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Month: February

Create & Connect Fridays

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Need a creative break? Cornell University Library is pleased to announce a new Create & Connect Friday series hosted by Mann Library for the Cornell campus community.

 

On the third Friday of every month for the rest of the semester, from 2:00-4:00pm, you’ll find us in the CALS Zone. We’ll have supplies on hand for a variety of crafts and media (e.g. drawing, watercolors, felting and other textile arts, zine making, and more). For those who might be interested in a little how-to guidance, we’ll also have different kinds of expertise present at different sessions. Open to all Cornellians and all skill levels — from beginner to the seasoned artisan. Start a new project or bring your own!

 

For those interested in gaining new skills, expertise in various techniques will be offered as follows:

  • 20 Feltuary (err, February!): Needle felting, with Carson Williams
  • 20 March: Collages & zines, with Diana Hackett
  • 17 April: Textile arts for telling stories, with Gabby Evergreen

Drop in for some informal tips and guidance or bring your project ideas to make progress in a relaxed, convivial setting. We look forward to sharing some creative Friday afternoons with you this semester!

February Break Hours at Mann Library

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We’re sharing a little library love this February break 💛 Whether you’re spending the break catching up, getting ahead, or giving yourself a well-deserved pause, we hope you find time to rest and recharge.

 

If you choose to spend part of your break at the library, please note that Mann will have adjusted hours on the following days:

  • Friday, February 13: 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

  • Saturday, February 14: 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

  • Sunday, February 15: Closed

  • Monday, February 16 & Tuesday, February 17: 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

We’ll return to regular semester hours (8:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m.) on Wednesday, February 18.

 

However you spend the break, we’re here when you need us — and our online resources and research support are available 24/7. Information about off-campus access to library resources can be found here: https://www.library.cornell.edu/collections/off-campus-access/.

 

Wishing you a restful (and maybe even a little cozy) February break!

Love Data Week 2026

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February 9-13 is Love Data Week, an international celebration of all things data! The Library and Cornell Data Services will be hosting campus-wide informational events focused on data discovery, access, management, analysis, sharing, and preservation. This year’s Love Data Week theme is “Where’s the Data?” – a way to get people thinking about data’s journey from collection through storage and preservation.

 

Panel Event: Where’s the Data? Navigating the Data Sharing and Repository Landscape

February 11, 12:00pm – 1:30pm | Mann Library Room 102
Join us for a discussion about sharing open and reproducible data in celebration of Love Data Week. Funders and publishers require data to be publicly accessible, but researchers often face challenges in finding appropriate places to share data and prepare it for long-term access and reuse. To help you navigate these challenges, panelists from different scientific fields will present on their research and experiences with publishing data in public repositories. The panel will also discuss data sharing and reproducibility, data sharing mandates, the role of data curation, and FAIR data and open science. Register here.

 

Information Tabling

Consultants from Cornell Data Services and representatives from the Roper Center for Public Opinion Research will be tabling and distributing data swag, resources, and information. Find us on the following days and locations:

  • February 9, 12:00pm – 2:00pm | Mann Library Lobby | Featuring free ORCID tune-ups!
  • February 10, 12:00pm – 2:00pm | Fine Arts Library (Rand Hall) | Featuring interactive data visualizations!
  • February 12, 12:00pm – 2:00pm | Clark Hall | Featuring consultants and swag from Cornell Center for Social Sciences!

For full event descriptions see the Love Data Week 2026 page.

Spring 2026 Chats in the Stacks

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Our Chats in the Stacks book talk series returns this spring with a new line-up of Cornell authors whose work spans psychology, food systems, and the natural world. All our book talks start at 4:30pm and are held in-person in Mann Library Room 160 as well as livestreamed.

 

You can find all recordings of our past Chats in the Stacks on our YouTube channel. All events are free and open to the public. Registration details and additional information are available through the individual event listings linked below.

 

Thursday, March 5

Critical Thinking Across Disciplines

Critical thinking is essential for understanding and addressing serious challenges of our world – from tackling poverty and climate change to grappling with the ethical uses of generative AI. But critical thinking, as a learned skill and practice, also needs to be better studied and understood. Join us for this Chats in the Stacks book talk with Robert Sternberg, professor of psychology in Cornell’s College of Human Ecology, who co-edited the two-volume work Critical Thinking Across Disciplines (Palgrave Press, 2025) with Weihua Niu, professor of psychology at Pace University’s Dyson College of Arts and Sciences. Sternberg will discuss a multidisciplinary approach to teaching critical thinking in classroom settings and the importance of bringing together experts from fields such as psychology, philosophy, education, and creativity studies to better understand the theoretical foundations of critical thinking and promote its application in everyday life.

 

Thursday, March 26
Wasted Potential: Tackling Food Loss and Waste Across Transforming Food Systems
Wasted Potential: Tackling Food Loss and Waste Across Transforming Food Systems provides an evidence-based framework for addressing food loss and waste as a means to improve access to healthy diets. This open access book examines how food systems reforms can support progress toward Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 12 – “responsible consumption and production” – by reducing food loss and waste in support of sustainable, safe, and nutritious diets across countries at different stages of structural transformation. Authors Dr. Jocelyn Boiteau (Tata-Cornell Institute) and Dr. Prahbu Pingali (Tata-Cornell Institute / Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management / Global Development) outline a policy agenda that builds demand for diverse, nutritious foods to incentivize food loss and waste reduction while balancing food security, environmental sustainability, and socioeconomic welfare.

 

Thursday, April 9

Near the Forest, By the Lake: Discovering Nature Close to Home

Near the Forest, By the Lake (Cornell University Press) is a personal exploration of the wonders of the natural world close to home. In this collection of essays, Angela E. Douglas (Entomology) reflects on the lives and habits of plants, birds, insects, and other creatures inhabiting the landscapes of upstate New York. Some essays focus on individual species – from salamanders migrating in early spring and butterflies of summer to goldenrods in the fall and ducks gathering on winter lakes – while others explore enduring natural mysteries, such as why certain birds sing in autumn or how turtles survive winter in ice-sealed ponds. Throughout the book, Douglas weaves in the inescapable imprint of human activity on the natural world, reminding readers that even the most familiar environments can offer moments of discovery and wonder.

Exhibit Opening and Talk: Invasive Species in the Northeast

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Join us for the opening of Invasive Species: A Collaborative Exhibit in Mann Library! The opening events will start with a talk in Mann room 160 followed immediately by a reception in Mann Gallery on the second floor.

4-5 PM: Talk in Mann Library Room 160

Hemlock Woolly Adelgid and Other Forest Threats: Engaging Science and Art to Meet the Challenge

Exhibit lecture by Grace Haynes (New York State Hemlock Initiative), with Johannes Lehmann (Liberty Hyde Bailey Professor, School of Integrative Plant Science, Soil and Crop Sciences Section & The Soil Factory); Zoom available.

 

Invasive pests are a growing threat to the health of forests both in the American Northeast and other regions of the world. How can we address this critical problem effectively? In a talk presented in conjunction with the opening of Mann’s newest Gallery exhibit, “Invasive Species: A Collaborative Exhibit,” Grace Haynes of the New York State Hemlock Initiative (NYSHI) will give an overview of what is currently known about key invasive forest insect pests in the northeastern United States, focusing primarily on the devastating hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA) and its impact on our native hemlock forests. NYSHI has spent many years investigating the management of HWA, and there are important insights to share from this frontier in science. Communication and human imagination also have key roles to play in finding solutions, and Cornell professor of soil science Johannes Lehmann, a founding member of the vibrant art, science and sustainability collaboration space known as The Soil Factory in Ithaca, N.Y., will provide remarks that reflect on the new perspectives and fresh ways of engaging that emerge where science and the fine arts meet.

 

To attend this lecture virtually, please register here: bit.ly/3CZfpx9

5-6 PM: Reception in the Mann Gallery, Second Floor

5:15-5:30: Remarks by the contributing artists, Hovey Brock and students from Earth Projects (ENVS 3200) taught by Anna Davidson (Natural Resources & the Environment). Brock will comment on the importance of the arts as a communication tool for social engagement on the climate crisis.

 

This event is free and open to all. Refreshments will be served.

Library Hours for February Break

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We hope everyone is staying warm and safe during this chilly February break! We wish you some much needed rest and relaxation, and if you do end up spending some of your break at the library, please note that Mann Library will have adjusted hours from Friday, February 14 through Monday, February 17.

 

  • Friday, February 14, 8am to 5pm
  • Saturday, February 15, 1 to 5pm
  • Sunday, February 15, CLOSED
  • Monday, February 17, 8am to 5pm

We will returned to our regular semester hours on Tuesday, February 18. You can always find our most up-to-date hours information on our hours page: mann.library.cornell.edu/full-hours. And you can find hours for all campus library locations on the Cornell University Library site: library.cornell.edu/libraries/

Love Data Week 2025

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Spring 2025 Chats in the Stacks

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We’re excited to announce the schedule for Mann Library’s spring semester book talks! All our Chats in the Stacks book talks will start at 4:30pm and will be held in-person in Mann Library Room 160 as well as livestreamed. You can find all recordings of our past Chats in the Stacks on our YouTube channel. 

 

Thursday, February 20, 4:30pm

Mann Library, Room 160 and livestreamed

Biochar for Environmental Management: Science, Technology and Implementation

What is the importance of biochar to the health of the environment and what impact can a book about the topic have on the way soils are managed in the 21st century? In a live, hybrid Chats in the Stacks book talk, Cornell professor of soil and crop sciences Johannes Lehmann will address both questions as he discusses “Biochar for Environmental Management: Science, Technology and Implementation,” co-edited with fellow leading figure in the field, Stephen Joseph, professor of material science and engineering at the University of New South Wales. Now in its third edition (Routledge, 2024), “Biochar” is a systematic, comprehensive, and global examination of using black carbon produced from biomass sources to both improve soil health and sequester carbon. Lehmann will discuss lessons learned from publishing the book’s  third edition, and touch on general recommendations for considering book publications for research. 

 

Thursday, March 27, 4:30pm

Mann Library, Room 160 and livestreamed

George Masa: A Life Reimagined

Japanese-born photographer George Masa adopted Southern Appalachia as his home. Through his advocacy, dedication, and stunning photography, he helped ensure that large portions of the Great Smoky mountains would become a national park. Similarly, Masa labored long and hard to scout and mark the southern portion of the Appalachian Trail through the Smokies while inspiring others with his quips, “more walk, less talk” and “off your seats and on your feets.” Join us for a live, hybrid Chats in the Stacks book talk with Janet McCue, Associate University Librarian Emerita, for an exploration of George Masa: A Life Reimagined (Smokies Life, 2024) the first comprehensive biography of Masa, which McCue coauthored with documentary filmmaker Paul Bonesteel.

 

Thursday, April 24, 4:30pm

Mann Library, Room 160 and livestreamed

Community Development and Schools: Conflict, Power and Promise

Schools hold promise and potential as critical community-development actors, but they face many challenges, according to Mildred Warner, Director of the Polson Institute for Global Development and professor in City and Regional Planning and the Department of Global Development. Join us for a live, hybrid Chats in the Stacks book talk with Warner on her recent publication Community Development and Schools: Conflict, Power and Promise (Routledge, 2024) coedited with Jason Reece and Xue Zhang.

Sustainable Agriculture Student Film Series

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Last semester, students in Professor Matt Ryan’s class Soil & Crop Sciences class, PLSCS 1900 “Sustainable Agriculture: Food, Farming, and the Future” created short documentaries addressing a topic of their choice, related to sustainable agriculture. Robin Gee and Ten van Winkle from Mann Library worked with the class by teaching workshops on videography skills – which included planning and storyboarding, producing video and audio, and using video editing software to create their final films, as well as the basics of copyright and fair use, and use of creative commons licenses. Students are encouraged to upload their films to Cornell eCommons, sharing a unique piece of scholarship with the Cornell community and beyond. 

 

At the end of the semester, the class gathered in Mann Library to enjoy popcorn and watch each other’s films. Each students’ film is judged by their classmates and instructors on quality, clarity of message, and creativity. Here are the top films from Fall 2023. The rest of the films from last semester, and many previous fall semesters, can be viewed on eCommons.  

 

Blooms of Doom: Unraveling the Mystery of Harmful Blue-Green Algae 

The Organic Revolution: Cultivating a Chemical-Free Future 

Oko Farms: Sustainable Agriculture in Practice 

Sustainable Agriculture at our Fingertips 

Dilmun Hill 

Sheer Sustainability 

Waves of Moo 

If you are interested in developing a similar multimedia project for your class, you can request assistance from our instruction team by filling out the instruction request form.

Spring 2024 Chats in the Stacks

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We’re pleased to share the line up of our spring semester book talks! This semester includes a talk by the 2023 Dean’s Fellow Kathleen McCormick, doctoral student in Psychology. All book talks will be held in-person in Mann Library Room 160 and livestreamed, and will start at 4:30pm. You can find all recordings of our past Chats in the Stacks on our YouTube channel. 

 

Thursday, March 28, 4:30pm

Mann Library, Room 160 and livestreamed

Growing Pains: The History of Human Development and The Future of The Field

In a 2003 interview psychologist Eleanor Gibson reflected on her long and celebrated career at Cornell, and her first years on campus, stating “When I first went to Cornell, Cornell University did not hire women” (Szokolszky, 2003). But Dr. Gibson was wrong. Across campus women worked as researchers and professors in the College of Home Economics, conducting interdisciplinary work designed to improve the lives of individuals and communities around them. This work went on to transform the field of psychology and the methods and theoretical orientation of developmental science. Join us for Growing Pains: The History of Human Development and The Future of The Field by 2023 Dean’s Fellow Kathleen McCormick, doctoral student in Psychology. In this talk McCormick will explore the history of human development and home economics, and the ways the field shaped and was shaped by the political environment of the postwar period.

 

Thursday, April 11, 4:30pm

Mann Library, Room 160 and livestreamed

The Consciousness Revolutions: From Amoeba Awareness to Human Emancipation

How it is that we share some aspects of consciousness with bacteria? How can consciousness arise in artificial machines? And what does consciousness have to do with our survival in the face of the unfolding climate catastrophe? These, and many other fundamental questions about consciousness, are explored in Shimon Edelman’s new book The Consciousness Revolutions: From Amoeba Awareness to Human Emancipation (Springer Nature, 2023). Edelman, professor in the Department of Psychology, will discuss how consciousness is fundamentally a kind of computation and how through the understanding of human consciousness we can develop better insights into the nature of our lived experience, our problems, our social dynamics, and our shared future.  

 

Thursday, April 18, 4:30pm

Mann Library, Room 160 and livestreamed

Alien Earths: The New Science of Planet Hunting in the Cosmos

Join us in-person or virtually for a live book talk with Lisa Kaltenegger, associate professor in Astronomy and founding director of Cornell University’s Carl Sagan Institute, discussing her new book Alien Earths: The New Science of Planet Hunting in the Cosmos (Macmillan Publishers, 2024). This talk is co-hosted by Mann Library and the Math Library. 

 

CANCELLED Thursday, May 2, 4:30pm

Mann Library, Room 160 and livestreamed

Wildlife Disease and Health in Conservation

Most existing and emerging infectious diseases have their origin in animal populations. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic the need to understand the cause and impacts of wildlife diseases, as well as how to manage them, has only become increasingly salient. Join us for a live, hybrid book talk with Robin Radcliffe, associate professor of practice in Wildlife and Conservation Medicine in the Veterinary School, and David Jessup, former senior wildlife veterinarian of the California Department of Fish and Game and former executive manager of the Wildlife Disease Association, for a discussion of their new coedited volume Wildlife Disease and Health in Conservation (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2023).