Message from the Cornell University Librarian

Libraries and archives are about truth and memory. It is only fitting that Cornell University Library be a partner to keep the legacy of Toni Morrison alive. Our imperative to build and sustain more inclusive collections makes it essential to highlight authors like Morrison, who dedicated their lives to uplifting the humanity of ‘the other.’ Morrison‘s work stands for truth. Her writings demonstrate that the purpose of literature is to hold up a mirror to our best and worst selves even when the reflection we see makes us uncomfortable. In the spirit of Morrison, libraries can and must do better for all communities who need to have access to the scholarly record to create new knowledge, solve problems, and make this world better for future generations.

Cornell University Library is proud to sponsor the Toni Morrison Collective.

Elaine L. Westbrooks
Carl A. Kroch University Librarian
Cornell University

For more information, contact the Toni Morrison Collective at tonimorrisoncoll@cornell.edu.

Call For Papers


A symposium:
“Toni Morrison: Literature and Public Life”
September 2025
In Celebration of the 70th anniversary
of alumna Toni Morrison’s Cornell degree (MA 1955)

Call for Papers