Deceased professor emerita's $650K bequest will benefit Mann Library, CALS

Helen L. Wardeberg
Wardeberg

The late Professor Emerita Helen L. Wardeberg (1920-2011) devoted more than three decades to supporting teaching and scholarship at Cornell -- and, thanks to her $650,000 bequest, a new generation of students will benefit from her legacy.

Wardeberg, who served as chair of Cornell's Department of Education from 1968 to 1986, designated half of her gift to establish the Helen L. Wardeberg Fund for Mann Library to support library services and purchase books and digital resources. The other half will support scholarships for transfer students in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS).

"This is such a fitting legacy for a woman who dedicated her life to education," said Kathryn Boor, the Ronald P. Lynch Dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. "Her gift will ensure that Cornell can continue to be the new opportunity university for talented students regardless of means -- in particular those who begin their academic careers elsewhere and enrich our college by transferring here."

It also will allow Mann to implement a pilot program to purchase new education books that patrons request. This system -- called a "patron-driven acquisitions program" -- will allow the library to list titles in its catalog that it does not yet own; if a patron selects one, it is purchased immediately. Electronic books become available right away; print books are shipped and available in about a week. If successful, funding from the Wardeberg gift would also enable the library to expand patron-driven acquisitions to additional subjects.

"This generous gift … enhances our ability to support the work of the next generation of CALS faculty at the highest level and demonstrates the value that the faculty place on the library," said Mary Ochs '79, director of Mann Library.

Wardeberg earned her master's and doctorate degrees from the University of Minnesota. After teaching elementary school and working as an assistant professor at Cortland State Teachers College, she joined Cornell in 1954. She researched curriculum effectiveness and career awareness among children, co-authoring the 1960 book "Evaluating Elementary School Pupils" (available at Mann Library at http://cornell.worldcat.org/oclc/781972). She retired in 1986.

"It is doubly gratifying when a gift arrives from our emeriti faculty who have already given so much to the college," Boor added. "To me, it speaks volumes about their dedication to the college, its mission and the critical importance of the work we do."

Gwen Glazer is the staff writer and editor at Cornell University Library.

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