Columbiana Manuscripts, 1572-1986, bulk 1850-1920

Summary Information

Abstract

An artificial collection comprised of correspondence, diaries, lecture notes, essays, administrative documents, minutes, and other documents related to Columbia University. Materials were created by or for students, alumni, faculty, administrators, staff, trustees, and honorary degree recipients.

At a Glance

Arrangement

Arrangement

This collection is arranged in 3 series.

• Series I: Manuscript Volumes
• Series II: General Manuscripts
• Series III: Kings College Manuscripts

Description

Scope and Content

The Columbiana Manuscript Collection is an artificial collection of correspondence, diaries, lecture notes, class work, essays, administrative documents, minutes, and other documents related to various aspects of Columbia University and people associated with Columbia over the years. The majority of this collection is comprised of primary documents written by or for students, alumni, faculty, administrators, staff, trustees, and honorary degree recipients.

The items within the Columbiana Manuscript Collection were gradually brought together from a variety of sources over the years. Many documents were donated to the University Archives (formerly known as the Columbiana Collection) and The Rare Book and Manuscript Library by alumni and their families, student associations and clubs, and Columbia administrative offices. The provenance for many specific items is noted on individual folders and items.

The Kings College Manuscripts series is comprised of a collection of documents formerly part of a permanent exhibition called The King's College Room which displayed furniture, paintings, books, documents, and artifacts that evoked the colonial era in which King's College was founded Housed in 210 Low Memorial Library, the former home of the Columbiana Library and University Archives, many of the historical documents and artifacts on display were removed into storage for safekeeping when the University Archives moved to Butler Library in 2007. To provide better access to these documents, it was decided to add them to this artificial collection.

• Series I: Manuscript Volumes

  This series consists of bound volumes of diaries, lecture notes, class work, student papers, theses, correspondence, addresses, and other materials produced by Columbia University students, faculty, organizations, and administration. This series also contains seminar proceedings transcribed by the Columbia Oral History Research Office from tape recordings, St. Paul's Chapel Parish Registers, and a variety of papers, minutes and constitutions from student organizations. The unique identifying numbers assigned to these manuscript volumes when originally cataloged have been retained and are noted as "item numbers" in the container list. The descriptions of these manuscript volumes in the container list have been adapted from the item level catalog cards created by previous staff members.

• Series II: General Manuscripts

  This series is comprised primarily of correspondence received or written by faculty, students, alumni, administrators, and other individuals pertaining to Columbia University. In addition to correspondence, this series also contains theses, essays, speeches, legal documents, and a small selection of bound volumes. The folders are arranged alphabetically by the last or corporate name of the correspondent, with individual documents generally housed in separate folders. Information in the container list was adapted from the detailed information found on the individual folders. There are two oversized items (noted as Box 2, folder 37 and Box 10, folder 84) in this series which are actually housed separately from the other items in this collection.

• Series III: Kings College Manuscripts

  This series is comprised of correspondence, religious texts, publications, registers, and other documents related to King's College and the early history of Columbia. In boxes 13 and 14, folders are arranged alphabetically by the last or corporate name of the correspondent. If available, the former call numbers of publications are noted as part of the description of the item. Most of the materials in this series were previously housed in The King's College Room - a museum room maintained by the Columbiana Library and the University Archives until 2007.

Using the Collection

Rare Book and Manuscript Library

Restrictions on Access

You will need to make an appointment in advance to use this collection material in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library reading room. You can schedule an appointment once you've submitted your request through your Special Collections Research Account.

This collection has no restrictions.

This collection is located onsite.

Terms Governing Use and Reproduction

Single photocopies may be made for research purposes. The RBML maintains ownership of the physical material only. Copyright remains with the creator and his/her heirs. The responsibility to secure copyright permission rests with the patron.

Preferred Citation

Identification of specific item; Date (if known); Columbiana Manuscripts; Box and Folder (if known); University Archives, Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Columbia University Library.

Accrual

No additions are expected.

Ownership and Custodial History

The items within the Columbiana Manuscript Collection were gradually brought together from a variety of sources over the years. Many documents were donated to the University Archives (formerly known as the Columbiana Collection) and The Rare Book and Manuscript Library by alumni and their families, student associations and clubs, and Columbia administrative offices. The provenance for many specific items is noted on individual folders and items. The Kings College Manuscripts series is comprised of a collection of documents formerly part of a permanent exhibition called The King's College Room which displayed furniture, paintings, books, documents, and artifacts that evoked the colonial era in which King's College was founded Housed in 210 Low Memorial Library, the former home of the Columbiana Library and University Archives, many of the historical documents and artifacts on display were removed into storage for safekeeping when the University Archives moved to Butler Library in 2007. To provide better access to these documents, it was decided to add them to this artificial collection.

About the Finding Aid / Processing Information

Columbia University Libraries, Rare Book and Manuscript Library

Processing Information

Papers processed Brenna Lee (Pratt SLS Intern) 11/01/2010.

Revision Description

2011-03-25 File created.

2019-05-20 EAD was imported spring 2019 as part of the ArchivesSpace Phase II migration.

2022-08-16 Items 217 an 218 added to the collection.

2023-09-19 Box 20 added to the collection.

Subject Headings

The subject headings listed below are found in this collection. Links below allow searches at Columbia University through the Archival Collections Portal and through CLIO, the catalog for Columbia University Libraries, as well as ArchiveGRID, a catalog that allows users to search the holdings of multiple research libraries and archives.

All links open new windows.

Genre/Form

Subject

History / Biographical Note

Historical Note

Columbia University, the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York and the fifth oldest in the United States, was founded in 1754 as King's College by royal charter of King George II of England. Samuel Johnson, the College's first president, held the first classes in October 1754 in the vestry room of the Trinity Church schoolhouse on lower Broadway. There were eight students in this first class. This room housed classes until 1760 when the school moved to a building on Park Place in downtown Manhattan, near the present site of City Hall. Classes were suspended during the American Revolution in 1776 and the building was used as a barrack and hospital for both British and American troops. When instruction resumed in 1784, King's College changed its name to Columbia, in keeping with the contemporary political climate.

Classes continued in the Park Place campus building until 1857, when, to accommodate its continuing expansion, the college moved to 49th Street and Madison Avenue. It remained at this site for forty years, until 1897, when the university was moved by President Seth Low to the more spacious Morningside Heights campus, designed as an urban academic village by McKim, Mead, and White.

During the last half of the nineteenth century, Columbia rapidly assumed the shape of a modern university. The Columbia School of Law was founded in 1858. The country's first mining school, a precursor of today's Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science, was established in 1864 and awarded the first Columbia Ph.D. in 1875. Barnard College for women became affiliated with Columbia in 1889; the medical school came under the aegis of the University in 1891, followed by Teachers College in 1893. In the 1880s, Columbia developed graduate faculties in political science, philosophy, and pure science, establishing Columbia as one of the nation's earliest center for graduate education. In 1896, the Trustees authorized the use of yet another new name, Columbia University, and today the institution is officially known as Columbia University in the City of New York.

During the presidency of Nicholas Murray Butler (1902-1945), Columbia emerged as a preeminent national center for educational innovation and scholarly achievement. The study of the sciences flourished along with the liberal arts. Franz Boas founded the modern science of anthropology at Columbia in the early decades of the twentieth century; the School of Journalism was established by bequest of Joseph Pulitzer in 1912; a course of study of original masterworks for undergraduates was created which ultimately developed into what is now know as the Core Curriculum; and atomic research was conducted by Columbia faculty, bringing the Physics Department to international prominence. In 1946, the School of International Affairs (now the School of International and Public Affairs) was founded marking the beginning of intensive growth in international relations as a major scholarly focus of the University.

Columbia continued to expand in the ensuing decades -- improving both its physical plant and creating new programs and infrastructure for a growing campus and community. Today it is considered one of the pre-eminent institutions of higher learning in the country and in the world.