Chinese Rare Books and Special Materials

Most of the rare and special collections at the library are Chinese language rare books and other special items. They are largely stored at the Kress Rare and Special Collection Reading Room. Chinese rare and special collections at the library are known for materials of family histories, local histories, individual collected (literary) works, and legal history among many others. A great number of materials are unique items held nowhere but at Columbia.

Most of the rare and special materials have records in CLIO, the library's online catalog. More often than not, a print catalog of rare books and special materials is in demand, but it is believed that the online catalog can generally meet the needs of users. Users have to search CLIO in order to find information of rare and special materials and access them.

In recent years, a very selective number of special collections such as Ling Long Women’s Magazine, Guba hua gong diao cha lu (Chinese Laborers in Cuba), and Chinese Paper Gods have been digitized and made available to users everywhere.

Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Butler Library has a decent collection of Chinese rare books particularly print leaves of Song Dynasty (960-1279), of which only a few have been cataloged as of April 2007. Other libraries at Columbia such as Burke Library at Union Theological Seminary and Teachers College Library also hold valuable collections of special materials in Chinese language.

To use rare and special materials of the library, one may need to come to the Kress Rare and Special Collection Reading Room during Kress opening hours. To know more about Chinese rare and special collections at Columbia, one may need to meet and discuss with the librarian.