How minutiae Ended Up in a Rare Book Library

In 2018, we received an unexpected email from Columbia University’s Rare Book & Manuscript Library:
Would we consider making minutiae—our quiet, deliberately unpolished app—a part of their permanent collection?

It’s not the kind of invitation you expect when you’re working on a project about unnoticed moments. Columbia’s library is home to centuries-old documents, literary archives, and artifacts from across history. So, to be asked if our app belonged among them? We were honored—and, admittedly, a little surprised.

Archiving a mobile app isn’t exactly straightforward.

Apps aren’t printed on delicate paper. They don’t come with spines or acid-free boxes. So we worked with the library to create a bespoke version of minutiae—a static, self-contained experience housed on a preloaded iPhone. This version includes complete 1,440-day timelines from eleven participants who generously gave their permission to share their four-year journeys.

To accompany the digital archive, Columbia also acquired a limited-edition book, hand-bound in New York City. It features one participant’s complete four-year photo cycle, with timestamps in UTC and local time, capturing life in the smallest of increments.

We also recorded oral histories detailing the app’s development, philosophy, and design, providing researchers and future visitors with a deeper understanding of the ideas behind the project, its evolution, and our commitment to documenting the everyday.

Seven years later, the collection is live.

As of spring 2025, minutiae is officially part of Columbia University’s Rare Book & Manuscript Library—marking the first time a mobile app like this has been included in their holdings, or, as Kimberly Springer, Curator for Oral History, described it:

"This acquisition marks a significant step in the preservation of digital culture and the evolution of archival practices,"
"MINUTIAE offers a unique lens into how individuals document their lives and connect with others in the digital age."

We’re incredibly grateful to Kimberly Springer and the library team for seeing value in the quiet, unedited corners of life. And we’re proud to know that minutiae—a project about ordinary moments—has earned an extraordinary place in history.

More about the project can be found on Columbia University’s Rare Books and Manuscripts website.