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Fall 2023 Course Reserves at Mann Library

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Attention faculty and instructors! Did you miss the August 7th deadline for course reserves? You’re not too late! If you want to provide your students access to library materials for the 2023 Fall semester, please submit your requests by Monday, August 14. 

  • Electronic resources, including textual and media materials, can be made available via your Canvas course
  • Physical materials will be available for self-service at Mann Library. Materials are for in-library use with overnight checkout possible within 2 hours of closing
  • If you are using required textbooks for undergraduates through the bookstore’s CAMP program, we can place those titles on Course Reserves for students who opt out of CAMP
  • If items you want to use are not placed on reserve early, then students as well as patrons of Borrow Direct and Interlibrary Loan will be able to borrow the holdings from our collection
  • If you choose to have departmental copies of books on reserve, we ask that you arrange to have the books taken back to your department at the end of the semester

We’ve made some changes for streaming media—you have a couple of options for submitting course reserves media requests:

  1. You can submit item requests via the Library Reserves section of your course’s Canvas page, making sure to specify that you need streaming access (where available), or
  2. You may send us a list or syllabus at culmediareserves@cornell.edu, ideally including all of the following information:
    • Course number, including any cross-listed courses
    • Section number, if applicable to differentiate from other sections
    • SIS ID, which can be found in the Settings section of your course’s Canvas page
    • The date(s) when the material will be used in your course

If you have any questions, please contact us via email at mann_reserve@cornell.edu. It’s helpful to include the class number in correspondence. For streaming media questions, please contact culmediareserves@cornell.edu.

Summer Break Recommendations

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We asked and you answered! During spring semester study week, we asked you to share your recommendations for books and podcasts to enjoy over summer break, and we got some excellent suggestions. No matter what genre you prefer, there’s a little something for everyone on these lists! Below is the full list of books and podcasts suggested by your fellow students, organized by category for easy browsing. If you’re in Ithaca this summer, swing by the library to check them out (or use Borrow Direct and Interlibrary Loan to obtain them from a partner library).

 

If you’re home for the summer, you can still enjoy access to the library! OverDrive allows current Cornell students, faculty, and staff to check out and download e-books and audiobooks. There are multiple options for accessing e-books and audiobooks via OverDrive:

  • Install the Libby app to download books to a computer, phone, or other device.
  • Read or listen online directly through your computer browser with OverDrive Read.
  • Use your Amazon account and either a Kindle device or app to download Kindle formats.

In addition to Cornell’s OverDrive offerings you can sign up for a Tompkins County Public Library Card to take advantage of their collection. New York State residents may also apply for a New York Public Library Card and/or a Brooklyn Public Library Card to access their OverDrive content as well as other online resources.

 

Enjoy your summer and happy reading/listening!

Book Recommendations

Cartoon of rainbow and clouds, with text: Swoon-worthy Romance
Cartoon image of cloud in starry sky, with text: Take me somewhere new
Cartoon image of clouds and rainbow, with text: I'm not done learning
Cartoon image of cloud in starry sky, with text: I like pictures with my words

Podcast Recommendations

Cartoon image of cloud with rainbow, with text: Keep me informed
Cartoon image of cloud in starry sky, with text: Armchair Investigations

Reunion 2023 @ Mann Library

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Welcome (back), Cornell alumni and families! We are excited for a great weekend on campus, and hope you’ll join us at the library for a variety of family-friendly programming. Enjoy self-guided tours of our spaces and exhibits; view a selection of treasures from our special collections vault; and learn how to make natural dyes with everyday materials you have at home. And if that isn’t enough, we are also hosting the inaugural reunion lecture with Elaine Westbrooks, the Carl A. Kroch University Librarian, on why democracies need libraries.

Events – Saturday, June 10

Mann Library Open House

Cornell students have described Mann Library as the “the best place to discover 10 million new ideas,” and alumni on campus for Reunion 2023 are cordially invited to come learn why. Sun-dappled study corners, flexible hi-tech collaborative spaces, rich collections, rare book treasures, engaging exhibits that celebrate science and art, room to think and explore—you’ll find it all right here. Family friendly and interactive—join us!

10am – 2pm

 

Natural Dye Demo

Fiber artist Marcie Farwell, who also serves as the Gordon and Marjorie Osborne Textile Industry Curator at the Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation, will present a special demonstration of techniques and materials used for coloring textiles with natural dyes. Please join us for a closer look at one of the ways fiber and textile craft can tick both boxes as expressive art and practical science, with positive implications for planet Earth to boot!

11:30am – 2pm, 2nd Floor

 

Inaugural Reunion Lecture with the University Librarian: “On This Rock: Why Democracies Need Libraries”

In a time of intense political polarization, libraries in every state are facing an unprecedented number of attempts to ban books. Yet the Pew Charitable Trust has documented that Americans have consistently put their trust in libraries more than other institutions. Carl A. Kroch University Librarian Elaine Westbrooks will discuss how research libraries promote and sustain democratic activities by highlighting the role Cornell’s librarians play in providing citizenship education, stewarding facts, and building pluralistic and diverse communities—activities that fundamentally make our democracy more secure and stable for future generations.

2 – 3pm, Stern Seminar Room (Mann 160)

Exhibits – ongoing

Threading the Needle: Weaving Tradition into Contemporary Textile Art

Using needle and thread, warp and weft, 28 artists explore the meaning and self-expression behind textile creation to envision a future of textiles and “slow fashion” that brings storytelling back into the conversation and our own relationship with the textiles in our lives.

Mann Library Gallery, 2nd Floor

 

Sustaining Style: Towards Responsible Fashion

Booming fast fashion has made stylish clothing more affordable than ever before, but costs to the environment have been high. “Sustaining Style” explores ideas and innovations being investigated here at Cornell University and beyond to realize a more sustainable way of producing and using the clothes we wear.

Mann Library Lobby, 1st Floor

Announcing our 2023 Elevator Art Contest Winners!

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Cornell University Library’s annual Elevator Art Contest gives Cornell undergraduate, graduate, or professional school students the chance to showcase their creative talents. Our theme and prompt for the 2023 competition is “backstory,” which Merriam-Webster dictionary defines as “a story that tells what led up to the main story or plot (as of a film).” What backstory has defined your life, or what backstory reveals an important aspect of the world? Selected artwork is featured on the elevators in both Mann and Olin Libraries. Please read on to learn more about the winning Mann entries!

Image of artwork "Julie Baby" on Mann elevator

Akhil Kang ’25, College of Arts and Sciences

An anthropologist and a human rights lawyer by training, Akhil’s art practice imagines queer folks living uninhibited, free lives. They work mostly with charcoal, and mixed mediums including oil pastels, acrylic colors and torn pieces of fabric. They have been neglected, denied, violated, rejected because of them being a dalit, so in their art – they use their queerness to imagine a carefree dalit-queerness.

 

Julie Baby

“I was inspired by my two friends who tried to recreate their first date (which was in the city of Bangalore) on my home’s balcony in Delhi, India. This balcony date occurred a few weeks before the devastating second COVID wave in Delhi in 2021. Most public places had been ordered shut by the government, and my friends were meeting after more than a year of being apart. I held on to this moment throughout the monstrous second wave to remind myself that touch survives and thrives despite all the loss in the world around us. I stumbled upon my friends’ intimate moment and almost felt like I was part of their backstory, too: their story of love, of desire, of longing, and of touch. I mostly work with charcoal and mixed mediums, including soft pastels, watercolor pencils, and torn pieces of fabric. In this piece, I used charcoal and chikan fabric (a type of cloth famously made in the city of Lucknow in North India).”

Image of Converge artwork on Mann elevator

Charlotte Tysall ’26, College of Arts and Sciences

I’m studying Biological Sciences in the college of Arts and Sciences and I’m working on a minor in Fine Arts. As of right now, I’m planning on concentrating in ecology and evolutionary biology, and I’ll be doing research this summer here at Cornell in this field. I’ll be going into my second year in the fall. In my freshman year, I was involved in Cornell Running Club which has become one of my favorite parts of school. Mann Library is one of my favorite places to work because of the scientific illustrations and plants you can see everywhere.

 

Converge

“At Cornell, you can talk to anyone and realize immediately how different your backstories can be. We’re all from different places, with different interests and beliefs. We’ve been through different struggles, and yet we’ve all ended up here. I think it’s great how we’re all united through our ability to come together through shared desires to learn and work hard despite our diverse range of “backstories,” and I illustrated this idea by relating it to a concept I had learned in my biology class: convergent evolution. It’s what happens when organisms with entirely different ancestors, traits, environments, etc., are faced with similar selective pressures that causes them to evolve the same types of morphological structures. Just like how we as students and faculty of Cornell differ greatly in our backgrounds, the organisms in the piece have entirely different niches, yet they’ve all developed some form of wings so that they have the ability to fly. Placing these different-colored and different-looking species together (scaled to roughly the same size) was my way of showing how things can end up in the same place when they all work towards a similar goal, just like we do at Cornell.”

 

Congratulations, Cornell grads!

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From all your friends at Mann Library, a hearty congratulations to the Cornell graduating class of 2023! We hope you have a wonderful time during the weekend’s festivities and have the chance to celebrate this incredible milestone with your friends and family.

 

A friendly reminder that Mann Library be closed over Memorial Weekend. We will close at 5pm on Friday, May 26 and will reopen on Tuesday, May 30 at 8am. You can find our full summer hours on our hours page.

 

If you need to return library books while we’re closed, please use our book drop in the breezeway between Mann Library and the Plant Sciences building. For more information on returning library materials, visit our Borrow, Return, Renew page.

May Stressbusters @ Mann

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The end of the academic year is right around the corner, and Mann Library is here to help students across that finish line! After Slope Day, when your studying kicks into high gear, stop by Mann and take advantage of our variety of study spaces, fuel up at the Mann Café, and be sure to check out some of our stressbusters when you need a breather!

 

Fiber Arts Stressbuster @ Mann: Stamping with natural materials

Friday, May 12, 11am – 2pm (Tsujimoto Family Plaza, Ag Quad)

Take a break from your books and computers with Mann’s fiber arts & sustainable fashion-themed spring stressbuster! Materials provided for creating hand-stamped bandanas or giving your old clothes some pizzaz with new design features. Bandanas provided or bring your own t-shirts & jeans. Plus, refreshments and lawn games! 

 

Cornell Companions Visit

Monday, May 15, 5pm (1st floor of Mann)

Mark your calendars! Some furry friends will be stopping by Mann Library for cuddles and cuteness on Monday, May 15 at 5pm. Come say hello and boost your serotonin with some help from the cutest study coaches around!

 

Fiber Arts Stressbuster @ Mann: Stitching & Tea

Tuesday, May 16, 3-5pm (Mann 102)

Drop in to try your hand in the old art of hand-stitching and a look at some fun resources for boosting your skills in embroidery and visible mending. We’re no experts ourselves, but we’re game to try some stitchwork while enjoying afternoon tea with you!  Materials provided for basic stitching practice. Plus, refreshments!

 

Clothing Exchange, in collaboration with Cornell Thrift

Available through September 15 (Mann Lobby)

Take what you need and leave what you don’t at the exchange station in the Mann lobby, every day during Mann’s normal hours of operation.

 

Late-Night Hours

Mann Library has extended hours during study week and finals. From Wednesday, May 10 through Thursday, May 18, Mann Library will have the following hours:

  • Monday – Thursday        8am to midnight
  • Friday                                   8am to 8pm
  • Saturday                             11am to 8pm
  • Sunday                                Noon to midnight

Night owls – don’t forget that the CALSZone (in Mann 112) is a 24/7 study space! So even after the library closes, you still have a cozy place to study into the wee hours.

 

See our full hours online: mann.library.cornell.edu/full-hours. You can find the hours for the Mann Café, or order online, via the Cornell Dining website.

CALS Student Advising Spaces Opens at Mann Library

Photo by Simon Wheeler
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In response to student requests for a more centralized, accessible space for academic and career advising, community building, and well-being events, the CALS Office of Student Services and Mann Library collaborated to create the CALSZone, a new CALS student community space housed in Mann Library Room 112, off the lobby. After a soft launch in February of this year, the space officially opened with a grand opening celebration on March 9.

 

Students looking for support will find a wide-range of advising services in the CALSZone. From global experiences, to academic guidance and tutoring, to registrar advising (including degree progress and graduation requirement reviews ), to career advising. If you have a question about academic policies, want to learn more about studying abroad, need tutoring help, or just want someone to look over your resume before that big interview, you’ll be able to find answers in the CALSZone!

 

To find more information on weekly programming in the CALS Zone, visit: cals.cornell.edu/undergraduate-students/cals-student-services/cals-zone

 

The CALSZone will also offer coffee, tea, and snacks a few times per week, thanks to a partnership with Cornell Dining. Group meeting spaces and individual study spots are available for student use. To help alleviate student stress, wellness activities will be hosted in the space in addition to academic and career advising services. The space remains open 24/7 for group and individual study, as well as contactless pick-up, book returns, and printing services.

 

There are more programming and events planned for the CALSZone, including Alumni Career Chats and Employer Meet & Greets, so stay tuned and check the space often for information on upcoming programs!

Earth Month @ Mann Library

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April is Sustainable Fashion Month at Mann Library, and we have a variety of events and exhibits focused on textiles, fashion, and sustainability happening all month long!

 

Tuesday, April 11, 4pm

Mann Library, Room 102

Threads: Sustaining India’s Textile Traditions. The Cornell and Ithaca area public are warmly invited to a screening of a documentary film co-directed by professor of communication Katherine Sender. Threads: Sustaining India’s Textile Tradition follows the stories of fashion designers and fabric artisans as they transform traditional textile practices for contemporary fashion markets. The screening will be followed by a Q&A discussion with Professor Sender.

 

Thursday, April 13, 11am to 3pm

Mann Library Lobby

Clothing Exchange with Cornell Thrift and  Epsilon Eta. Cornell Thrift, Epsilon Eta, and Mann Library are partnering to hold a clothing exchange in the Mann lobby that that can spruce up your wardrobe and help you put sustainable fashion into practice. Come get FREE thrifted items and donate any clothes you may not want anymore (but please note: donations are optional and not required to take clothes!). This event is free and open to all Cornell students and staff. 

 

Friday, April 14, 12-2pm

Mann Library, Room 102

Sew Creative: Hands-on Workshop in Basic Stitching (registration required). Interested in trying your hand at some fiber arts but don’t have a sewing machine? No problem! Learn the basics of hand stitching in this in-person workshop. You will learn the running stitch, back stitch, invisible (hem) stitch, blanket stitch, and chain stitch. We will also discuss applications for each. No prior sewing experience is required. Materials for the class will be provided. 

 

These events are happening in conjunction with Mann’s spring 2023 exhibits, “Threading the Needle: Weaving Traditions into Contemporary Textile Art” (Mann Gallery) and “Sustaining Style: Towards Responsible Fashion” (Mann Lobby). These exhibits are part of Cornell University Library’s Threads of History: Textiles Across Cornell programming occurring across campus in 2022/2023.

Spring 2023 Exhibits & Events

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Save the date! An opening reception for Mann Library’s spring 2023 exhibits will take place in the Mann Library Gallery on Thursday, March 23, at 4:30 pm (remarks to start at 4:45pm). Come find out about and explore our new installations that celebrate the fiber arts and highlight efforts being made towards sustainable fashion.

 

Threading the Needle: Weaving Traditions into Contemporary Textile Art

Mann Gallery, 2nd Floor

Using needle and thread, warp and weft, 28 artists mend and explore the meaning and self-expression behind textile creation and envision a future of textiles and “slow fashion” that brings storytelling back into the conversation and back into our own relationship with the textiles in our lives.  

 

Sustaining Style: Towards Responsible Fashion

Mann Lobby

Booming fast fashion has made stylish clothing more affordable than ever before, but costs to industry workers and the natural environment have been serious. Issues include rising global carbon emissions, microplastic pollution of the world’s oceans, and widespread pesticide use, to name just a few. “Sustaining Style” explores ideas and innovations being investigated here at Cornell University and around the world to realize a more sustainable way of producing and consuming fashion.

 

Mann Library is pleased to present “Threading the Needle” and “Sustaining Fashion” as part of the Threads of History: Textiles Across Cornell programming occurring on the Cornell campus in 2022/2023. Other exhibits and events taking place at Mann Library as part of this programming include:

Your Art, Our Elevators! 2023 Elevator Art Contest at Mann & Olin Libraries

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Cornell University Library is calling for submissions of original artwork to adorn the first-floor elevator doors in Mann Library and Olin Library. Winners will each also receive a Cornell Store prize, valued at $100 (with gift receipt).

 

Our theme and prompt this year is “backstory,” which Merriam-Webster dictionary defines as “a story that tells what led up to the main story or plot (as of a film).” What backstory has defined your life, or what backstory reveals an important aspect of the world?

 

Entries will be judged both by visual appeal and by how creatively they’ve explored the prompt. Winning artworks will be installed starting in April 2023.

 

Who’s eligible: Currently enrolled undergraduate, graduate, or professional school students at Cornell.

Deadline: 11:59 p.m., E.T., March 14, 2023. The winners will be chosen by March 20.

How to submit: Use the submission form below to provide basic information about you and a paragraph describing how your entry supports the theme. Upload a high-resolution, digital file of your artwork. You must also attest that your work (including all images contained in it) is original and solely made and owned by you. Any inaccurate information could disqualify your submission. Multiple submissions are allowed.

Image file requirements and recommendations:

  • File name must include your NetID, for example “cd58_TitleOfWork.jpg”.
  • Final size of decal is 88 inches high x 42 inches wide (split down the middle to allow doors to open).
  • Portrait orientation works best.
  • File format must be vector (e.g. PDF, EPS, AI or SVG), or high-resolution raster, larger than 20MB (e.g. JPEG, TIFF, PSD).

If your image is a photograph, please provide the location where your photograph was taken (city, country, and landmark). Consideration will be given, in part, to the location where the photograph was taken and any legal restrictions on the use of images of individuals from that location.

 

Submit your entry!