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Voting Info at the Library

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No better day than National Voter Registration Day to announce a new info resource at Mann Library: a kiosk on Mann’s 1st floor offering some forms and handouts students will find helpful for making their voice heard in the U.S. election process. Here’s what you’ll find there:

 

The voting info kiosk at Mann is made possible by a partnership between Mann Library and Cornell Votes, a non-partisan student organization dedicated to fostering a campus culture which every person exercises their right to have a voice in their representation. Care to get involved with this good effort, or want further info on any question you might have about registering to vote? Sending an email to Cornell Votes will do the trick!  

Fall 2022 Chats in the Stacks @ Mann Library

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We are pleased to share our line-up of fall book talks, which will be held in-person in Mann Library 160. You can find all recordings of our past Chats in the Stacks on our YouTube channel.

 

September 22, 4pm

Mann Library, Room 160

Harold van Es, Building Soils for Better Crops: Ecological Management for Healthy Soils

Organic matter was once extolled as the essential soil ingredient, but the availability of inexpensive synthetic fertilizers and the mass industrialization of farming after World War II have led to a serious soil crisis. What can we do to increase the vitality of soils today and for future generations? In this book talk, Harold van Es explains how soil health has degraded at the global level, and the steps that everyone can take—from home gardeners and small farmers to large agricultural corporations and food industries—to improve and preserve this essential resource. 

 

October 13, 4pm

Mann Library, Room 160

Chris Barrett, Socio-Technical Innovation Bundles for Agri-Food Systems Transformation

While dramatic advances in human well-being have been achieved worldwide through technological and institutional innovations in agri-food systems, adverse impacts on climate, the natural environment, public health, and social justice increasingly impede further, sustained progress. How humanity can innovate to bring about local and global agri-food systems that more equitably, healthfully, and sustainably expand on past progress is the fundamental question posed in Socio-Technical Innovation Bundles for Agri-Food System Transformation, a synthesis of the current state of the world’s agri-food systems, and an examination of key external drivers of change anticipated over the next 25–50 years.

 

November 2, 4:30pm

Mann Library, Room 160

Robert Connelly, Frameworks, Tensegrities, and Symmetry

Geometry has been a wonderful attraction since the time of Archimedes. We all have our prejudices and points of view. Some are from the problem of making a structure rigid. Some are from the problem of making a surface flexible. Some are beautiful Art. Tensegrities are all of those as collections of points with distance constraints. Some are rigid but very squishy, but they all can be seen and felt. In this book talk, Robert Connelly, professor in the Department of Mathematics and a pioneer in the study of tensegrities, will discuss the latest edition of Frameworks, Tensegrities, and Symmetry (Cambridge University Press, 2022).

 

November 10, 4pm CANCELLED

Mann Library, Room 160

Jenny Goldstein, The Nature of Data: Infrastructures, Environments, Politics

It is not possible to fully understand current global environmental politics and responses to environmental challenges without understanding the role of data platforms, devices, standards, and institutions, according to Jenny Goldstein, assistant professor in Global Development. In this book talk, Goldstein discusses her new book, The Nature of Data (coedited with Eric Nost, assistant professor at the University of Guelph), which brings together scholars from geography, anthropology, science and technology studies, and ecology to explore these connections, and reveal how environmental politics are waged in the digital realm.

Fall 2022 Workshops @ Mann Library

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We want to help all new and returning Cornellians start the semester off right with our selection of fall workshops. There is no better time to start building those research skills, and with our wide selection of pre-recorded workshops, you can explore these sessions at a time and place that works best for you!

 

Visit our Workshops page for the full listing of asynchronous workshops, including help with searching and literature reviews, citation management software (Zotero, Mendeley, and EndNote), the nuts and bolts of systematic reviews, and research data management.

 

And be sure to check out the schedule of live workshops this semester, which are being offered in-person in Stone Classroom (Mann 103):

 

Intro to QGIS

Tuesday, September 27, 3-5pm

Learn the basics of QGIS, the popular free and open-source desktop GIS application for mapping and geospatial analysis. We will work together through examples of loading common types of data, modifying the display styles, and performing some basic analysis.

 

Introduction to Bloomberg

Monday, September 12, 5-6pm

Tuesday, September 27, 12-1pm

Tuesday, October 4, 4:30- 5:30pm

Hundreds of thousands of investment professionals rely on the most comprehensive financial research tool on the market – Bloomberg. Give yourself a competitive advantage by learning the basics of how to navigate Bloomberg quickly and efficiently.

 

Introduction to Market Research

Thursday, September 22, 4:30-5:30pm

Tuesday, October 4, 12-1pm

Understanding the consumer is essential for any successful business. Market research encompasses a number of aspects critical to understanding the consumer, ranging from their demographic make-up to their attitudes and behavior regarding a product or service. This workshop will introduce attendees to the basics of market research, highlighting key concepts that dictate what information is available, and exposing attendees to Cornell’s top resources for discovering this information.

 

For the full listing of all Cornell University Library workshops, visit the CUL Workshops calendar.

Mann’s Graduate Study Area Gets an Upgrade!

Study pods, collaborative booths, private carrels, and much more!
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Soft seating and study pods in graduate study area

Mann Library’s refurbished graduate study area – which includes both the David R. Atkinson Graduate Student Study Room and the Joseph and Geraldine McManus Study Room – is located on the library’s 3rd floor. The renovation of this space was concluded in early 2020 and now provides furniture and technology conducive to a wide range of work styles. From private study pods and carrels, to counter-height open tables, to collaborative booths and docking stations, Mann has a variety of furniture options to meet the needs of graduate students. Graduate students can reserve desks and study seats ahead of time on the library’s Find a Space webpage: mann.library.cornell.edu/find-a-space.

 

In line with principles of user-centered design for library spaces, graduate students from across campus had a direct hand in shaping the area’s facilities upgrade, providing feedback via interviews and journey mapping exercises. In addition to the gratitude we owe to the students who provided this invaluable input, Mann gratefully acknowledges the gift that made this important renovation possible: a bequest from our generous friend, the late Mary A. Morrison (1921-2017), who was professor of nutritional sciences at Cornell from 1960 to 1988.

We also have lockers in the graduate study area that are available for loan by the semester – please inquire at our Help Desk. In addition to the graduate study area, we have five graduate study rooms elsewhere on the 3rd floor. These are individual study rooms that are reservable for up to 8 hours at a time and are limited to graduate students only. These can be reserved at spaces.library.cornell.edu/reserve/mann-grad-study.

 

Head up to the 3rd floor on your next visit to Mann Library and check out all the new study space options. Your new favorite study spot is waiting to be discovered!

Row of desks in graduate study area

New Mann Staff — Fall 2022

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Please join us in welcoming the newest Mann staff members who have started at the library within the last six months!

Photo of Diana

Diana Hackett, Digital Literacy Librarian

Diana joined the Mann Library Instruction team on April 11 as our Digital Literacy Librarian. She holds an M.A. in Library and Information Studies from University College London, and an M.A. and B.A. in English Literature, both from the University of Sheffield. Prior to joining Cornell University Library, Diana was most recently an academic librarian in the UK, where she worked for 3 years as an Assistant Librarian in a social sciences library at Nuffield College.

Photo of Ten

Ten Van Winkle, Multimedia Support Specialist

Ten started at Mann Library on June 2 as our Multimedia Support Specialist. Prior to joining Mann, Ten worked at the SC Johnson College Office of Diversity and Inclusion as their Office and Program Coordinator. Ten is also the chair of the Young Professionals Colleague Network Group (CNG) at Cornell. Previously, they worked as a Legal Assistant and Client Services Coordinator for a law firm and continue to work as a freelance art instructor in the Ithaca area. Ten graduated from Cornell with a B.S. in Communications (‘12).

Photo of Robin

Robin Gee, Critical Pedagogy & Equity Librarian

Robin started at Mann on August 15 as the Critical Pedagogy & Equity Librarian. This position is part of the Library’s first cluster hire in Critical Information Literacy as part of our efforts to foster collaboration across library instruction programs and build library-wide interest in critical information literacy. Robin comes to us from the University of Wisconsin-Madison where they recently completed their MLIS.

Mann Library Tours & New Student Welcome

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Mann Library Tour & New Student Welcome

Monday, August 15 – Wednesday, August 17, 12-2pm

Tours depart from the Mann Lobby every 30 minutes

 

Why do our students tell us that Albert R. Mann Library is their home away from home? Come to our tour to find out! Explore one of the country’s best library collections in life sciences, human ecology, and other related disciplines, and discover all the tools we offer. And don’t miss our door prizes—they’ll be fun and have good info for you too! Families are welcome. Tours run approx. 30 minutes and include a Q&A.

 

Didn’t register for a tour? No problem! Feel free to join us during any time slot that works for you. We look forward to meeting you!

Threading the Needle: Call for Fiber & Fashion Art

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The exhibit, Threading the Needle: Weaving Traditions into Contemporary Textile Art at Mann Library’s Gallery will present artists that blur the line between craft and art and turn traditionally feminine arts into visual storytelling by using combinations of stitching, quilting, embroidery, mending, remaking, refashioning, upcycling and other textile crafts.

 

Threading the Needle features pieces that draw on these traditional textile techniques, with a particular focus on the work of artists incorporating ideas of social and/or environmental sustainability and inclusive practices or themes. These contemporary pieces will be exhibited alongside selections from Cornell University Library’s Home Economics Archive: Research, Traditions, History (HEARTH) database as a means to connect current artwork to historical sources while reimagining those sources for the future.

 

Application Requirements

  • 2-5 example images of work and an accompanying one paragraph long statement about each piece. Submit at least one image for each piece, and not more than two. Images should be labeled as LastName_FirstName_Title.jpeg. (e.g. Smith_John_seaming.jpeg). Statements should be labeled LastName_FirstName_Title_Statement.jpeg.

If you are submitting one piece for consideration, two of the images should be of the piece you are submitting, others can reflect your overall work. Submit one statement.

 

If you are submitting multiple pieces for consideration, images should be of each piece you are submitting, and one statement should accompany each piece. Make clear which piece goes with which statement.

 

If you are submitting a series of work, images should be of all the pieces in that series. Submit one statement for the series.

 

NOTE: Depending on space availability and a desire to represent different artists it’s possible only one piece may be selected for display even when multiple pieces or a series are submitted.

 

  • Bio or CV
  • Submissions should be sent to: mann-public-ed-prog@cornell.edu
  • Artists who submit an entry and images to Cornell University Library agree to have images of their work appear on the website for the exhibit and programming materials.

Timeline

  • Application Deadline: September 30, 2022
  • Artist Notification: November 15, 2022
  • Submission must be received by January 6, 2023

Exhibit opening: March 2023

Data Literacy: Cultivating Skills to Engage with Data

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The ability to find, analyze and utilize existing data helps us interpret, engage with and critique the world around us. We are living in a time when our behaviors and actions are increasingly viewed as data points, and when recent court rulings and laws have ignited larger conversations about the ways in which the most personal of data might be utilized for prosecution. Data is valuable, and profitable, and can be illuminating. But data is also imperfect, and can be biased, and used as a weapon against vulnerable populations.

 

In this class, we will take a critical approach to learning about data literacy. Data literacy refers to the skills needed to find, read, curate, analyze, and communicate with data. This includes self-reported data (like demographics, hate crime statistics and responses within focus group), observational and trace data (like web searches and street traffic patterns), and experimental data (like health outcomes in vaccine clinical trials).

 

This 1-credit class aims to equip students from a variety of non-technical backgrounds with the necessary skills to think critically about quantitative and qualitative data. The class approaches data literacy as part of a broader process of inquiry into the world – not from a math or statistics-centric point of view. Students in this course will end the semester with a better understanding of the various ways that data is used- and perhaps in some cases, shouldn’t be used- to inform advocacy, science, civics, and policy.

 

Upon completing the course, students will be able to:

  1. Describe the strengths and limitations of the following data types: 1) self-reported data, 2) observational or trace data, and 3) experimental data.
  2. List at least two real-world examples that demonstrate the harmful consequences of “data-driven decision-making” and describe solutions to mitigate bias and harm within such decision-making.
  3. Identify three sources for locating open and reusable datasets and locate one dataset based on student interest.
  4. Apply FAIR data principles to evaluate a dataset.
  5. Utilize open-source, web-based tools for simple data cleanup & analysis.

ALS 1210 information and registration: bit.ly/als1210dataliteracy

Final Reminder! Submit your course reserves for the Fall 2022 semester

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Faculty and instructors, please submit your fall semester course reserves requests by Friday, August 5. Please see instructions for submitting requests: https://www.library.cornell.edu/services/reserves.      

 

Mann’s physical course reserves will again be held in a self-service model. Students can use materials in the library without checking them out. If desired, they may check out materials overnight. Multi-function printers/scanners are available in the library for scanning chapters at no charge.

 

Note that per our Copyright Office, if you are using streaming media for your course (films, tv shows, or music) the Media Digitization Request Form at olinuris.library.cornell.edu/digitization must be submitted or resubmitted each semester for each item and course, even if the form has been sent for an item/course in a previous semester. Due to ongoing high volume of submissions, we currently process media according to the “needed by” dates shown on the form.

 

We are also in the process of contacting departments to retrieve their personal/dept. copies of textbooks from the last few semesters. If you will be needing the materials to go on reserve again for fall, we can hold the books. Otherwise, we greatly appreciate your cooperation in returning your valuable books.

 

If you have any questions, please contact our course reserves coordinator, Wendy Thompson, at mann_reserve@cornell.edu or by phone at (607) 255-3296.

Summer Workshops @ the Library

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The hazy days of summer are upon us, and we hope everyone is able to enjoy some fun in the sun in the coming months! It’s also a great time to grow those valuable organizational and citation management skills with our Library summer workshops:

 

For the full listing of Cornell University Library workshops, visit: bit.ly/cul-workshops-summer22

 

Don’t see something you need? Complete our workshop request form to let us know if you need a specialized instruction session on additional topics such as business research (e.g. Bloomberg), specific databases (e.g. PubMed), data management tools (e.g. Open Science Framework, Excel), or design (e.g. Adobe products, poster design).