April 13, 2021
Lance Heidig, an outreach and instruction librarian at the Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections (RMC), whose passion for discovering and sharing knowledge inspired generations of Cornellians, died April 6 at his home in Ithaca. He was 64.
Heidig’s four decades at Cornell spanned several reference and teaching roles in Uris Library, Olin Library and at RMC; and he was admired by the university community as a welcoming, widely knowledgeable and energetic figure. Jason Koski/Cornell University
Lance Heidig leading a tour of the “150 Ways to Say Cornell” exhibit that he co-curated in 2014, as part of Cornell s Sesquicentennial celebrations.
“Lance was just constantly on the move,” said Anne Sauer, the Stephen E. and Evalyn Edwards Milman Director of RMC. “He had so much enthusiasm and joy in his work it was infectious for everybody.
April 1, 2021
Gerald R. Beasley, the Carl A. Kroch University Librarian, has announced he will not seek to renew his five-year term when it ends July 31, 2022.
Beasley is Cornell’s 12th university librarian. He began his term Aug. 1, 2017 after serving for four years as vice provost and chief librarian at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada. Carla DeMello/Provided
Gerald R. Beasley, the Carl A. Kroch University Librarian.
“Working here as university librarian with such great people and great collections is truly an honor and a privilege,” Beasley said. “Leaving Cornell at the end of July 2022 would mean fulfilling a plan developed by me and my family a while back to return to Canada after five years.”
Toni Morrison Quilting Project, to weave communities together, launches Feb. 22
February 15, 2021
Celebrating the author’s work and the community-building tradition of African American quilt-making, the Toni Morrison Quilting Project kicks off on Feb. 22, noon to 1:30 p.m., with a virtual quilting traditions workshop, featuring Ithaca-based fiber artist Heather Stewart.
Organized by Cornell University Library, Tompkins County Public Library, and the Community Quilting Resource Center, the Quilting Project honors Morrison’s legacy and her deep connection to quilt-making. In her novel
Beloved, for example, she used an heirloom quilt as a storytelling device to connect the different histories of its characters. And, in exploring the African American diasporic experience throughout her work, Morrison wove complex narratives from a patchwork of voices across time and space.
Celebrating the authorâs work and the community-building tradition of African American quilt-making, the Toni Morrison Quilting Project kicks off on Feb. 22, noon to 1:30 p.m., with a virtual quilting traditions workshop, featuring Ithaca-based fiber artist Heather Stewart.
Organized by Cornell University Library, Tompkins County Public Library, and the Community Quilting Resource Center, the Quilting Project honors Morrisonâs legacy and her deep connection to quilt-making. In her novel Beloved, for example, she used an heirloom quilt as a storytelling device to connect the different histories of its characters. And, in exploring the African American diasporic experience throughout her work, Morrison wove complex narratives from a patchwork of voices across time and space.