As we enter into study week and finals frenzy begins, many Cornellians will spend their last days of this fall semester camped out in the library. The University’s library system has grown from one library housed in two rooms of Morrill Hall at the time of Cornell’s founding, to over 20 libraries located in New York State and Doha, Qatar today. Since we’re about to spend countless hours studying in the library (as my friend Robyn aptly pointed out, Cornell libraries are open later than Ithaca bars), perhaps our time spent studying will feel homier if we know a little of the history behind a few of Cornell’s major libraries.
Uris Library
University Library, a gift from Henry Sage, opened its doors to Cornellians in 1891. Later, co-founder A.D. White would remark it was “the best academic library built.” Arguably Cornell’s most aesthetically pleasing library (there’s little competition from its neighbor across the sidewalk), University Library was designed by William Henry Miller. Also the architect for White’s house and other structures in Ithaca, Miller was Cornell’s first architecture student in the 1870s, though he never obtained a degree.
Willard Fiske, Cornell’s first University Librarian, was instrumental in ensuring that Miller’s purposefully open design of the library did not go to waste. According to the library’s website, undergraduates, graduates and faculty all had access to the library — a unique, though not unprecedented, system. Despite the fact that the library’s collection was open for use inside the building, no one was permitted to check out books until 1908.
In 1962, University Library was named after Harold Uris ’25. Also at this time, Uris Library became the official undergraduate library and graduates moved to Olin Library, which opened in 1961. At Uris today, you’ll find students hard at work in the Fish Bowl, reading (or napping) in the Cocktail Lounge and trying to find a place to plug in their laptop in one of the rooms that has not yet entered the age of technology.
Fun Fact: There are five rooms in Uris Library named for former University Librarians: Fiske, Harris, Austen, Kinkeldey and Willis. Can you find these rooms?
Present Perk: Featured in Newsweek when the magazine dubbed our fine institution “Hottest Ivy,” the A.D. White Library (housed within Uris) really does make you feel like you’re in the Ivy League.
Olin Library
When construction began on Olin Library in the late 1950s, it was not without controversy. For the much-needed expansion of Cornell’s library system to take place, the University demolished another one of Architect Miller’s buildings: Boardman Hall. Prior to moving to Myron Taylor, the law school occupied a more central location in Boardman Hall. Built in 1892, pictures offer proof that this building was truly magnificent. Sadly, all that remains of it today are a few stone faces that project out of Olin’s north wall.
After chatting with Lance Heidig, a reference librarian in Olin, I learned that Olin’s famous stacks were closed to undergraduates until the early 1990s. If undergrads wanted to check out a book from the stacks, they would have to wait patiently while a librarian retrieved it for them. Ever notice the large board of light-up numbers above the circulation desk? This board was an early paging system; students received a number for their stack request and when the request was ready to be picked up, their number would illuminate. As you search for books for your final papers next week, be thankful that not only can you look up the call-number online, but that you can also enter the stacks to retrieve books at your convenience.
Fun Fact: As University Librarian, Stephen McCarthy honored his predecessors by naming rooms after them in Uris Library. Instead of a room that contains a historical collection or study space, like those named after other librarians, McCarthy’s room is home to Libe Café.
Present Perk: The facetime at Libe Café is like nowhere else on campus. But beware —your five minute coffee break may turn into one that is hours long.
Mann Library
Given to the University by New York State, Mann Library opened in 1952. Before Mann was built, the Colleges of Human Ecology (then Home Economics) and Agriculture and Life Sciences were forced to find homes for their collections in closets and offices scattered throughout the Ag Quad and Martha van Rensselaer Hall. To show their appreciation of the welcome addition to the library system, the colleges named the building after Albert R. Mann, a CALS dean who had been instrumental in the creation of the library.
The plans for Mann Library were actually drawn by State Architect for New York, Cornelius White, in the late 1930s. Yet construction on Mann did not begin until 1949 due to the Great Depression and World War II. Since the middle of the 20th century is not known for its stunning architecture, the University should be thankful that Mann Library was built in the Art Deco style that dominated the 1920s and 1930s. Today, the newly renovated Mann has ample study space, many computer labs and a great view of Beebe Lake.
Fun Fact: According to Mann Library’s website, in Mann’s early days, requests for books in the stacks were sent through pneumatic tubes — a state-of-the-art system during the early 1950s, and still used in banks today.
Present Perk: Tired of the coffee and carbs Libe and Tower Cafés have to offer? Try a mint mocha grasshopper and a tofu scramble at Manndible Café instead.
So as you hunker down to study these next two weeks, remember the words of A.D. White: “The library is the heart of the university, ‘the culmination of all.’” Good luck to everyone on their finals!
Special thanks to Olin reference librarian Lance Heidig and Mann reference librarians Michael Cook and John Diver for helping me with my research for this column.
Sarah Olesiuk is a senior in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. She can be contacted at solesiuk@cornellsun.com [1]. Archive This! appears alternate Fridays.
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[1] mailto:solesiuk@cornellsun.com