News
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."
A Radical History: Thai Jones, the Archives, and the New Left
"A radical history: Thai Jones, the archives, and the New Left": The Eye features Lehman Curator for American History Thai Jones, whose early experiences with radical politics inspired a commitment to "history, higher education, and the archives."
Behind The Boxes: When Archivists Get Personal About Their Own Family Histories
Bwog reports on a recent discussion about "the personal and professional spheres in archival work" between Curator of Oral History Kimberly Springer and David Walker, an archivist at the Easton Foundation who has, in his personal life, worked to digitize his family photos, scrapbooks, and VHS tapes.
Visual Arts Student Francisco Javier Ramírez Exhibits 'Streets Taken' at Butler Library
The latest exhibition on view in Butler Library, "Streets Taken," features photographs by prominent New York photojournalist Edward Schwartz from the Rare Book & Manuscript Library alongside new works by MFA Visual Arts student Francisco Javier Ramírez.
10 Lesser-known Artworks and Artifacts on the Columbia Campus
Columbia Magazine highlights 10 "lesser-known artworks and artifacts on the Columbia campus," including a 1934 mural by American painter Eugene Francis Savage in Butler Library that visualizes the University’s motto, “In thy light shall we see light.”
Beyond the Job Title: Scholarly Communications Technologies Librarian
Beyond the job title: Choice360 interviews Head of Open Scholarship Esther M. Jackson, formerly Scholarly Communications Technologies Librarian, to "demystify the broad and dynamic field of tech librarianship in higher ed."
Oral History in the News | Frances Perkins on NPR’s Throughline
Award-winning NPR program, "Throughline," consulted an extensive oral history interview from the Oral History Archives with workers' rights activist and former Secretary of Labor, Frances Perkins, for an episode on "the woman behind the New Deal."






