Dear fellow members of the Columbia community,
Many difficult decisions have had to be determined during these pressured days. One of the most painful is the judgment required by our public health circumstances to close our libraries until further notice. That step has been taken in the interest of safety for students, faculty, and staff, especially the dedicated personnel led by Ann Thornton who make our libraries such vibrant sites of learning at the center of the University’s intellectual and physical existence.
The instructive information below, prepared by the Libraries, serves as a useful guide. We are fortunate that millions of items—journals, books, data sets, archival materials, and more—can be accessed online. Our Library resources also include expert librarians who are accessible by phone, email, chat, and Zoom. But there is no softening of the blow.
During this period of disruption, colleagues at the University are working diligently, indeed tirelessly, to support teaching, scholarship, and research for however long current interruptions to ordinary life continue.
With best wishes,
Ira Katznelson
Interim Provost
Ruggles Professor of Political Science and History
Hours of Operation
Starting Monday, March 16, all library locations will be closed until further notice. The Libraries Alerts page will remain updated to reflect changes across all library locations. No visitors, including researchers with previously scheduled appointments, will be permitted to enter any library location.
Library Materials
Due to current constraints of library resources and closure of partner institutions, we cannot fulfill requests for Interlibrary Loan, Borrow Direct, and materials held off site at ReCAP until further notice. Starting Monday, March 16, please do not return library materials until further notice. This includes mailing items to campus. If your materials are due, please renew using My Account in CLIO. No fines will be charged for overdue or recalled items until further notice. If you encounter full book bins on campus, please do not leave items on top or around the bins.
Online Research & Teaching Support
We will continue to offer a multitude of resources to support online research and teaching following the University's announcement that all classes for the remainder of the semester will be conducted online. Please visit this page for an overview of these resources.