Dear Faculty, Graduate Students and Staff,

I hope this message finds you well. Here are just a few updates for today.

Connection in the time of Coronavirus

Wendy Wolford, Cornell’s vice provost for international affairs, and her office have issued a global call “for stories of caring and compassion.” They are seeking positive, short submissions from across the Cornell community that show compassion, caring and connection during the coronavirus pandemic.

Library Update

Cornell University Library is online and ready to help you as you move your classes to an online environment. A great way to bring the Library and its collections, research support, and expertise into your Canvas classroom is through an online research guide. These can cover a subject, a course, or a topic; customize the research resources you would like your students to use for your course or assignment; and support your students’ remote learning experience. These guides can also be integrated into Canvas. I would be happy to work with you to create a guide designed specifically for your course. And please use the course reserve request link below to let us know about your needs: we are working to provide electronic access to as much reserves content as possible.

With no staff on site there is currently no access to library spaces or physical collections. Please make use of the following alternatives:

  • Access to our extensive online collections: https://library.cornell.edu; use Passkey to get through the paywalls
  • Place an online purchase request and we will order what you need, including eBooks to supplement print copies we already hold. With the libraries physically closed, and staff working remotely, we are continuing to place orders for e-books through the online purchase request form.  Romance Studies requests may also be sent directly to Sarah How.  For the time being, we are not ordering print books, and we have paused book approval plan shipments from European (and other) vendors including Casalini Libri and Amalivre. Many vendors in Europe and North America are making content free for the duration of our confinement; we will be assessing which are relevant and useful for the Cornell community, and determining how to share knowledge of these resources.
  • Place a course reserve request
  • Request an online library instruction session and consult about redesigning research assignments for the online environment
  • Library Support for Remote Teaching guide – expanding daily, and includes a wealth of material on electronic resources, open educational resources, and other instruction aids
  • Schedule a Zoom meeting with a librarian
  • Real-time assistance from our Virtual reference staff
  • Email questions to our Ask a Librarian service
  • Consult our COVID-19 & Copyright at Cornell guide

The Center for Teaching Innovation also has a number of resources that can prepare you for alternative course delivery. The Library is partnering on their online drop in sessions. Cornell University’s “Information for Faculty” FAQs may also be helpful.

The Copyright Information Center has published guidance on ways you may incorporate copyrighted works into virtual teaching during the COVID-19 public health emergency. To learn more about the ability to use licensed works and rely on fair use to scan and incorporate a broader-than-normal range of copyrighted works into course material during this emergency, please visit https://copyright.cornell.edu/covid.

We will continue to provide library updates from our COVID-19 page. Any time you have questions about library services and collections, please ask us for assistance!

Stay well, stay strong and stay in touch,

Mary Beth