Columbia University Libraries (CUL) remain closed until further notice to aid in the containment of COVID-19. While unable to physically process materials, RBML’s archivists are working on offsite locations to update finding aids and create greater accessibility for our collections. Here, Head Archivist Kevin Schlottmann shares these updates. Please be safe, wear your mask and […]
Category: Columbia University Archives
The First Summer Session in 1900
Since the 1870s, the School of Mines had regularly offered summer instruction in geodesy, geology, mining and metallurgy. But on July 2, 1900, the University opened its doors for a new term, the Summer Session, with courses in a wide range of disciplines — botany, education, English, geography, history, etc. — and taught by Columbia […]
Anti-Racist and Black Liberation Archives in the Rare Book & Manuscript Library
The extrajudicial murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, which followed the lynching of Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia, and coincided with a global pandemic that has taken disproportionate toll on African Americans, reveals that systemic racism is a life or death matter–for the millions of people who suffer its effects, and for a nation that purports […]
A Low Library What If
In the #WeMissLow series, we’ve talked about the Low Library building as a library, the home of the administration, a ceremonial gathering place, a film location, and even an athletics training facility. In this post, we offer a Low Library reimagined. […]
The Second Life of the Low Library Furniture
After the opening of South Hall (now known as Butler Library), Low Library was no longer the main library on campus. The reading room in the Rotunda was dismantled and the space was transformed into ceremonial space or used as a lecture hall, a function it serves to this day. But what happened to the […]