Beginning July 1, Cornell University Library will provide virtual library services to the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences’ New York State Agricultural Experiment Station (NYSAES) in Geneva, New York, and its Lee Library facility will close its doors.

The Lee facility is closing because of changes in usage patterns and financial considerations. In the future, the Geneva campus will be served through a combination of virtual services and book delivery.

Due to the growing availability of library materials in digital form, virtual services are being used increasingly at academic and research institutions nationwide. At Cornell, the library has been supporting research and instruction remotely for many years, including Cornell in Washington, Study Abroad and various extension and executive programs.

“Although the way we provide services will change, we do not believe that the closing of the facility will fundamentally change the level of library support available to the Geneva community,” said Kornelia Tancheva, associate university librarian for research and learning services.

The Lee Library’s physical collections will be housed in Mann Library, as well as the Library Annex, and will be available to researchers through delivery services after July 1. A librarian, based in Mann, will serve as a liaison to the Geneva community and will coordinate full research and instruction services.

“We are pleased that the Cornell Library is committed to working with the NYSAES community to provide high-quality resources and services through this new model,” said Beth Ahner, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) senior associate dean.

Last week, administrators from CALS and the library held a town hall meeting with members of the Geneva community to answer their questions and hear their feedback on how the new model can best meet their research needs.

A team at Mann Library has been appointed to coordinate the process with representatives from the Geneva campus, including experts in collections, research, virtual services and technology-related issues. Service updates will be posted to the Lee Library website.

Melanie Lefkowitz is a staff writer and editor at Cornell University Library.