About the Oral History Archives

For Fall 2020 the RBML reading room will be open on a very limited basis by appointment only beginning September 8, 2020 to current Columbia affiliates (students, faculty and staff) whose individual research requires consulting RBML materials.
Unaffiliated visitors are not permitted in Columbia University buildings at this time.
For more information, please contact us via email for a reference consultation.
We have a number of newly digitized interviews in the Columbia University Libraries' Digital Library Collection, as well as interviews with restrictions about publishing online. OHAC reference staff will be able to inform you about the availability of specific interviews or collections.
The Oral History Archives’ companion center, Columbia Center for Oral History Research is housed at INCITE, where it administers an ambitious research agenda with the goal to record unique life histories, document the central historical events and memories of our times, provide public programming, and to teach and do research across the disciplines.
OHMA is the first program of its kind: a one-year interdisciplinary Master of Arts degree training students in oral history method and theory. Our graduates work in museums, historical societies, advocacy organizations, media, the arts, education, human rights, and development. OHMA is also excellent preparation for doctoral work in fields like anthropology, history, journalism, and American Studies or professional degrees like law, education, or social work.