PrintWe study in them, we drink coffee in them, we fall asleep in them. But how many of us actually know the details of what’s inside Columbia’s impressive libraries?
Housed in 20 different buildings, Columbia possesses more than 10 million volumes. These items have been acquired from all regions of the globe in order to create one of the most comprehensive catalogues in the world. “We consider ourselves one of the libraries the world should be able to draw on,” says Robert Wolven, associate university librarian for bibliographic services and collection development. “It still surprises me to see how many books are on one floor.” Butler’s twelfth floor, for example, holds more than 150,000.
“It started small and has been growing ever since,” says Wolven. Every year, 152,000 volumes, including academic books, journals, and electronic books, are added to the collection. This growth began in the 1950s, when Columbia decided to increase the prestige of its library system. Currently Columbia has library agents in Cuba and Lebanon, purchasing important texts on behalf of the University.
Students, faculty, and researchers alike travel the globe in order to use Columbia’s collection. Avery Library is widely regarded as being one of the largest architecture libraries in America, and the East Asian Library is renowned as one of the largest East Asian collections in the world. “Many people come from all over,” Wolven says, “Just as our scholars go elsewhere.”
The collections include distinctive and rare books which, in some cases, are the only known surviving copies. One of the most valuable items in the collection is a first edition of John James Audubon’s The Birds of America. This fragile book of skillful illustrations is one of the most expensive in the collection. Columbia also possesses a first folio of Shakespeare, and what is believed to be the largest collection of playing cards in the world.
Monetary value is not the only important factor as Columbia looks to expand its collection. “The market value of something is not the dominant attribute. Many things we will collect might not have a great market value. We tend not to compete with private collectors for what we would call 'high-end' materials...say, the papers of an a-list author,” says Michael Ryan, rare book and manuscript library director. “Our interest could be in things like ephemera, things that would be tossed away, announcements, publicity,” Ryan says. Yet, despite the rarity and delicacy of many items, the collection is widely available to anyone possessing Columbia University identification or an accepted referral.
An obvious dilemma, particularly for a school in Manhattan, is storage. Due to the lack of space in Columbia’s system, 3.5 million volumes are stored in New Jersey. These off-site materials are usually less popular, but daily deliveries ensure easy access to anyone who requests such a book.
But soon, the libraries might not have to worry so much about storage. With the increased popularity of electronic books and e-book readers, the face of libraries is rapidly changing. “A few years ago we never would have mentioned electronic books, but now it’s half our budget,” says Barbara List, director of collection development .
“I’m not sure what will happen in the next ten years, but things are definitely moving online,” says Wolven. “There could come a time when physical growth will slow down.” An example of this conversion to technology can be seen in the Northwest Corner Building’s library, where the library itself contains few hard-copy books, with most of its collection online.
In Avery, artists’ projects are being uploaded into online databases. The most recent example is artist Richard Howe’s project "The Manhattan Street Corners." Howe has begun photographing every street corner in Manhattan, and Avery has committed to uploading each photo. “There will come a time when his website is gone, but we will have the documentation of his art,” Wolven says. “So much is on the web, we need to be there, too.”
Yet despite an array of texts and items, Columbia students still seem reluctant to venture into the depths of their library system. “I’m sure students, and I speak as a former student, don’t use the library as much as they could,” Wolven says. Whether students are disinterested in the vast volume of texts, or just too overwhelmed to use it, the librarians maintain its value. “It’s inconceivable that someone would not find a wealth of material,” List says.