Research and Learning Services

Teaching, Research, Outreach, and Learning Services represents the public face of the Library and includes all of the unit libraries within the library system. In each unit library, the facilities, collections, and services are expertly managed and customized for specific disciplines and subject areas. Together, the libraries offer the Cornell community and beyond a full array of scholarly information resources and services, and  bringing them together under one umbrella will promote interdisciplinary work and ensure users a consistently high level of service across the system.

Library Directors' Leadership Team

The Library Directors' Leadership Team provides leadership in teaching, research, outreach, and learning services that enhances the Library's and the university's academic priorities, goals, and aspirations. The team plans for the future, helps its members solve problems in a collaborative manner, communicates effectively, and builds bridges between unites and their leaders.

Humanities and Social Sciences Libraries
Bonna Boettcher, Director

Law Library
Femi Cadmus, Coordinator

Life Sciences Libraries
Mary Ochs, Coordinator

Physical Sciences Libraries
Steve Rockey, Coordinator

Specialized Business and Labor Libraries
Curtis Lyons, Coordinator

Specialized Humanities and Social Sciences Libraries
Bonna Boettcher, Coordinator

Public Services Executive Committee

The Public Services Executive Committee (PSEC) represents the needs of the library user communities to the Library Administration. Its responsibility is to coordinate public services activities within CUL, recommend policy, define goals and objectives related to public services activities, and foster responsive and innovative services which may be delivered in person or virtually over the web. The Public Services mandate includes areas, such as instruction, research consultations, circulation, outreach, and public computing. PSEC coordinates its activities and collaborates with staff in areas such as Collection Building, Information Technology, Library Operations, and Research and Assessment.

Each of these subcommittees has its own mission:

• Executive Committee
• Access Services Committee: Address the needs of system-wide access services functions: circulation, interlibrary services, document delivery, reserves, stacks management, building coverage and facilities, emergency procedures, security, and billing. Develop, recommend, and implement system-wide access services policies, procedures and services. Respond to ongoing issues that are referred to ASC from PSEC, Library Executive Group, and other bodies. Provide support to PSEC priorities; advise PSEC on access services needs and methods. Collaborate with other units, committees, and functional areas to improve/expand access services. Identify training needs and establish effective programs for access services. Promote communication across campus for all access services functions. Monitor and promote development of access services within the profession.
• Instruction Committee: Provide leadership in maintaining a library-wide commitment to effective instruction.  Ensure that Library instruction is current and compatible with changing educational culture and information trends.  Promote unified Library instruction goals where appropriate. Advise PSEC on appropriate instruction strategies and methods. Facilitate or assist with providing educational opportunities for library instructors. Carry out specific planning tasks as assigned, such as supporting the work of allied initiatives (e.g. information competency and assessment). Contribute to overall CUL public services priorities and planning as requested by PSEC.
• Public Services/Public Computing Advisory Committee (PCAC): Provide direction regarding the design and implementation of public computing throughout CUL. Advise on services being supported for users and the consistent presentation of those services library-wide. Monitor security measures to be employed on public workstations, balancing them against privacy and access considerations. Serve as a communications link for feedback and announcements between technical staff supporting public computing and library public services staff. Contribute to overall public services priorities through specific tasks as assigned by PSEC.
• Reference and Outreach Committee: Provide leadership in maintaining a library-wide commitment to effective reference and outreach functions. Working closely with other PSEC committees, serve as an information-sharing venue for reference and outreach best practices and activities. Support the work of and provide input to sub-committees, task forces, and working groups with significant commitments to reference and outreach functions. Establish new sub-committees, task forces and working groups as needed to work on special initiatives. Maintain ongoing communication with Cornell entities that impact reference and outreach functions. Support and expand outreach functions to include areas identified as CUL priorities. Monitor and promote professional developments in reference and outreach; advise PSEC on appropriate reference and outreach strategies and methods. Contribute to overall public services priorities through specific tasks as assigned by PSEC.