Collections : [Columbia University Archives]

This collection consists primarily of academic robes and hoods of various Columbia professors and administrators, especially those given to these individuals for honorary degrees at other universities. The collection also contains some other textile materials, including the Women's Banner or Butler Library Banner (in two parts), Columbia College banners and flags, and some crew sweaters. Additional textiles can be found in the University Artifacts Collection (UA#0016).

The Alumni Class Records contains materials pertaining to the alumni from the Classes of 1842 to 1963, from Columbia College and the School of Mines, later the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. Content includes programs, menus, invitations, clippings, correspondence, and printed matter related to activities from college days to the many reunion events in the subsequent years.

This collection consists of 14 images in color and in black and white of three charter documents of King's College, now known as Columbia University in the City of New York. It includes the October 31, 1754 charter for King's College; the May 13, 1755 conveyance of land; and the March 14, 1770 confirmation of the grant of land. The parchment documents were photographed by Dwight Primiano in September 2003. The collection includes negatives, prints, slides and color transparencies.

This is an artificial collection of medals and pins presented to Columbia University students, faculty, staff, and alumni over the years.

This collection consists of the records created by the curators of the Columbiana collection. The records include the annual reports, correspondence, acquisition and exhibition information, and research materials.

This collection represents the alumni directory and register holdings at the University Archives. This finding aid was created to facilitate access to the most requested volumes. There are also links for those volumes available online. For the most part, Alumni Directories include information about alumni living and who have shared contact information for publication. Alumni Registers list former students, including those who are no longer living. If you cannot find the volume for the school or program you are interested in, please contact the University Archives at uarchives@columbia.edu.

This collection contains the records from the Office of the Bicentennial, which was led by Richard B. Powell, David Loth and James L. Malfetti. This collection includes the correspondence originating in or received by the Office of the Bicentennial, the office files, and the subject files. In addition to the Office of the Bicentennial records, this collection includes the materials collected by and/or transferred to the Columbiana Collection, under the curation of Milton Halsey Thomas. This includes the conference transcripts, papers, convocation records, and an extensive collection of printed materials.

This collection contains calendars produced by various departments and offices of the University to serve as mementos, record the academic year, or mark anniversaries, such as the sesquicentennial calendar in 1904. Some are calendars made to be displayed on walls; others are weekly appointment books. The calendars contain original artwork (drawings, cartoons) and photographs. Earlier calendar feature photos which originally appeared in the yearbook, the Columbian. Later calendars contain photos of the Morningside Heights campus buildings and students, many of which can be found in the Historical Photograph Collection (including those by Manny Warman, University Photographer) and in the Walter L. Bogert Photograph album.

Arranged alphabetically, these individual portraits of Columbia University faculty members are black and white images mounted on heavy cardboard with the name of the individual typed underneath the image. Names that begin with L-M-N-O-P and Q are missing from this collection.

This collection contains correspondence, newspaper clippings, calendars, posters and other printed matter, memorabilia including textiles, such as banners and t-shirts that document and commemorate the anniversary celebrations of Columbia University.

The Media Collection consists of audio cassettes, reel-to-reel tapes, phonograph recordings, video cassettes, vinyl record albums, 8mm film and other audio and visual media collected over the years by curators of the Columbiana Collection and staff of the University Archives.

Materials from different collections.

Collection of books and other printed materials

This collection finding aid is meant to facilitate access to a number of related publications. The Univeristy Archives holdings have been collected and organized so that users can easily request materials to view in the RBML reading room. For a few items, if there is an existing digital copy, a link has been provided.

This collection contains the recorded minutes from the different faculty meetings: from the representative University Council to the individual schools (Columbia College, Engineering, Journalism, Law, etc.). Faculty meeting minutes include information on admissions, the academic calendar, curricular changes, faculty appointments and leaves, student petitions, fellowships, grants, prizes, and graduation requirements among other topics. Unfortunately, this collection is not complete. Additional minutes can be found in the record collections of the different faculties. For example, there is complete set of the minutes of the Faculty of Columbia College in the Columbia College records. Similarly, the minutes of the Seth Low Junior College and the minutes for the New York School of Social Work can be found in their respective collections.

This artificial collection consists of oversized posters, maps, newspapers, drawings, floor plans and architectural plans related to Columbia events, people and locations. The collection has been organized by subject matter.

This collection consists of glass plate negatives compiled by Columbiana curators and University Archives staff. It includes a color glass plate negative of a photograph of Nicholas Murray Butler.

The materials that comprise the Historical Biographical Files have been collected and added to from a variety of sources over the years by current and previous staff. The files consist of materials related to people who have a connection to the University whether as student, alumni, administrator, faculty, staff, guest lecturer, or honorary degree recipient. Materials generally consist of newspaper and magazine clippings, press releases, programs, ephemera, printed matter, lists, reports, and pamphlets.

This collection contains records about the athletic league's policies.

Lantern slides depicting copies of photographs, published images, and original photographs comprise this collection. Slides are arranged into subject series: Alumni, Artifacts, Athletics, Buildings and Grounds, Cartoons, Class of 1882 (Arts), Class of 1883 (Arts), Class of 1883 (Mines), Columbia Club, Documents, Events, 49th Street Campus, Morningside Campus, Park Place Campus, Portraits, Students' Songs, and World War I (1914-1918). Unidentified miscellaneous slides are housed at the end of the last box.

This collection contains correspondence received by Columbia University President Nicholas Murray Butler regarding the banning of football at Columbia in 1905.

This collection contains copies of Butler's speeches delivered at Columbia University as well as at numerous other institutions from 1882 to 1947 during his tenure as president of the Industrial Education Association as well as Columbia University. While the speeches address a number of topics, they primarily focus on the state of America's higher educational system, potential educational reforms, and local and international American politics (particularly in relation to the Republican Party and war).

The School of the Arts Records consists of administrative files from several offices within the School. The files span from the creation of the Department of Fine Arts through the mid-1990s and document the day to day maintenance of the School as well as the large scale vision held by faculty and administration. General administrative files such as financial records, meeting minutes, proposals, reports, and correspondence comprise the bulk of the collection. Correspondence from Dean Davidson Taylor and Associate Dean Grafton Nunes is well represented. Records from the Translation Center tend to focus on individual issues, but there are also files concerning fundraising, publicity, and the many awards granted on a yearly basis.

The scrapbooks are as varied as the collectors who composed the different books. They cover an assortment of topics, mostly related to Columbia University history from the 1850s to the 1960s. Among the subject areas addressed in these books are Columbia schools, student life, fraternities, sports teams, reunions, commencement, and famous alumni.

This collection represents the Columbia Jester holdings at the University Archives. This finding aid was created to facilitate access. Please note that the "Laddies' Home Journal" parody issue can be found in the Flat Files Collection (UA#0180). Where available, links to digital issues have been included.

The University Artifacts Collection contains objects, textiles, buttons, trophies, ribbons, plaques, plates, and other three-dimensional items used as well as created by or for the University since its founding in 1754 as King's College. Some items were created for specific individuals or classes.

This collection consists of materials related to a campaign for a campus war memorial. There are research files to help identify Columbians who died while serving their country. There are also committee files describing the proposals and plans considered over the years.