Libraries and Hours Ask a Librarian

Mann Library

Closed - Full Hours /
Lobby/Contactless Pickup: Open 24 Hours

Month: April

Finals Focus Returns to Mann and Olin Libraries This Spring

Posted on

As final projects, papers, and exams ramp up, Cornell University Library is once again offering Finals Focus: Settle In & Study, structured study sessions designed to help students stay productive, supported, and energized during one of the busiest weeks of the semester.

 

Hosted in partnership with the Learning Strategies Center and the Knight Writing Centers, Finals Focus combines focused Pomodoro-style study blocks with intentional breaks to help participants maintain momentum without burning out. Throughout each three-hour session, students can access on-the-spot support for writing, study strategies, and research help from tutors, writing instructors,  and librarians.

 

This semester, students can choose from two sessions:

Mann Library
Thursday, May 7, 1–4pm
Mann Room 160
Register here: https://spaces.library.cornell.edu/event/16696017

 

Olin Library
Friday, May 8, 9 am–12 pm
Olin Room 108
Register here: https://spaces.library.cornell.edu/event/16696693

 

Both sessions will include snacks and beverages, creating a welcoming, supportive environment where students can settle in, stay motivated, and make meaningful progress on final assignments.

 

Students are welcome to register for either session – or both!

Sustainable Honors Thesis Symposium Showcases Student Research

Posted on

Mann Library will host the Sustainable Honors Thesis Symposium on Friday, April 24, from 1:00–4:00pm in Mann Room 102. The event will feature Cornell seniors presenting their honors thesis research on sustainability, climate, and environmental issues.

 

Join us for an engaging afternoon of student scholarship, highlighting innovative research and creative approaches to some of today’s most pressing ecological challenges. Attendees will have the opportunity to learn from and connect with student researchers as they share the results of their work.

 

The symposium is organized by Eco Artivism, whose leadership has made this event possible. Light refreshments will be provided, and all are welcome.

“From the Brink” Exhibits Opening & Reception

Posted on
Join us for the opening celebration of Cornell University Library’s From the Brink exhibitions at Mann Library Thursday, April 16, 4:00–6:00pm

Let’s celebrate the opening of Cornell University Library’s From the Brink exhibitions at Mann Library on Thursday, April 16: 
At 4:00pm, in Mann 160, Cornell Lab of Ornithology researcher Jordan Boersma will deliver the talk, “Finding Hope in the Search for Lost Birds.” Boersma has more than a decade of experience in New Guinea, where he works with local communities and Indigenous knowledge keepers to better understand and conserve understudied bird taxa. A contributing scientist in the global Search for Lost Birds project, he will highlight recent insights gained from partnerships between Indigenous communities and scientists to find and protect birds previously believed to be extinct.

At 5:00pm, Mann Library Gallery will host a reception with remarks by Mike Webster, a professor in the Department of Neurobiology and Behavior in the College of Arts and Sciences, and director of the Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, the world’s premiere collection of media capturing the behaviors of wild birds and other animals.

This event is free and open to all! This program is part of From the Brink: Contributions to a Sustainable Future from across Cornell, a series of exhibits hosted by different libraries across Cornell University Library in partnership with other departments and groups on campus.

Art + Feminism 2026 at Cornell University Library

Posted on

Cornell University Library invites the campus and local community to participate in Art + Feminism 2026, part of a global Wikimedia initiative to address information gaps on Wikipedia and Wikidata. This year, in addition to opportunities to edit Wikipedia, Cornell University Library is hosting a panel discussion about this year’s theme — We need feminist data to tell feminist stories. Help close the gender gap on Wikipedia!

 

Event Schedule

Join us to learn, collaborate, and contribute to a more equitable and representative digital knowledge landscape.

End-of-Semester Hours at Mann Library

Posted on

As the semester winds down, we want to share some important information about Mann Library hours. Earlier in the semester, we reduced our operating hours due to the hiring pause that is in effect at the University through June 30, 2025. We know that this change has been challenging for many of our patrons, and we appreciate the patience and understanding from the campus community during this period.

 

Fortunately, we will be able to offer some extended hours towards the end of the semester and during finals/study week. Our hours over the next few weeks will be as follows:

 

  • Sunday, April 27, 12pm – 10pm
  • Sunday, May 4, 10am – 10pm
  • Monday, May 5, 8am – 10pm
  • Tuesday, May 6 and Wednesday, May 7, 8am – 8pm
  • Thursday, May 8, 8am – 11pm
  • Friday, May 9, 8am – 10pm
  • Saturday, May 10 and Sunday, May 11, 10am – 10pm
  • Monday, May 12 through Wednesday, May 14, 8am – 11pm
  • Thursday, May 15, 8am – 8pm
  • Friday, May 16, 8am – 6pm
  • Saturday, May 17, 12pm – 6pm
  • Sunday, May 18, CLOSED

For the most complete and up-to-date information about our hours over the next few weeks, please visit our full hours page. As a reminder, we also have multiple 24/7 study spaces available to members of the Cornell community, including the Mann Lobby, Stone Computer Classroom (Mann 103), and the CALS Zone (Mann 112). To see the hours for all Cornell libraries, visit library.cornell.edu/libraries/.

 

If you have any questions or concerns about our hours, please contact Dr. Ye Li, Director of Science & Agriculture Libraries, at yl3932@cornell.edu.

Climate Change & Food Info Fair

This exhibit is the result of a collaboration between Prof. Emertius Michael Hoffman, students from "Using the Power of Food to Confront Climate Change" and Mann Library, and is made possible by funding from the Bondareff Family Fund for Mann Library.
Posted on

Climate Change & Food Info Fair

Tuesday, April 22, 11am to 2pm

Mann Lobby

 

Food is essential for life, it is emotive, it is personal, and it is deeply embedded in our cultures and family histories. With climate change affecting the flavors, aromas, nutritional quality, and prices of the foods we love and need, food has unique power to tell a compelling story that makes climate change relevant to everyone. 
 
In celebration of Earth Day 2025 and in conjunction with Mann Library’s new exhibit, “The Power of Food: Confronting Climate Change One Meal at a Time,” Mann Library and participants of the class “Using the Power of Food to Confront Climate Change” will be hosting a Climate Change and Food info fest in the library lobby. The event will provide opportunity for the Cornell community to engage with student groups, programs, and departments working on issues of food and farming in an era of climate change in a hands-on exploration of how the changing climate is affecting what we eat—and of what we all can do to help keep the foods we love on the menu. All are welcome!

Right to Read April 26

Posted on

Cornell University Library invites the campus community to a series of special events titled “Right to Read,” to honor and promote diversity of thought and expression found in books of all kinds.

 

Friday, April 26, 9am to 2:30pm

Right to Read: Readathon

Mann Library, 1st Floor

The readathon will feature excerpts from banned and challenged books, selected and read aloud by students, staff, and faculty members. A selection of banned books will be on hand for attendees to take home, for free. Stop by to listen anytime throughout the day!

 

Friday, April 26, 3 to 5:30pm

Right to Read: A Conversation and Reception

Books of all kinds stimulate the imagination, enrich the mind, and provide insights into our complex world. And yet, there is a growing list of books continually being challenged and banned in schools and libraries across the U.S. In addition, nowhere is censorship more restrictive than in prisons, where books and other educational resources are direly needed for building meaningful lives and preparing for re-entry into civic life. As PEN America stated in a recent report, “carceral censorship is the most pervasive form of censorship in the United States.”

 

Join us for this conversation about how schools, libraries, and prisons are affected by censorship and how these institutions are providing access to books as wellsprings of knowledge, experiences, and perspectives. Our guest speakers include:

  • Rob Scott, executive director of the Cornell Prison Education Program and an adjunct associate professor in the Department of Global Development, Cornell University

  • Leslie Tabor, director of Tompkins County Public Library

  • Elaine L. Westbrooks, Carl A. Kroch University Librarian, Cornell University

Can’t be there in person? Register for the livestream and enjoy the Right to Read Conversation in real-time!

 

A reception from 4:00 to 5:30 p.m. in the Mann Library Gallery immediately follows this conversation.

 

Advancing the university’s “Freedom of Expression” theme year, these free public events are part of Cornell University Library “Right to Read” festivities throughout the day, which also includes a readathon.

The Nature-Study Idea by Liberty Hyde Bailey: Panel Discussion & Book Celebration

Posted on

In The Nature-Study Idea, Liberty Hyde Bailey articulated the essence of a social movement, led by ordinary public-school teachers, that lifted education out of the classroom and placed it into firsthand contact with the natural world. The aim was simple but revolutionary: sympathy with nature to increase the joy of living and foster stewardship of the earth.

 

With this definitive edition, John Linstrom reintroduces The Nature-Study Idea as an environmental classic for our time. It provides historical context through a wealth of related writings, and introductory essays relate Bailey’s vision to current work in education and the intersection of climate change and culture. In this period of planetary turmoil, Bailey’s ambition to cultivate wonder (in adults as well as children) and lead readers back into the natural world is more important than ever.

 

In commemoration of Earth Week 2024, please join us for a panel discussion and celebration of this ground-breaking book with: 

  • John Linstrom, editor of The Nature-Study Idea and Related Writings, Series Editor of The Liberty Hyde Bailey Library, and Fellow in Climate Humanities and Social Justice at the Climate Museum
  • Alexa Maille, panelist – Interim NYS 4-H Youth Development Program Leader for the Bronfenbrenner Center for Translational Research and Cornell Cooperative Extension
  • Christa Núñez, panelist – Founder and Director of The Learning Farm and of Khuba International, and Doctoral Student in Development Studies at Cornell University
  •  Scott Peters, panel moderator – Professor of Global Development at Cornell University and coauthor of In the Struggle: Scholars and the Fight against Industrial Agribusiness in California.

This event is co-sponsored by the College of Agriculture & Life Sciences, the College of Human Ecology, the Bronfenbrenner Center for Translational Research, Cornell Cooperative Extension, the Department of Global Development, the Department of Natural Resources and the Environment, the Cornell Botanic Gardens, Marvin Pritts, and Mann Library. 

2024 Art + Feminism Wikipedia Edit-a-thon

Posted on

Join Cornell University Library and the Tompkins County Public Library for the 2024 Art + Feminism Wikipedia Edit-a-thon on Friday, April 19!

This year, our theme is Solidarity, with a focus on artists/art/art movements affected or displaced by violence. We’ll be meeting up in person on Friday, April 19, from 10am to 5pm in Olin Library room 703, and from 3pm to 6pm at the Tompkins County Public Library (Makerspace/Digital Lab). You can pitch in for just half an hour or the whole day, by writing an entry, adding a footnote, translating text, uploading images, or by looking up information for others.

Everyone is welcome—no matter your gender and regardless of experience with editing. Unfamiliar with Wikipedia and Wikidata? We’ll walk you through the editing process. If you already have collectives, groups, artists, writers, or performers in mind (whether cis, transgender, or non-binary), great! If you don’t, just pick from our list. 

Never edited Wikipedia or Wikidata before? See the following guide for resources to help you learn: guides.library.cornell.edu/artandfeminism/howtoedit. 

All are welcome. In addition to Wikipedia editing, have fun with other creative activities–zine-making, button-making, and coloring.  

Register for the edit-a-thon here!

*This event is co-sponsored by the Africana Studies and Research Center, American Studies Program, Department of Art, Feminist, Gender and Sexuality Studies Program, Gender Equity Resource Center, Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, Department of History of Art and Visual Studies, Department of Human Centered Design, Department of Literatures in English, Latin American and Caribbean Studies Program, Media Studies Program, Department of Romance Studies, and the Society for the Humanities.

CALS Student Advising Spaces Opens at Mann Library

Photo by Simon Wheeler
Posted on

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!