Purpose and Program Description

The Libraries seek to support the interdisciplinary curricular and research needs of undergraduate and graduate students (MA, Ph.D.) and faculty from a broad range of departments from across the Columbia community. While the History and Political Science programs have been traditionally strong, Columbia also has significant economics, sociology, and other social sciences research programs as well. Although, there was a decline in the number of students studying these topics following the dissolution of the Soviet empire, Columbia’s programs have since revived to a degree and stabilized and continues as a Title VI National Research Center.

General Selection Guidelines (See classed analysis for further details)

Overall, the Libraries’ existing collection, its current acquisitions commitment, based on available resources, and its collecting goal are all at the research level.

Specific Delimitations

1. Formats Collected: We collect monographs, periodicals, reference tools, and monographic series extensively; annuals, newspapers, web resources, dictionaries, textbooks, CD-ROMs, and maps selectively; and ephemera (posters, pamphlets, etc.), videotapes and dissertations very selectively.

2. Imprint Dates Collected: We collect 20^th century materials extensively and all other periods selectively.

3. Chronological Focus: We collect 19^th and 20^th century materials extensively and all other periods selectively.

4. Languages Collected: We collect English, Russian, Polish, Czech, Hungarian, Ukrainian and Serbo-Croatian extensively, and Finnish, Central Asian, Baltic languages, Albanian, Bulgarian, Belorusian, and Slovak languages selectively.

5. Place of Publication: We collect materials published in North America, Russia, Poland, Czech Republic, and Hungary extensively and materials published in other parts of Eastern Europe selectively.