Adelson Library

Hours: Tuesday–Friday 10AM to 4PM.

Phone: 607-254-2165
Email: adelson_lib@cornell.edu

To return items outside of open hours, please view a full list of book-drop locations.

Search the entire Cornell University Library catalog or narrow your search to Adelson Library holdings.

As a branch of the Cornell University Library system, Adelson Library contains a rich array of historical and contemporary ornithological books, monographs, and journals. Housed within the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Visitor Center, the library serves staff, faculty, students, and the general public.

Borrowing Privileges

Any person may visit the Adelson Library and use materials, databases and resources onsite. Staff, faculty, and students may borrow materials using their Cornell ID, and may have materials delivered to and from other university libraries.

If you don’t have a valid Cornell ID and would like to apply for borrowing privileges, please fill out an application and we will contact you to determine your eligibility for access. “Borrow on Site!” cards are free and enable non-Cornell affiliated patrons to borrow up to 20 books at a time for up to 4 weeks from any of our libraries.

If you have questions about your library privileges, please contact the Library Public Services Office at libpublicservices@cornell.edu. 

Donating Books

While Adelson Library does gratefully accept some donated materials, we are not able to accept every book that is offered to us. Due to limited shelf space, we cannot accept duplicate copies or items that are not appropriate for our collection. Please check with Library staff to see if your book meets our requirements by emailing adelson_lib@cornell.edu.