Finding Books at CUL
Does Cornell have any popular reading books? Yes!
- New and Noteworthy - Located on the first floor of Olin. Popular fiction and non-fiction titles published within the last year.
- Cornell Library Overdrive - Current and popular ebooks and audiobooks.
- Search the Library Catalog - If you are looking for a particular book, search the catalog to see if we have it, or find a similar title and browse.
- Browse the stacks
- The Cornell library is not set up like a public library so browsing for a book to read can be tricky. Rather than separating books by genre, they're organized by broad subject categories; academic texts and popular reading titles are all mixed together.
- In Olin, most fiction will be found on the 6th and 7th floors. Look for these call number ranges:
- PN 6000 - Graphic Novels/Comics (Many titles may be in the single oversize (+) section)
- PR - English Literature
- PS - American Literature
- PZ - Juvenile Literature (includes everything from YA to picture books)
What if we don't have it? There are other ways!
- BorrowDirect and interlibrary loan (ILL)
- Get books sent to campus from other Ivy League universities (Borrow Direct) or other public libraries (ILL).
- Use your Public Library card
- Use the Tompkins County Public Library to access print, digital, and audiobooks across the entire Finger Lakes Library System.
- Many public libraries have digital (e/audiobooks) collections available online. If you are already a member of your local public library at home, you may be able to access their online collections.
Expand your Reach!
Libby is an app that allows you to easily access your library's digital collections. Libby allows you to add multiple library cards so you can have access to multiple collections at your fingertips!
Libraries with digital collections:
- Finger Lakes Library System (FLLS) - Accessible with a Tompkins County Public Library card. Must be a Tompkins County resident. Can register online but must pick up a physical library card to keep digital access. (For students - Provide dorm/local address, not home address)
- OWWL and Southern Tier Library Systems - Partners with FLLS, can access with a TCPL library card.
- New York Public Library - NY state residents can get a digital access library card.
- Brooklyn Public Library - NY state residents can get a digital access library card.
- Queens Public Library - NY state residents can get a digital access library card.
- Archive.org - Millions of titles available free online. Some titles may require a free account.
Stay up to date!
Find top titles and new releases
- New York Times Bestsellers
- National Book Award Winners
- NPR's Books We Love
- Goodreads Choice Awards
- We Here We Reads
- Book Riot
Use your favorite author or title to find similar "read alike" titles
- Fantastic Fiction - Browse titles by genre, view an author's entire bibliography, and find new and upcoming titles.
- Goodreads Listopia - Booklists created and voted on by users. No account necessary.
- NoveList Plus - Available with a NYPL library card. Search for titles and get recommendations for books with similar themes.