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Circulating Collection

The Barnard Library is the Columbia University Library specializing in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies; we also have an emphasis in Dance. We hold a unique collection of books in Art and Architecture that complement the Avery Library holdings; the Avery Library holds a largely library-use-only collection, and the Barnard Library collection circulates. Also, as the library of Barnard College, we serve as a general undergraduate library with a thriving collection including humanities, social sciences, and texts used in courses. Plus, we have a distinctive Zine collection, and are one of just a handful academic libraries where zines are included in the open stacks.

You can search Barnard materials in CLIO, the Columbia Library Catalog, or visit the shelves. We also share access to and contribute to Columbia Library’s digital collections, and we are working with authors and editors to catalog Open Access materials created by Barnard College students, faculty, and community.

Within these areas of commitment, we build several special circulating collections:

The Barnard Zine Library consists primarily of zines written by women with an emphasis on zines by women of color, as well as zines on feminism and femme identity by people of all genders. Zines offer both contemporary and future researchers primary source insights into today's feminist culture. The circulating collection of zines is located on the second floor of the Milstein Center, while an archival collection is held in the Barnard Archives. Both collections are cataloged and searchable through the CLIO Catalog.

The Barnard Alum Collection are materials created by Barnard Alums that are related to the specialty areas of the Barnard Library. These are digitally connected through and searchable in the Catalog and located throughout the shelves. The Barnard Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) Alum Collection is a connected collection that is searchable in the Catalog and browseable on the shelves to the left of the Circulation & Reserves Desk on the second floor of the Milstein Teaching & Learning Center. Barnard BIPOC Alum Collection materials will have a duplicate copy in the general collection as well.

The Barnard Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) Alum Collection affirms the lives, histories, and imaginations of past and current Barnard students who are Black, Indigenous, and People of Color. This collection is also part of the Barnard Alum Collection. In response to student and alum requests, this collection makes more visible the creative work produced and shared by Barnard BIPOC alums. For more information on the Barnard BIPOC Alum Collection , or if you are interested in display, programming, and/or other collaborations, please feel free to reach out to Barnard librarian Vani Natarajan at vnataraj@barnard.edu. 

The Barnard FLI Partnership Library seeks to provide textbooks to first-generation and/or low-income undergraduate students. Created through student advocacy, this is a partnership between the Barnard Library, the Barnard SGA, and the Columbia First-Generation Low-Income Network. The Barnard FLI Partnership Library is a searchable location in the Catalog.

We welcome you to visit the Barnard Library Collection in the Milstein Center for Teaching and Learning on floors 2, 3, and 4. Our Circulation & Help Desk is on the 2nd floor; come by and talk with us. We look forward to seeing you.