Cornell University's library system, composed of 20 individual libraries, is one of the largest research libraries in the United States. Begun with a mere 18,000 volumes stored in Morrill Hall , the library now contains over 7 million, not counting an additional 7 million microforms . Willard Fiske , Cornell's first librarian, donated his entire estate to the university upon his death, as did President Andrew Dickson White. Innovations for which the library system is known include opening the stacks to undergraduate students and extending operating hours from the traditional 2 (to allow professors to return and withdraw books) to a more browser-friendly 9 hours.

Cornell University Libraries

• Adelson Library (Cornell Lab of Ornithology )
• Africana Library
• Annex
• Catherwood Library ( Industrial and Labor Relations Library)
• CISER (Cornell Institute for Social and Economic Research )
• Engineering Library
• Entomology Library
• Fine Arts Library
• Geneva Experiment Station Library
• Kroch Library
• Law Library
• Management Library
• Mann Library
• Mathematics Library
• Medical Library ( Weill Cornell Medical Library)
• Music Library
• Nestlé Library (School of Hotel Administration Library)
• Olin & Uris Libraries
• Physical Sciences Library
• Veterinary Library (Flower-Sprecher Veterinary Library)