The mission of the Adelson Library is to provide outstanding and innovative support for the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and scholarly communities worldwide by curating and disseminating contemporary and historical resources.

The Adelson Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology opened to the public on May 5, 2004. It is located in the Imogene Powers Johnson Center for Birds and Biodiversity at the Sapsucker Woods Sanctuary in Ithaca, New York. The addition of a library to the new Lab building was made possible by the generosity of Cornell University alumna Ellen Adelson, '58, for whom the library is named.

The library collection is the result of generous donations by William E. Davis, M.D.; Dr. William E. Davis Jr.; and Dr. Kenneth C. Parks. Numerous other Lab members and friends have made the library possible.

Prior to establishing the Adelson Library, the Lab of Ornithology had built a small reference collection containing approximately 200 volumes. Today the library houses 13,000 volumes and continues to expand in contemporary and historical literature, as well as other resources.

The Adelson Library is an official Cornell University Library and is fully integrated into the University Library Catalog. Several smaller reference collections held at the Lab are managed by the Adelson Library. Collections included are the CUMV (Cornell University Museum of Vertebrates) and the Macaulay Library reference book collection. The librarian at Adelson also serves as the registrar for the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology Art Collection and as a liason between the Lab and Cornell University Libraries.