News

Research at the RBML | Glenda Sluga Uses the Wellington Koo Papers to Tell a Story of Economic Development
Professor Glenda Sluga of the European University Institute visited the Rare Book & Manuscript Library to consult the papers of Chinese diplomat V. K. Wellington Koo to "extend her research on the intellectual foundations of international cooperation into the twentieth century."
Columbia University Libraries Recognizes the 2024 Recipients of the Bancroft Prizes in American History and Diplomacy
An annual event in honor of the Bancroft Prize, organized in partnership with the Department of History and the Forum, included remarks by Vice Provost and University Librarian Ann Thornton as well as conversations with the winners, Carolyn Woods Eisenberg and Elliott West.

Oral History | New Collection Launches with Hundreds of Interviews with African American Elders
"Established by award-winning author Jacqueline Woodson, the Baldwin-Emerson Elders Project captures and celebrates [through oral history] the untold stories of activists, storytellers, and community builders who have witnessed and shaped monumental change in American public life."

Nakba Day Anniversary 2024: Archives, Libraries, Memory, and Narrative
In recognition of Nakba Day on May 15, Middle East and Islamic Studies Librarian Peter Magierski calls attention to the ongoing erasure of archives, libraries, museums, and other cultural heritage institutions in Gaza and shares resources related to the destruction, both past and present.

Research at the RBML | The Socrates of Hamilton Heights: Jonathan Marty on Marshall Berman
Jonathan Marty, a Ph.D. student at the University of California-Berkeley, consults the papers of New York City-based, Marxist philosopher Marshall Berman, held by the Rare Book & Manuscript Library, for a forthcoming project on the "Socrates of Hamilton Heights."

Research at the RBML | Ann Hornaday on "All the President’s Men"
Ann Hornaday, a movie critic with The Washington Post, visits the Rare Book & Manuscript Library to explore the papers of screenwriter William Goldman, who wrote the script for the award-winning film, "All the President's Men," the subject of Hornaday's latest project.

A Message from the University Librarian
Vice Provost and University Librarian Ann Thornton affirms the essential role of libraries in providing reliable and safe spaces for all Columbia students, faculty, staff, and visitors, regardless of identity, belief system, political or religious affiliation.

Research at the RBML | A. Brad Schwartz on Ed Murrow and Fred Friendly
Historian A. Brad Schwartz delves into the collections and oral histories on journalism held by the Rare Book & Manuscript Library, including the papers of former Columbia professor Fred W. Friendly, for his research on legendary broadcaster Edward R. Murrow.

New Exhibit! Conservation: What, Why, Who, How?
An exhibition in the Rare Book & Manuscript Library highlights the "behind-the-scenes" work of the Libraries' conservationists and partners at the Philadelphia Center for Conservation of Historic Art and Artifacts (CCAHA) to preserve several important manuscripts.

The Black Theology Papers Project (2023)
"The Black Theology Papers Project," published by the Black Theology Unit of the American Academy of Religion with the Libraries to promote the intellectual history of Black theology and preserve the proceedings of the Unit's conferences, recently released numerous new articles.

An A-to-Z of Oral History at Columbia: “E” is for Ethics
An A-to-Z guide to the Libraries' Oral History Archives: 'E' is for ethics in the Oral History Archives, including discussions of archivists' ethical obligations to people, to narrators who share their stories with the Libraries, and to oral history interviews themselves.

Women in History, Making History: Columbia-Educated Women Awarded Bancroft Prize Three Years Consecutively
Women in history, making history: Columbia-educated women - Carolyn Woods Eisenberg, Beverly Gage, and Mae Ngai - are awarded the Bancroft Prize in American History and Diplomacy three years consecutively.

Spring Events from the Open Copyright Education Advisory Network (OCEAN)
The Open Copyright Education Advisory Network (OCEAN), which includes the Libraries' Copyright Advisory Services, returns with a series of upcoming events on pressing copyright-related issues in fields from artificial intelligence to music.

Guest Post: Noa Tsaushu on Issachar Ryback’s Shtetl, mayn khorever heym: a gedekhenish
Noa Tsaushu, a doctoral student in Yiddish studies at Columbia, consults a newly-acquired copy of "Shtetl, mayn khorever heym: a gedekhenish" by Issachar Ryback for her dissertation on Yiddish art and "the battle for cohesion among the Soviet-Yiddish avant-garde."