extensive reminder of the values and the principles that are being trampled."
