Columbia University Archives
Rare Book & Manuscript Library
Butler Library, 6th Floor
535 West 114th Street
New York, NY 10027
Phone: (212) 854-3786
Fax: (212) 854-1365
E-mail: uarchives@columbia.edu
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Barnard College
The Barnard Archives and Special Collections serves as the final repository for the historical records of Barnard College, from its founding in 1889 to the present day. For more information, please contact archives@barnard.edu.
Health Sciences Library
The Archives and Special Collections at the Augustus C. Long Health Sciences Library of Columbia University can help you find information about the schools of the Medical Center: College of Physicians & Surgeons, School of Nursing, College of Dental Medicine (formerly the School of Dental & Oral Surgery), Mailman School of Public Health, and the College of Pharmaceutical Sciences. For more information, please contact hslarchives@columbia.edu.
These collections are only available in person at the Rare Book & Manuscript Library (RBML) reading room. Visitors are required to register their own Special Collections Research Account before their visit and to validate the account in person with government-issued photo identification or Columbia ID card. Once you have created your Special Collections Research Account, you will be able to request the materials directly from the finding aids: click the check box located on the right for the box(es) or volumes you need, and then scroll back to the top of the container list document and click “Submit Request” button in the red-rimmed box at top. This should lead you directly to your Special Collections Research Account to complete the request form. For more information on how to access our collections, check out our Research & Access website.
If you have any questions about how to find materials or how to access the above materials, please contact uarchives@columbia.edu.
These collections are only available in person at the Rare Book & Manuscript Library (RBML) reading room.Visitors are required to register their own Special Collections Research Account before their visit and to validate the account in person with government-issued photo identification or Columbia ID card. Once you have created your Special Collections Research Account, you will be able to request the materials directly from the finding aids: click the check box located on the right for the box(es) you need, and then scroll back to the top of the container list document and click “Submit Request” button in the red-rimmed box at top. This should lead you directly to your Special Collections Research Account to complete the request form. For more information on how to access our collections, check out our Research & Access website.
To start your search, look for the name of the individual in Series X: Portraits. This series includes studio and informal photographs depicting various individuals associated with Columbia University over the years. Individuals include students, faculty, trustees, honorary degree recipients and lecturers.
In addition to individual portraits, a former student can be found in Series VIII: Class Portraits. This series contains mostly large format (oversized), group photographs of Columbia’s graduating classes from across the various schools, including the College, School of Mines and Law. Classes represented are mostly from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Photos included also depict reunion dinners for various classes.
The Office of Public Affairs Photograph Collection (OPA) is another very large image collection and contains prints and negatives covering the 20th century and recent image files from the early 21st century in print, negative, and digital formats.
To start your search, look for the name of the individual in Series II: Negatives. These negatives are almost exclusively black and white and all originate from the University Photographer’s office. The negatives in this series consist of portraits, campus events, and athletic contests taken primarily between 1947 and 1998.
As an aid to finding portraits of individuals you may also wish to consult the Excel spreadsheet of "Portraits." This document is not necessarily comprehensive, but it does note the locations of the majority of the portraits found across these various collections.
For more information on how to access our collections, check out our Research & Access website. If you have any questions about how to find materials or how to access materials, please contact uarchives@columbia.edu.
These collections are only available in person at the Rare Book & Manuscript Library (RBML) reading room.Visitors are required to register their own Special Collections Research Account before their visit and to validate the account in person with government-issued photo identification or Columbia ID card. Once you have created your Special Collections Research Account, you will be able to request the materials directly from the finding aids: click the check box located on the right for the box(es) you need, and then scroll back to the top of the container list document and click “Submit Request” button in the red-rimmed box at top. This should lead you directly to your Special Collections Research Account to complete the request form. For more information on how to access our collections, check out our Research & Access website.
The Columbia Spectator Photograph collection, 1950-1999 includes a series with photographs and negatives of people who were written about in the pages of student newspaper, the Spectator.
The Graduate School of Journalism Photographs, 1918-2002 contains black and white photographic prints and negatives, color prints and negatives, slides and transparencies document the activities of the School of Journalism, including students, faculty, administrators, visitors, and events.
For more information on how to access our collections, check out our Research & Access website. If you have any questions about how to find materials or how to access materials, please contact uarchives@columbia.edu.
Students and guitar. (Scan #2634) Columbian 1966, p. 153. University Archives, Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Columbia University Libraries.