Central Files is composed chiefly of correspondence sent and received between Columbia University administrators and other University officers, faculty, and trustees, as well as correspondence sent and received between University administrators and individuals and organizations from outside the university.

The surviving files of official correspondence, reports, documents, and printed materials of King's College from 1750 to 1784 and Columbia College from 1785 to 1890, as well as Columbia University up to 1964. The King's College era materials include grants, deeds, indentures, lists of governors, leases, accounts, etc. The Columbia College era papers commence with documentation regarding the attempts to revive the college at the end of the American Revolution. In the later period these papers primarily supplement and document the minutes of the meetings of the Board of Governors and the Board of Trustees. Much material was destroyed and scattered in the late 19th century leaving this collection quite incomplete.

The collection consists of newspaper clippings, publications, correspondence, memos, meeting minutes, and promotional material related to the activities and interests of Columbia's LGBT student groups. It also contains some syllabi, reading material on homosexuality, financial statements, surveys, and a few photographs.

Records documenting Columbia University's activities prior to, during and immediately following World War II represent the focus of the collection. The collection contains material generated by a variety of groups and offices on campus evidencing the varied activities undertaken by the Columbia community during this time of world crisis.

Established in 1965 by Columbia University, the Double Discovery Center (DDC) provides educational programs and services to low income and first generation college-bound junior high and high school students in New York City. The DDC is one of the oldest Upward Bound programs in the United States. The collection contains the records of the DDC from 1965 to 2005, including student files and materials documenting the DDC's primary programs, Upward Bound and Talent Search.

Correspondence, memoranda, reports, notes, committee minutes, student information cards, pamphlets, flyers, and announcements relating to the Office of the Dean and the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.

The Graduate School of Journalism Records document the progression of the school from its founding in 1912 through the 1990s. The records consist of audio/visual material, clippings, copies of various publications, administrative correspondence, notes, photographs, and transcriptions of articles and speeches.

This collection is made up of architectural drawings, correspondence, specifications, contracts, invoices, minutes, financial statements, patents, advertisements, photographs, photograph album, test results and reports, memoranda, tile samples, factory order cards, and other materials pertaining to The Guastavino Fireproof Construction Company's projects. The dates of the materials span 1866-1985, with bulk dates 1890-1942. The architectural records include structural, decorative, and acoustical sample products and fragments. Also included are materials added to the files by George Collins (1917-1993), Professor of Art History at Columbia University. Prof. Collins secured the donation of this archive in 1963, and remained its custodian until it was transferred to the Drawings and Archives Collection at the Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library in 1988. The records document Prof. Collins' research efforts, as well as the Company's projects in forty states (including District of Columbia), four Canadian provinces, and eleven other foreign countries.

The correspondence, research, and teaching files of French-American cultural historian and Columbia University professor emeritus Jacques Barzun (1907-2012).

Correspondence, documents, financial records and memorabilia. The personal correspondence of Lawrence A. Wien, 1960-1983; including memoirs and notes on interests both personal and financial. The Lawrence A. Wien Foundation files include correspondence, 1958-1976, information on the Foundation's 10-year trust, and information on tax returns. Files for the Charles and Rosanna Batchelor Memorial fund consist of general correspondence, grant requests, and miscellaneous financial documents. The Committee to Increase Corporate Philanthropic Giving files comprise a large part of the collection. Among the numerous individual corporations represented are the American Broadcasting Company and the Zale Company. Wien's Foundation for the Improvement of Housing Arrangements for Official Foreign Personnel has personal files for each person receiving the Foundation's benefits, guarantees for those individuals, and letters ment to solicit funds from various corporations