Columbia’s collection of medieval and Renaissance manuscripts is rich and resplendent, for all that much of it has sat quietly and largely unseen in the stacks throughout most of this tumultuous year. But while opportunities to leaf through these manuscripts in person may still feel distant, it just got much easier to see a few […]
Tag: Rare Book and Manuscript Library
Columbia Football at 150!
On November 12, 1870 Columbia played its first football game, only the fourth intercollegiate contest in the history of the sport, losing to Rutgers by a score of 6-3. The game and Columbia’s program have come a long way since then. […]
Eleanor Roosevelt Speaks for Herself: Identifying 1,257 Married Women by their Full Names
It sounds like the setup for a magic trick: how can an archivist and a public services assistant, both working from home without access to the Rare Book and Manuscript Library, identify 1,257 (!) women previously referred to in our finding aids by their husbands’ names? Yet it involved no sleight of hand. We used […]
University Archives COVID-19 Questionnaire
Just as we turned to our records to find out how Columbia responded to previous health crises, the University Archives is now collecting materials to document the coronavirus pandemic. The University’s official response is being recorded by saving communications, emails, websites and other documents. In addition to these materials, we are inviting faculty, students, alumni, […]
Columbia’s Response to Other Pandemics
Students sent home mid-semester; online classes; non-essential staff and faculty working remotely; the cancellation of commencement. As the Columbia community continues to deal with the ever evolving COVID-19 health crisis, you may be wondering how Columbia responded to previous pandemics and health crises in New York City. There are two interesting tales to be told. […]