Originally compiled by the Office of the Secretary and later by the Academic Appointments Office, this card catalogue contains a record of all appointment letters sent to faculty members beginning in the 1890s. The cards include the appointees' name, degrees, and a record of each appointment (rank, school and academic year). For faculty and officers of research, the last date on the cards is June 30, 1990. For officers of administration, there are cards with information through July 1987. The cards are divided between inactive (last appointment ended before June 1990) and active (still at Columbia in 1990). The active appointments are also subdivided by school or division.

The records consist mainly of correspondence and material on issues related to academics, appointments, budgets, departments, faculty, planning, programs, schools, and students. The records also include reports, statistical information, and committee and meeting materials.

The records document the University Lecture series, from its beginning in 1972 to 1998. The files contain information about the speakers (cv, bio, clippings, and articles), event press release, advertisement, flyer/poster, invitation, guest lists, rsvp cards, dinner seating charts, Provost's introductory remarks, correspondence and other details about the logistics of the event. For a few, there is a transcript of the lecture. The electronic files consist of programs, posters, guest lists, biographies, planning documents, and photographs covering the years 2002 to 2016.