American History

The seal of the Chamber of Commerce of New York MDCCLXX with a painted figure holding a shield set into a gilded frame

The Rare Book and Manuscript Library (RBML) collects personal papers and institutional records related to many aspects of U.S. history, with an emphasis on the Atlantic world, the Colonial Era and the Age of Revolutions, New York City, the U.S. Civil War, capitalism, business, and finance, charities and philanthropy, African Americans, social reform movements, intellectual history, and publishing and journalism. RBML prioritizes collections that support campus research and teaching, and those that relate to New York history.

Collection Strengths

We hold particularly strong collections documenting the history of journalism in America, including records and papers of newspapers and other periodicals, publishers, editors, reporters, documentary filmmakers and television executives.

For more information about what we collect, please see the American History Collection Development Policy.

Contact Us

Thai S. Jones

Thai S. Jones

Lehman Curator for American History; Lecturer in History

  • Rare Book & Manuscript Library

thai.jones@columbia.edu

(212) 854-9616
Rare Book & Manuscript Library - 6M57 Butler Library