Columbia Center for Oral History

About the Oral History Archives

Oral History Interview with JP Warburg
The Columbia Center for Oral History (CCOH) was founded by historian and journalist Allan Nevins in 1948 and is credited with launching the establishment of oral history archives internationally. At over 10,000 interviews, the CCOH Archives is one of the largest oral history collections in the United States. The Columbia Center for Oral History Archives is housed at the Rare Book & Manuscript Library in Butler Library and is open to all.

CCOH Archives

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You do not need to be affiliated with Columbia University in order to visit and use the collections at the Columbia Center for Oral History Archives.

For more information on visiting the CCOH Archives at the Rare Book & Manuscript Library in person, please see these Registration Procedures.

For more information on how you can gain access to the collections if you cannot visit the CCOH Archives in person see Frequently Asked Questions.

 

 
 

CCOH Research

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The CCOH 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. 

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Oral History Master of Arts

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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.