Cornell University Library, Ithaca

The Cornell University Library, the library system of Cornell University, is a cornerstone of academic resources and research. As of 2014, the system boasted an impressive collection of over eight million printed volumes and more than a million ebooks. It also houses 8.5 million microfilms and microfiches, 71,000 cubic feet of manuscripts, and nearly 500,000 other materials, such as motion pictures, sound recordings, and digital resources. This extensive collection makes it the 16th-largest library in North America by volume and the 13th-largest research library in the United States.

The Harold D. Uris Library, a central component of the Cornell library system, holds a rich collection in the humanities and social sciences. The library building, originally named the University Library, opened on October 7, 1891, exactly 23 years after Cornell's first classes began. Its architect, William Henry Miller, Cornell's first student of architecture, left a lasting legacy on the campus with his distinctive designs.

Uris Library is built in the Richardsonian-Romanesque style, featuring a cruciform basilica structure with a central reading room, or "nave," illuminated by 29 large windows and 20 clerestory windows. This architectural design earned the library the moniker "secular cathedral," symbolizing Andrew Dickson White’s vision of a space devoted to books and learning at the heart of the university.