Nature and Scope of Collections:

Columbia University Libraries collects and preserves a diverse array of material in many formats in support of  interdisciplinary human rights research, teaching, and advocacy.  Archives of major U.S. human rights organizations form a core of our collecting program.  Secondary sources on human rights are developed in a collaborative manner throughout many libraries in our system.  Our collections are especially strong in international holdings from and about all regions of the world in a variety of languages.  Core materials on human rights history, theory and practice are another significant component of the collections.   Access to an impressive collection of databases and digital resources complements the print materials available in our Libraries. 

Our Center for Human Rights Documentation & Research coordinates and integrates this diverse collecting activity to facilitate the discovery and use of our resources by faculty, students, researchers, advocates and practicioners in the field of human rights, at Columbia and beyond.

• Rare Book & Manuscript Library – houses the CHRDR archives of several prominent human rights organizations.
• Area Studies - network of area and subject specialist librarians who develop interdisciplinary collections covering the following regions/subjects:  African Studies, Jewish Studies, Latin American & Iberian Studies, Middle East & Islamic Studies, Russian, Eurasian & E.European Studies, South & Southeast Asian Studies.
• C.V. Starr East Asian Library - holds collections from and about China, Japan, Korea and Tibet, in languages of those countries as well as materials in English and other Western languages about East Asia.
• Lehman Social Sciences Library - contemporary collection of social sciences materials, e.g. sociology, political sciences, international affairs.  Lehman is also U.S.  federal government document depository.
• Oral History Research Office - largest and oldest oral history program in the world; holds recorded interviews and transcripts with several collections related to contemporary and historical human rights topics
• Butler Library - humanities and history collections, e.g. biography, historical works, literary, cultural topics, feature and documentary film.
• Arthur W. Diamond Law Library – significant holdings of international law, treaties, IGO documents including the UN, International Court and tribunal records.  Journals and books relevant to HR, esp. legal aspects, treatments.
• LibraryWeb—our virtual library—access to many online sources including subject guides and pointers to free web-based information

 

Accessing and Using the Collections

• Archives - See our collection descriptions and finding aids; and consult the Archives Portal for information on our holdings.
• General Collections -- Use the library's online catalog, CLIO, to explore our holdings in Butler, Lehman and the C.V. Starr East Asian libraries.  Area Studies collections can also be searched in CLIO.  To search for items in the Law Library, please use their catalog, Pegasus.
• LibraryWeb-- links to databases and online resources.
• Research Guides-- highlight major resources in Columbia's collections and beyond.

 

Columbia Affiliates may access all libraries and online resources.   Please consult  our Visitor information if you are not affiliated with Columbia.  Contact chrdr@columbia.edu with general questions about our collections; Contact rbml@libraries.cul.columbia.edu for specific questions about our archival materials.