Reproductions & A/V Reformatting
Low-resolution digital reproductions (PDFs), high-resolution digital reproductions, and original or archival time-based media reformatting services are provided to our users to support teaching, research, and other scholarship.
RBML reserves the right to limit the number of reproductions made, or to decline to make requested reproductions, due to the fragile nature of material, restrictions, or if we determine that copying material would violate U.S. copyright law.
Low-resolution digital reproductions (PDFs) are provided to our users to support research and scholarship. The RBML provides reproductions from our collections upon request as long as the staff determines that copying will not harm the original document(s) or violate copyright law.
Our ability to deliver low-resolution digital scans is dependent on available staff resources.
Placing an order indicates your acceptance of the Terms of Service. Please sign any order forms. Failure to sign forms will delay order processing.
RBML Photocopy & Low-Resolution Scan Order Form
Return form to rbml@library.columbia.edu
High-resolution, publication-quality scans of RBML materials may be requested; scans are delivered as 600dpi TIFF files via online file transfer. If you have already identified the item(s) that you would like to order, please follow the steps on Digitization Services to place your order.
If you need assistance selecting items or placing an order, please contact us at rbml@library.columbia.edu
Please note that you will be asked to complete a Conditions of Service form agreeing to the Libraries' terms and conditions and attesting that you understand your responsibilities under U.S. Copyright Law. All requests are subject to review by library staff. The library reserves the right to revise or refuse an order due to preservation concerns, time constraints, or size/extent of the material.
If you have questions about reproduction policies and procedures, please consult with RBML staff before placing an order. See Columbia University Libraries' Publication & Digital Reproduction Policy & Procedures for further details.
RBML cannot provide access to original time-based media which has not first been reformatted for preservation. Researchers are welcome to examine archival time-based media items and decide whether they wish to place an order for audio/video reformatting.
If copyright and/or condition restrictions apply, it may not be possible to digitize a requested item.
A/V reformatting is handled by an outside vendor and typically takes 6-8 weeks.
Columbia University Libraries (CUL) Policy for Patron Access to Unique and Rare Media-Based Audio Materials
Access to unique and rare media-based audio content (e.g. audiotapes, cassettes, acetate disks, DATs, Microcassettes, Minidisks, etc.) is constrained both by physical condition and by obsolescence. Because they are subject to relatively rapid deterioration and are also obsolete, it is often difficult if not impossible to play such media safely in their current form.
CUL policy is to restrict access to the original objects, and instead to create a digital preservation master and provide derivatives for patron access. By creating the preservation master, CUL guarantees continued access to the content for future generations, and avoids a situation where an item played for access is irreparably damaged before a preservation master can be created.
CUL holds over 40,000 pieces of unique and rare audio and moving image materials. Creating digital preservation versions is expensive, and funds are limited. Currently it is necessary for patrons to help defray the cost of creating the digital versions.
The ability of the Oral History Archives to reproduce transcripts for private research varies across the collections on an interview by interview basis. Ability to reproduce and allowable reproduction format is dependent on contractual obligations to narrators and copyright law.
Please consult the Oral History Archives FAQ or contact the OH Archives for more information on their reproduction policies and forms.
Placing an order indicates your acceptance of the Terms of Service. Please sign any order forms. Failure to sign forms will delay order processing.
Columbia University Archives have different high-resolution digital reproduction forms & fees. Please consult the UArchives Use Policies & Services or contact the University Archives for more information on obtaining digital reproductions from these collections.
Placing an order indicates your acceptance of the Terms of Service. Please sign any order forms. Failure to sign forms will delay order processing.
Master’s Essays & Dissertations
For information on how to find and order copies of Columbia University Master's essays and dissertations, please check out the University Archives Research Guide.
Low-resolution digital scans (PDFs) are provided to our users to support research and scholarship. The Rare Book & Manuscript Library (RBML) provides reproductions from our collections under the following terms of service and as long as copying will not harm the original document(s) or violate copyright law:
- Our ability to deliver low-resolution digital scans is dependent on available staff resources.
- Priority processing will be given to requests in support of teaching and research by affiliates of Columbia University.
- Reproduction orders for archival material are limited to a maximum total of 250 pages.
- Reproductions of Oral Histories, MA Essays or Dissertations are limited to 650 pages.
- We reserve the right to limit or refuse multiple orders or single requests which exceed our maximum order limits, or to charge fees for accepted orders which we discover to exceed the above maximum order limits.
- We can accept scan requests for “known items” (e.g. Box 7, Folder 3) but may not be able to fulfill requests which would first require dedicated research. Users may hire a current Columbia student to conduct research on their behalf.
- Bound materials other than Oral Histories, MA Essays and Dissertations cannot usually be reproduced via photocopy or low-resolution PDF and may need to be reproduced via high-resolution digital imaging.
- Requests for a complete unit or large amount of material, such as an entire box of manuscript material, cannot be fulfilled by low-resolution scanning. Reproductions may be possible through high-resolution digital imaging, if condition and copyright law allows. RBML staff will contact you if your request cannot be fulfilled by low-resolution digital imaging (PDF).
- Accepted orders which meet these terms of service can generally be processed within 6-8 weeks.
Placing an order indicates your acceptance of the Terms of Service. Please sign any order forms. Failure to sign forms will delay order processing.
Notice: Warning Concerning Copyright Restrictions
The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material.
Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a photocopy or other reproduction. One of these specific conditions is that the photocopy or reproduction is not to be "used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship, or research." If a user makes a request for, or later uses, a photocopy or reproduction for purposes in excess of "fair use," that user may be liable for copyright infringement.
This institution reserves the right to refuse to accept a copying order if, in its judgment, fulfillment of the order would involve violation of copyright law.