The University Seminars Archive

Launched in December 2015, The University Seminars Archive is a valuable compilation of intellectual history spanning nearly 75 years. In academic year 1944-1945, five seminars began to meet on an ongoing basis; three of those original seminars remain active. Since these WWII-era beginnings, scholars have founded over two hundred seminars, and the questions, concerns, and challenges of the intervening decades can be traced through the development of new seminars. Today over 90 seminars meet, and The University Seminars continues to provide venues for open and unfettered intellectual exchange among peers, allowing attendees the freedom to try out ideas without the inherent limitations of a public discussion.

The date range of the archive is 1944-2016, with documentation from 194 seminars. Additional files are incorporated on a yearly basis, keeping in-line with The Seminars' five-year privacy policy. Files are fulltext searchable and open to scholars on dedicated laptops in the RBML reading room on the 6th Floor of Butler Library. Researchers can browse, keyword search, and view the records of seminars. Boxes containing original materials, housed offsite, may also be requested. Remote access to digital materials may be requested by emailing Summer Hart at [email protected].

Resources

For scholars using Butler Library, librarians can offer assistance. The University Seminars Finding Aid can be used to locate and request a laptop or specific boxes from the collection.

Identification of specific item; Date (if known); University Seminars Records; Box and Folder; Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Columbia University Libraries.

Identification of specific item; Date (if known); University Seminars Records; https://dlc.library. columbia.edu/restricted/universityseminars/ldpd:446388; Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Columbia University Libraries.

Each digitized item has a unique ldpd number (e.g, ldpd:446388). Use the web address for each item in lieu of a Box and folder number. For questions, contact Summer Hart.