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Month: February

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. 

 

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).  

Spring 2024 Library Workshops

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Find your way with library workshops! Our spring semester workshops will help you gain valuable research skills and set you on the right path. In addition to the live workshops listed below, we also have a wide selection of pre-recorded workshops – including citation management software and research data management options – listed on our Workshops page. And be sure to check out our new workshop offerings, including the weekly Data & Donuts discussion series, and Communicating Your Research Through Comics!

NEW! Data & Donuts
Become a better data steward with Cornell Data Services! Join us for a weekly informal discussion series to work our way through the data lifecycle over donuts. From the planning stages of a research project, through closeout and data archiving, we will discuss best practices and point to resources on campus and beyond. There will be time for open conversation, questions, skill-building, and troubleshooting.

  • Spring semester 2024 | Thursdays 9:30-10:30am | Mann Library Rm 100
  • For all levels and disciplines; attend all or a few
  • Register to receive reminders at bit.ly/cudatadonuts

Introduction to Bloomberg
This is one of the best financial databases available and is widely used by finance and investment professionals. From company information to analyst advice, to mergers and acquisitions, few resources have either the range or depth of information of Bloomberg. Give yourself an edge in the job search by learning to use this powerful and sophisticated research tool.

NEW! Love Public Health Data
Thursday, February 15, 9:15-9:45am
Introduction to three high quality, less-commonly known public health data resources (including social and structural determinants of health): NaNDA, County Health Rankings & Roadmaps, and Health Evidence. This is a hybrid workshop; please note that in-person attendees must have pre-existing card access to the CVM building.

PubMed Workshop
Thursday, February 29, 12-12:30pm
Whether you are new to using PubMed, need a refresher, or looking to improve your use of PubMed, this workshop is for you! We will start with the basics and then move into advanced search techniques to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of your PubMed searches. This is a hybrid workshop; please note that in-person attendees must have pre-existing card access to the CVM building.

Introduction to Market Research
Tuesday, March 5, 5-6pm
Understanding the consumer is essential for any successful business. Market research encompasses several 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.

Zotero 101
Thursday, March 14, 12:30-1pm
Come and see why everyone is talking about how Zotero simplifies the research and writing process! Please create a free Zotero account and download both the desktop program and the Zotero connector (all free at Zotero.org) if you would like to follow along. This is a hybrid workshop; please note that in-person attendees must have pre-existing card access to the CVM building.

Intro to QGIS

Thursday, March 21, 2:30-4:30pm
This workshop will cover basic tasks using QGIS: loading data, changing the styles used to display the data on a map, installing plugins, using processing tools to do basic analysis, and exporting a finished map image.

Note: The Windows computers in Mann Library already have QGIS installed, but if you would like to use your own computer, please install QGIS on your computer **before** the workshop. QGIS is a free and open source geographic information system that runs on Windows, Mac, and Linux: qgis.org/

 

NEW! Communicating Your Research Through Comics
Wednesday, March 27, 4:30-5:30pm
Looking for a fun and unique way to communicate your research? Come and learn how to use comics to visually communicate scientific information – for conference posters, papers, and more. This is open to all skill levels, no experience drawing or graphics programs necessary!

Black Plant Scientists: A Traveling Exhibit from the Plant Cell Atlas (PCA) Initiative

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This February, the Center for Research on Programmable Plant Systems (CROPPS) and Mann Library are hosting a month-long exhibit recognizing ground-breaking discoveries made by four Black pioneers in the study of plants and human well-being. The Cornell and Ithaca-area communities are cordially invited to browse a display created by artist Maxwell Eckelbarger and the non-profit Plant Cell Atlas Initiative featuring portraits and biographies of Marie Clark Taylor (plant photomorphogenesis); George Washington Carver (peanut-soybean-sweet potato crop rotation for improved soil and human health); Edmond Albius (vanilla orchid pollination); Percy Lavon Julian (synthesis of medicine from plants). The display will be viewable February 1 – 29 on Mann Library’s first floor.

 

An opening reception for the exhibit will take place in the Mann Library lobby on Friday, February 2, 2024, 11am – 2pm. Please join us for the opening festivities to view the display, celebrate, and learn more about BIPOC engagement at the frontiers of work in the life sciences, here at Cornell and beyond. 

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!

Spring 2023 Workshops @ Mann Library

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Check out our spring semester workshop schedule and learn about all the ways you can level up your research skills! Click the links below to register for these in-person workshops. To see the full list of Cornell University Library spring semester workshops, visit bit.ly/workshops-cul.

 

And be sure to check out our Workshops page for our full listing of pre-recorded 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.

 

Writing a Data Management and Sharing Plan for Grant Applications

Tuesday, February 14, 12-1pm

Stone Classroom, Mann 103

This class covers the basics of writing a successful data management and sharing plan for federal funding agencies such as the NEH, NSF, NIH, NASA, and others. Attendees will learn about the different requirements funding agencies have for your research data as well as how to best meet those obligations within your lab or research group.

 

 

CANCELLED—Introduction to Bloomberg

Wednesday, February 15, 4:30-5:30pm

Stone Classroom, Mann 103

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

Tuesday, February 28, 4:30-5:30pm

Stone Classroom, Mann 103

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.

 

Introduction to Bloomberg

Tuesday, March 7, 12-1pm

Stone Classroom, Mann 103

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.

 

Sew Creative: Hands-on workshop in the techniques of basic stitching

Friday, April 14, 12-2pm

Mann 102

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.  (This workshop is being offered in conjunction with the exhibit “Threading the Needle: Weaving Traditions into Contemporary Textile Art” on display in the Mann Gallery through August 2023.)

Who’s your Valentine? Try Mann’s book matchmaking service to find out!

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Looking for love this Valentine’s Day? Let Mann Library’s matchmaking service help you meet the book of your dreams!

 

From Monday, February 6 through Tuesday, February 14, we’ll be matching book lovers with a “blind date” selected from our Edith A. Ellis Collection. This collection is full of popular nonfiction titles on topics ranging from people and planet, food and fiber, town and country, home and cosmos, and much, much more!

 

Just fill out a short dating profile and let us do the rest! You’ll be notified by email when your match is ready and waiting to be picked up at the Mann Library Help Desk. Not feeling the vibe? That’s OK – we can take your “date” back if it’s not love at first sight!

 

You can also explore the Ellis Collection on your own, online at bit.ly/mann-ellis-collection or in-person on the 1st floor of Mann, near the library entrance.

Mann Welcomes New Staff Members

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You may have seen some new faces (under those masks) at the library recently, so let us introduce our newest team members who joined Mann over the past six months!

Staff profile picture of Yue Hao

Yue Hao, Evening & Weekend Supervisor

Yue joined the Mann Library team in September 2021. Prior to coming to Mann, Yue worked at Ithaca College Library as an evening and weekend supervisor, gaining experience in access services and student supervision. She has a Bachelor of Education in Physical Education from Beijing Sport University. Her other professional experiences range from supervising a team of students volunteering at the Summer Olympics in Beijing in 2008, to helping with the creation of a webpage for East Asia Scholars at the Cornell Kroch Asia Library.

Peggy Tully, Gallery & Outreach Spaces Coordinator

Peggy was hired as our interim Gallery & Outreach Spaces Coordinator in September 2021. She has a Masters in Landscape Architecture from Cornell, and recently worked with Ithaca Neighborhood Housing Services. As a research fellow with Syracuse University’s School of Architecture, she managed the production of a design book series and a large group exhibit focused on sustainable, affordable housing and land use for underserved populations in the Syracuse metro area. Since 2007, Peggy has also been an active partner in an Ithaca-based environmental and cultural landscape design practice.

Picture of Natasha Bishop

Natasha Bishop, Information & Public Services Assistant

Natasha joins us from the Arnot Art Museum in Elmira, NY where she has been responsible for planning exhibits, leading accessibility and inclusive design initiatives, and building partnerships with community members and artists. Prior to working at the museum, Natasha was a special collections reference assistant and research assistant for the Syracuse University Libraries. She has MA in History of Art from Syracuse University.

Photo of Liam Murphy

Liam Murphy, Information & Public Services Assistant

Liam comes to us from across campus where they worked at Olin Library as a Senior Circulation Assistant. Liam has worked as a teaching assistant in Cornell’s Anthropology department, a lab assistant in a Cornell Archaeology lab, a Public Program and Exhibits Coordinator for an Indiana University Archaeology Lab, and a museum educator. Liam holds an M.S. in Anthropology, and a Professional Certificate in Museum Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Photo of Carson Williams

Carson Williams, Collection Development Librarian

Carson served as Youth Services Librarian at the Thomas Branigan Memorial Library in Las Cruces, New Mexico and was previously the Adult Services Librarian at Benson Memorial Library in Titusville, PA. In both libraries Carson did collection development work and ensured that the collections were as diverse and inclusive as possible through data-driven diversity audits. While earning his MLIS at Clarion University of Pennsylvania, Carson gained a great deal of real-world social sciences experience while working in a psychiatric hospital. Carson has presented on LGBTQIA+ representation in collection development and has published in Library Journal.

Library Update Round 2 (For our now Somewhat-More-Normal Spring 2022 Semester)

A student descends the staircase of Mann Library.
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Yay!  With the COVID/Omicron infection rate at Cornell being held at manageable levels to help ensure the safety of the vulnerable members of our community, we’ve made it back to in-person classes on campus. Well done, friends! Below, a quick update on what this means for Mann Library services and spaces.

 

First we’ll start off with what hasn’t changed: 

  • Approved masks must be worn at all times when inside our library building. What are approved masks you ask? Find those important details here: bit.ly/Cornell-approved-masks
  • Our policy on no eating and drinking inside the library policy continues until further notice. Food and beverages are restricted to the Mann lobby and the Mann Café only.

So, what is different for the rest of the semester? 

  • We are returning to normal semester hours, which is to say 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, 8:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. Fridays, 12:00 – 6:00 p.m. Saturdays, and 12:00 – 10:00 p.m. Sundays. For full hours info on all campus libraries, see library.cornell.edu/full-hours
  • The Mann Library building is back to being open to all visitors. You no longer need to swipe your Cornell ID card at our front doors to gain access to the library.
  • Seminar and meeting rooms—Mann 102 and Mann 100—as well as the Stone Computer Classroom are open for reservations again. We welcome campus group meetings, seminars, and special instruction sessions in those spaces.  Links to reservation requests for these different rooms can be found here: library.cornell.edu/find-a-space
  • The Mann Lobby is a designated eating area on the Ag Quad, and café tables and chairs will return to that space as of Monday, Feb. 7. Enjoy…..and many thanks to all of you working so hard to stay healthy and safe with your community!

Spring Workshops @ Mann Library

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With the spring semester well underway, it’s time to think about building those research skills, and what better way than by exploring our wide selection of pre-recorded workshops? Visit our Workshops page for our 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. Check out these workshops at a time and place that’s most convenient for you!

 

And be sure to check out our live workshops this semester, which are being offered in a hybrid format:

 

Making Scientific Posters with Illustrator (2-part series)

  • Tuesday, February 22, 4:30 – 6pm
  • Tuesday, March 1, 4:30 – 6pm

Intro to QGIS

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

 

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).