Join us on Sunday, December 15th at 10 pm for our biannual Late Night Pizza Study Break in Olin Library. The event will occur in the Olin Library Lobby until all the slices are gone.
Extended Weekend Hours at Olin & Uris Libraries for Final Exams
Olin and Uris Libraries will have extended hours for Finals week. Olin Library will be open until midnight on Friday, December 13th, and Saturday, December 14th. Uris Library (main building) will be open until 11 p.m. those nights as well. Uris Library’s 24/7 spaces will remain open throughout the exam period until 6 p.m. on Saturday, December 21st.
More details on hours and services at Olin & Uris Libraries can be found on this page.
Too Crowded in Olin?
If you’re struggling to find space to study in Olin Library due to the first-floor construction project, you may have better luck in Uris Library. While you’ll have to move quick to get a seat in the A.D. White Library or the Cocktail lounge, there may be seats in the Kinkeldey Room on the third floor, the Dean and Willis rooms on the main floor, or the Fiske classroom aka “the fishbowl” on the gallery level.
If you’re still looking for a new space during the busy finals season, other libraries on central campus, such as the Music Library in Lincoln Hall or the Math Library in Mallott, might have your perfect finals week study sanctuary.
Good luck with your finals, and remember if you need help: Ask a Librarian!
It’s a Breeze! Contactless Pickup to Olin Now Available.
With Olin Library’s first floor renovations taking shape, we’re excited to introduce a new contactless pickup location. When requesting items from the catalog you can now choose to have them delivered to “Contactless Pickup – Olin Library”.
How Does it Work?
Once your item has been brought to Olin, it will be placed on the Contactless Pickup shelves on Olin’s first floor. The Contactless Pickup shelves are located on the south wall just past the Walk-In Reference room.
(View from the Information Desk)
When the item is ready, you’ll receive an email saying that you can pick it up off the shelves. Items are bound with a slip of paper that has your name on it for easy identification.
Your orders are already checked out in your name, so it’s grab and go!
Have questions about the process? Stop by the Information Desk!
(The contactless pickup shelves)
Citation Styles
After seven years, the Chicago Manual of Style has a new edition and a new look. The 18th edition has been updated to answer your Chicago Style citation questions — for instance, now write french fries instead of French fries — and published with a bright yellow cover. While we’re still waiting for our two new paper copies to arrive in Olin Library, the updated Chicago Manual of Style Online is available to you with your NetID and password.
We receive many questions about citation styles this time of year at Olin Library. In addition to this online guide on Citation Styles: Handbooks, Resources, and Guides, library workers at Walk-in Reference are available seven days a week to help, with no appointment needed. Connect over email, chat, or with a scheduled appointment with the Library’s Ask a Librarian service, or register for Use Zotero Effectively on September 27 and learn how to use this free research tool to create properly formatted citations in your papers.
Find Your Next Summer Read at Olin Library
Summer is the perfect time to pick up a new book. What better place to find your next literary adventure than at the library!
At Olin Library, our New & Noteworthy collection features a curated selection of recently published titles that are sure to pique your interest and keep you turning pages all summer long. If you don’t find exactly what you’re looking for in our collection, you can also order books for free through interlibrary loan.
To give you a few ideas, we’ve asked our library staff to share what they’re reading this Summer.
Here are a few of their top picks:
Hannah’s Pick: A House with Good Bones by T. Kingfisher
” I’m a huge horror fan and I love super spooky stories, but when I’m in the mood for something that’s a little less intense, I like reading horror authors who also write stories with a little humor and fun stuff thrown in the mix! One of my favorite contemporary horror authors, T. Kingfisher, has a perfect summer book that fits this vibe! A House with Good Bones is a Southern Gothic novel about a young woman named Sam (a researcher who studies bugs at archaeology sites, very cool and random) who returns to the NC town where she grew up to check in with her mom, who seems to be acting “off.” During her stay, Sam begins to discover something is seriously amiss in the house where she grew up, and some bad vibes, dark family history, and WITCH stuff slowly starts to unfold! The story also has a lot of humor, excellent character development, and is the perfect atmospheric summer book to read on a hot day, sitting on the front porch or in a hammock in the backyard! We have a copy in Olin Library, and the audio book is available on Libby at TCPL!”
Emma’s Pick: The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros
“I read this last summer with a friend for our book club, and I thought it was beautifully written and does a great job at examining race, gender, and the pains of growing up — all in the form of vignettes. Because it’s a short book, it’s also easier to get into if you’re someone who has trouble reading physical books! Patrons can get a copy at the Flower-Sprecher Veterinary Library, or through interlibrary loan.”
Jess’s Pick: Mother Tongue: The Surprising History of Women’s Words by Jenni Nuttall
“Written by a professor who taught the history of the English language at Oxford University, this book is a fascinating, historical investigation of feminist language and thought, spanning from the inception of Old English to contemporary times. I haven’t been able to put it down! You can get this gem at Olin Library or through interlibrary loan.”
Leah’s Pick: Funny Story by Emily Henry
“Funny Story is available in both ebook and downloadable audiobook formats through Cornell’s Libby collection. What’s not to love in this funny romance featuring a librarian in a wine country near the Great Lakes?”
Lynn’s Pick: In Ascension by Martin MacInnes
“If you like Science Fiction and, really, even if you don’t, this book is amazing. On the New & Noteworthy shelves.”
Virginia’s Pick: The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra by Vaseem Khan
“Charming, entertaining mystery set in contemporary Mumbai with a baby elephant.”
Visit Olin Library today and let us help you find your next favorite book. Happy reading!
5/28 Olin Basement Restroom Closure
Reposted from the Cornell University Library Space Projects blog.
Beginning Tuesday, May 28, the large multi-user and single-user restrooms in the Olin Library basement will be taken offline for a much-needed renewal. This work will happen over the summer, and all 3 restrooms are anticipated to reopen by the beginning of the fall semester.
Please note that there are accessible public restrooms available on the adjacent Olin Library 2nd floor, Kroch Library 1st floor, and Uris Library 1st floor.
Late Night Pizza at Olin Library & Fuel Your Finals Prep
Join us on Sunday, May 12th at 10 pm for our biannual Late Night Pizza Study Break in Olin Library. The event will take place in the Olin Library Lobby until all the slices are gone.
On Tuesday, May 14th library staff will be on Ho Plaza between Olin & Uris Libraries handing out granola bars & fruit snacks from 8:30 am until 10:00 am. In the event of rain, we will hand the snacks out in the Olin Lobby and Uris Library Tower Room.
Stop by on your way to your exam or study space and pick up a free treat!
Slope Day 2024 and Olin & Uris Libraries
Slope Day is Wednesday, May 8th.
Uris Library, including the Cocktail Lounge, will close at 8:00 am on May 8 and will reopen at 8:00 am on Thursday, May 9. Contactless pickup at the Tower Entrance will remain open 24/7 with your Cornell ID.
Olin Library will be open from 8:00 am-6:00 pm but will be exit only from 12pm-6pm. If you are studying in Olin Library prior to 12:00 pm, you will be able to remain as late as 6:00 pm, but if you leave after noon on Slope Day, you will be unable to re-enter.
The Amit Bhatia Libe Café will be open from 8:00 am to 12:00 pm on Slope Day.
We hope you will be outside enjoying the concert and taking a break before finals, but if study space is what you need, other campus libraries farther away from Libe Slope will have quiet space for you.
Right to Read Readathon Schedule
Right to Read: Readathon – Friday, April 26, 2024
A readathon—from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., at Mann Library—kicks off the “Right to Read” daylong celebration, with excerpts from banned and challenged books read aloud by students, staff, and faculty members.
Come join us! You’re welcome to sit and listen to the whole readathon or to come and go as you please. We’ll also have free copies of a few banned and challenged books for you to take home!
Here are the list of readers and their chosen books:
9:00-9:15 AM Marla Love, Dean of Students
Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
9:15-9:30 AM Ryan Lombardi, Vice President for Student & Campus Life
9:30-9:45 AM Alexander Colvin, Dean, ILR School; Professor of Conflict Resolution
Nickel and Dimed: on (not) Getting by in America by Barbara Ehrenreich
9:45-10:00 AM Kendra Bischoff, Associate Professor, Department of Sociology
And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson
10:00-10:10 AM Elizabeth Hays, Executive Assistant to the Provost
The Color Purple by Alice Walker
10:10-10:15 AM Amy Escalante, Undergraduate, Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management
The Hate You Give by Angie Thomas
10:15-10:30 AM Mary Pat Brady, Professor, Department of Literatures of English
Juliet Takes a Breath by Gabby Rivera
10:30-10:45 AM Steven Jackson, Vice Provost for Academic Innovation; Professor, Information Science & Science & Technology Studies
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
10:45-11:00 AM Monica Yant Kinney, Associate Vice President for Communications
The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
11:00-11:15 AM Sofia Gil, Undergraduate, Computer Science
Looking for Alaska by John Green
11:15-11:25 AM Caroline Apodaca, Undergraduate, ILR School
Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman
11:25-11:30 AM Lucia Caravella, Undergraduate, ILR School
Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell
11:30-11:45 AM Mike Kotlikoff, Provost; Professor of Molecular Physiology
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
11:45 AM-Noon Rachel Dunifon, Dean, College of Human Ecology; Professor, Department of Psychology & School of Public Policy
Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Blume
Noon-12:15 PM Kathryn Boor, Dean, Graduate School; Professor, Food Science & Department of Global Development
Anne Frank: Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
12:15-12:30 PM Matthew Kibbee, Evidence Synthesis Coordinator, Cornell University Library
Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
12:30-12:45 PM Poppy McLeod, Professor, Department of Communication
The Holy Bible
12:45-1:00 PM Colleen Barry, Dean, Brooks School of Public Policy
The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger
1:00-1:15 PM Patricia Abraham, Africana Librarian
Kaffir Boy by Mark Mathabane
1:15-1:30 PM Ravi Ramakrishna, Professor, Department of Mathematics
Savage Inqualities by Jonathan Kozol
1:30-1:45 PM Brian Arnold, Indonesian Cataloger, Cornell University Library
Beloved by Toni Morrison
1:45-2:00 PM Kofi Acree, Director, Clarke Africana Library; Curator, Africana Collections
The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin
2:00-2:15 PM Willow Lewis, Undergraduate, Earth & Atmospheric Sciences
The Giver by Lois Lowry
2:15-2:30 PM Elaine Westbrooks, Carl A. Kroch University Librarian, Cornell University Library
The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
Right to Read Day of Celebration
Readathon
Over the past year, the number of challenged library books has surged across the United States. Cornell University Library invites the campus community to special events on April 26, titled “Right to Read,” to honor and promote diversity of thought and expression found in books of all kinds.
A readathon—from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., at Mann Library—kicks off the “Right to Read” daylong celebration, featuring excerpts from banned and challenged books, selected and read aloud by students, staff, and faculty members. Audience members are welcome to sit and listen to the whole readathon or to come and go as they please. A selection of banned books will be on hand for attendees to take home for free.
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 from 3-4 p.m. in Mann Library 160, 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
A reception from 4:00 to 5:30 p.m. in the Mann Library Gallery immediately follows this conversation.
Please contact Wendy Wilcox at ww83@cornell.edu if you would like to participate in the Readathon.