Tibetan Studies
Since the 1960s, Columbia University has acquired Tibetan books and serials through the Public Law 480 Program and its successor, the Library of Congress South Asia Cooperative Acquisitions Program (SACAP), based in Delhi. Most materials thus procured were published in India, Nepal, Sikkim, and Bhutan. Since 1999, Columbia has also actively collected Tibetan-language materials from regions in the People’s Republic of China with sizable Tibetan populations (i.e. the Tibet Autonomous Region, Qinghai, Sichuan, Gansu, and Yunnan provinces) and minorities publishing houses (Ch. minzu chubanshe) in Beijing. The Tibetan collection at Columbia University is now the most comprehensive among university libraries in North America, with more than 12,000 titles and 15,000 volumes in Tibetan and Dzongkha —in addition to extensive holdings on Tibetan subjects in Chinese and Western languages.
Experts
Rare Book Librarian
jrs19@columbia.edu
(212) 854-8482
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Collection Development
We are dedicated to building and stewarding collections that have the greatest impact on research, teaching, and learning at Columbia. Our collection choices and long-term stewardship plans are made with regard to the advancement of the mission and goals of Columbia University. Our collections are dynamic, responsive, and purposefully developed to realize the value of collections overlooked. Collections are being shaped and continually enriched in ways that advance access to heritage materials representing varied contours of knowledge and diversity of content.