Cornell's Mann Library was planned in the late 1930's but did not actually open until 1952 due to WWII delays. As one of Cornell's twenty campus libraries, Mann primarily services the College of Agriculture nd Life Sciences and the College of Human Ecology. Cornell University's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and College of Human Ecology.The library has gone through a few of renovations, but the new Mann that re-opened its doors in 2007 fulfills both the historic architectural requirements at Cornell, while creating a contemporary use of space and technology to serve today's faculty and students.
The goal of library staff in the re-design was to make Mann an attractive central meeting place for all Cornell students. This was accomplished by adding new collaborative study spaces, an atrium, which serves as a central gathering spot for study and discussion and a new cafe. The cafe was a top priority to provide an 'eco-friendly' place to grab locally baked pastries, espressos and coffees, salads and sandwiches.
Theresa Wells, evening supervisor at Mann, expressed the central study place theme in comments to the Cornell Sun. “We hope that Mann becomes a central place for students from all across Cornell,” said Theresa Wells ’92, the evening supervisor at Mann. “To me it feels like a family unit. That is what we hope for: that Mann will feel like a community center where students can study, rather than just a library.”
Everyone had to be patient during reconstruction. For two years Mann was nothing but a hard hat zone, and even after the library reopened, there were still areas unavailable as areas were brought on-line over time. Final construction was complete in 2009.
The links below provide fuller detail on Mann's renovation.
Sources:
Mann Renovation site: http://www.openhouse.mannlib.cornell.edu/
Cornell Sun- August 27, 2007: http://cornellsun.com/node/23805
Picture: Mannible Cafe, which can be accessed from the first floor lobby.
Wow! I’m ready to sign up for grad school at Cornell just so I can utilize the library space!
ReplyDeleteI thought the planning committee was extremely savvy to maintain the historical architecture while weaving in contemporary designs which are user-friendly and totally inviting to not only the student population, but the staff/faculty as well. We sometimes forget that not only does the student population represent a new generation with its own needs and preferences, but many of the incoming university and library staff are members of a different generation as well.
Of course, the café information provided an interesting read, especially due to its “green” emphasis and locally grown food. However, I thought that the “Knowledge Bars” were especially inventive as well as the capability for grad students to rent locker space. What an idea! I’m going to mention that idea to my local library!
Interesting info, Art! – MKS :)
There seems to be a trend in our user centered space blogs. One aspect of which is the need for collaborative space. I checked out the Mann site and found this quote, which I think sums up the new focus on collaborative spaces nicely: "Students welcome spaces that foster high-energy group brainstorming." I assume this is supported in the literature, based,again, I assume, on solid user studies. I don't know if my undergraduate experience was unique, but I don't recall feeling overly attracted to spaces that foster high-energy group brainstorming, and I certainly didn't expect such a space at the library. In fact, I expected the exact opposite. I studied general biology. Time spent in the library was time spent in the books. Maybe that is exactly the point and I am missing it. Maybe things really have changed and someone taking biochemistry at Cornell really needs a space for high-energy group brainstorming. I think part of my problem is that I haven't been to one of these new libraries (or Knowledge Centers) yet. But this is going to change in April. I'm actually going to get to visit the Knowledge Center at UNR that i wrote about. I hope I love it. I'm too new to the profession to already be this curmudgeonly.
ReplyDeleteGood comments Curtis, could be a generational thing, it probably it. There used to be study groups, but not so much team assignments or collaborative learning encouraged. Somewhere in the late 80's early 90's, the phrase 'good team player' started showing up in job descriptions with the recognition that effective teams, in most cases, could accelerate results. In most cases, because, front line research is still accomplished (IMHO) by someone researching the guts of available information and that is a lonely task.
ReplyDeleteMaybe this drive for collaborative space is in response to the effective team strategy required nowadays?
Hey Mary, we added a Grab 'n Go in our library building to replace one that was lost due across campus to Hurricane Ike. The place was great and drives a lot of traffic in our direction. Then they added those frozen DiGiorno Pizzas to the mix. And a microwave, of course. Now our front lobby smells like the Continental Terminal at San Antonio airport!!! Cest la vie!
ReplyDeleteWhatever brings in the masses and turns them into frequent fliers, right?
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a great place to be. i love that they have an atrium. When I was first in school one of the most difficult things for me to do was to lock myself down in a library and study. i felt so cut off from the rest of the world. this new design seems to provide just the right amount of personal space and contact with the rest of the community to make a student feel like he is not missing out on anything, but that he is at the heart of things. Good post!
ReplyDeleteThere is one thing about the Cornell site http://www.openhouse.mannlib.cornell.edu/ that I liked very much. On the right hand nav bar, there is a header called Cool Spaces, with links underneath to the four new areas at the Library which drive home their renovation goals.
ReplyDeleteOne is the cafe, already mentioned but the other three are just as important and hot topics in library redos today.
As Mercedes mentioned, the Atrium is very, very nice, then there is the Bissett Collaborative Center, and finally the Mann Gallery. What a great idea to combine visual arts with the library experience.
The Cornell/ Mann template is one from which we all can learn.
~as
I visited the Salt Lake Public Library and the Minneapolis Public this past fall, I found myself in awe with what they had done their library. I do think that these renovations are really trying to cater to high end user by providing them with cafe's and other such amenities. I hope we don't drive out the users that just want to find themselves lost in a book.
ReplyDeleteI like the idea of providing a Grab n Go and having it in the front lobby; especially the part about providing frozen pizzas. There is a cafe area in the Willis library at UNT but it is in the back and I am not certain, percentage-wise, how many people realize it is back there...and they don't have pizza. The library at the college where I received my undergrad (TAMU-C) renovated itself and had a starbucks inside but also with an outside entrance so that patrons didn't have to go through the library to get to the place. It also helped with the traffic at the front door since the doors were under an overhead for the rain, people had a tendency to hang out there and block the entrance.
ReplyDeleteTiffany Selvidge
As much as I hate this transition to bookstore libraries, the few I've been in have been really nice! I had the opportunity to visit the Boston Public Library a couple of years ago and really enjoyed working there. Like Cornell, they did a great job of keeping the original architecture, but added modern elements. In this case, an on-site cafe--which was great! The Minnesota and Oklahaoma Historical Societies also feature on-site cafes.
ReplyDeleteBut, like Avina, I worry that people (including myself) won't be able to enjoy a book, or study, in a quiet place.