Butler Library

Butler Library, the largest of Columbia's libraries, houses collections in the humanities, history, government documents, social sciences, literature, philosophy, and religion. The building also houses numerous service points and special collections, including the Library Information Office, the Rare Book & Manuscript Library, and Research & Teaching Support Services.

Services & Tools

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Collections

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Black Journalists Oral History Project

Reminiscences of Bobby Bowen

Alexander Gumby Scrapbooks

The Spirit of 1968

A Brief History of Anti-Black Violence and Policing at Columbia University

In the School of Wisdom: Persian Bookbinding ca 1575-1890

John Brown and Harper's Ferry

How Harlem Became Radical

Software

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Software

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Workshops & Drop-In Help

Workshops
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News

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Columbia University Libraries is pleased to announce 20 recipients of the annual Outstanding Student Worker awards, which recognize students who have demonstrated exceptional commitment to their work for the organization.

Spring 2025 Ask a Librarian intern Sam Ward reflects on their experience with the Libraries, which included work on the Ask a Librarian virtual reference service as well as programming for three workshops that emphasized inclusive instruction and an interconnected network of library resources.

In recognition of National Library Week, we'll highlight a few of our fantastic Libraries staff, including Science and Engineering Librarian Will Vanti, who shares how his experience conducting research in science labs inspired him to pursue librarianship.

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Librarians in this library

The broad range of collections and services in Butler Library are supported by over 200 dedicated experts, subject specialists, and other staff members in addition to the librarians listed below.