News
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.
Working with Repetitive Data Tasks in R
Spring 2026 Data Club recap: Tips on how to avoid repetitive tasks in R. Data Club, provided by the Libraries' Research Data Services, offers strategic lessons and a supportive meeting space for the Columbia community to learn, share, and implement tools for data-driven projects.
New to PubMed Central: Journal of Clinical Education in Physical Therapy
The editors of the Journal of Clinical Education in Physical Therapy (JCEPT) and the Libraries' Open Scholarship unit announce that JCEPT has been accepted for archiving in PubMed Central, the National Library of Medicine’s open access, full-text archive of biomedical and life sciences literature.
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.
Working with Large Datasets in R
Spring 2026 Data Club recap: Tips for working with large datasets in R. Data Club, provided by the Libraries' Research Data Services, offers strategic lessons and a supportive meeting space for the Columbia community to learn, share, and implement tools for data-driven projects.
Starting a Python Research Project in 2026
Spring 2026 Data Club recap: Learn how to structure a research project with uv. Data Club, provided by the Libraries' Research Data Services, offers strategic lessons and a supportive meeting space for the Columbia community to learn, share, and implement tools for data-driven projects.
A New Issue from Studies in Applied Linguistics & TESOL (SALT)
The Studies in Applied Linguistics & TESOL (SALT) journal, published in collaboration with the Libraries' Journal Publishing Partnership program, releases a new issue with a forum on "co-adaptation in an ecosystem of human–machine dyadic interaction."
Guest Post: Robert Jay Burton (Vera Kurczewski)
A new series of blog posts highlights coursework focused on the history of Jews in New York and at Columbia University: Vera Kurczewski, CC'29, shares research into student activist Robert Jay Burton, who proved to be a champion of Jewish advocacy at Columbia in the 1930s.
Data Privacy Week (January 26-30, 2026)
The Libraries' Open Scholarship Services recognizes Data Privacy Week, "an international effort to empower individuals and businesses to respect privacy, safeguard data, and enable trust," and promotes two sessions on aspects of data privacy for academics, faculty, and students.
Guest Post: The Columbia University Menorah Society (Sonya Saepoff)
A new series of blog posts highlights coursework focused on the history of Jews in New York and at Columbia University: Sonya Saepoff, MA'26, shares research into the earl 20th-century Menorah Societies at Columbia and elsewhere, which "promoted the study of Jewish history and culture."
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.
A New Issue from the Columbia Journal of Tax Law
The Columbia Journal of Tax Law, published in collaboration with the Libraries' Journal Publishing Partnership program, releases a new issue with articles on "the tax solution to generative AI" and deferral techniques through income tax withholding forms.
“Scarce, Valuable and Splendid Books”: Davis, Town and Their Libraries on Architecture
Following the acquisition of a rare book from the personal library of American architect Alexander Jackson Davis, retired Curator of Drawings & Archives Janet Parks delved into the "scarce, valuable, and splendid books" that comprise the libraries of Davis and fellow architect Ithiel Town.
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.
Public Domain Day 2026: Columbia University Edition
January 1 is celebrated as Public Domain Day, which acknowledges works that enter the public domain on that day after 95 years of copyright protection. The Libraries' Open Scholarship team highlights works by Columbia University authors that entered the public domain on January 1, 2026.
New Acquisitions Roundup, 2025 Edition
New acquisitions for the Norman E. Alexander Library for Jewish Studies include two pieces beyond the typical scope of the collection: a rendering of three houses of worship in Istanbul (pictured above) and a drawing of New York by day by mid-20th century artist Shalom of Safed.
Explore the World of Pioneering Sound Artist Max Neuhaus
In collaboration with the Max Neuhaus Estate, the Rare Book & Manuscript Library announces that all audio-visual materials in the papers of sound artist Max Neuhaus are digitized and accessible online through the Libraries’ Digital Library Collections.



