News
Research in the Archives | Elizabeth McCall on Archival Housing
Researcher Elizabeth McCall visited the Rare Book & Manuscript Library to explore variations of archival housing and "how archival objects are continually shaped through different practices of keeping, from bindings and wrappers to boxes and conservation housing."
Art Properties and the Rare Book & Manuscript Library Acquire Gordon Parks Photographs
Art Properties and the Rare Book & Manuscript Library acquire photographs by pioneering African-American photographer and filmmaker, Gordon Parks, whose work at Life magazine featured a photographic series with writer Ralph Ellison called “A Man Become Invisible.”
1776: Battle of Harlem Heights
The once-disputed location of the 1776 Battle of Harlem Heights, a "much-needed morale boost" for the Continental Army in the American Revolution, was confirmed to have taken place in present-day Morningside Heights through the meticulous work of Columbia College alum Lincoln Diamant, 1943CC.
Archivist Pick: Artistic Encounters in the Archives
The latest installment in the Archivist's Pick exhibition series features six sets of materials drawn from newly-processed Chinese and Chinese-American archival collections from the C.V. Starr East Asian Library, united by a shared thread of artistic expression.
Lost and Found: The King’s College Seal
Did you know that the original engraving of the King's College seal, the predecessor to Columbia University, was lost for over 120 years? The Libraries recounts the history of the seal, which was believed to be lost until the early 20th century and is now held by the University Archives.
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.
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.
Confronting McCarthyism: Facebook Reels Playlist
WATCH: Michael Meeropol, son of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, and MaryLouise Patterson, daughter of civil rights leaders Louise and William L. Patterson, speak to the lasting impact of the Red Scare on their childhoods as well as its parallels to American politics and society today.
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."
Oral Histories Behind Every Tile: Nicole Wong & The Mahjong Project
Oral histories behind every tile: Hear from the Mahjong Project’s history keeper, Nicole Wong, about her efforts to preserve mahjong's rules, etiquette, and personal anecdotes for generations in conversation with Curator of Oral History Kimberly Springer.
A Window into the Business of Mid-Century Paperback Publishing: Sidney B. Kramer Papers and Library
Processing Archivist Cathy Ricciardi unveils "a window into the business of mid-century paperback publishing" through the library and personal papers of Sidney B. Kramer, a founder of Bantam Books.
On View | CU Amateur Radio Club QSL Cards
Currently on view in the Rare Book & Manuscript Library: Colorfully-illustrated postcards known as QSL cards, which were exchanged between amateur radio operators, or "hams." The postcards are part of the Columbia Amateur Radio Club records and originate from the 1950s to the 1970s.
Processing the Myrna Casas Papers
Michelle Lopez, a Fall 2025 archival intern in the Rare Book & Manuscript Library, helps to process the papers of Puerto Rican playwright and director Myrna Casas (pictured above), whose archive will aid research in theater and performance history in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean among many other fields.






