A Room of One’s Own As Long As You Share It With A Few Others And Are Working On Your Dissertation: Announcing the Dissertation Writer’s Room in Graduate Services

Starting — or seeking to finish — work on your dissertation? Would a dedicated space encourage focus and concentration on your writing? Would being in the quiet company of fellow doctoral candidates from humanities and social science disciplines lend moral support to your efforts?

Graduate Division Dean Andrew Szeri and Doe Library’s Graduate Services staff are pleased to offer a new space dedicated to doctoral students advanced to candidacy: the Dissertation Writer’s Room, opening Monday, June 21, 2010, in 215 Doe. 

Located at the rear of Graduate Services at 208 Doe Library, DWR hours will be the hours Graduate Services is open. Currently and during each semester, Graduate Services hours are Monday through Thursday, 9AM-9PM; Friday, 9AM-5PM; and Sunday, 1PM-9PM. Graduate Services hours change during intersession periods, but current hours can always be found here. As Graduate Services is reserved for the exclusive use of UCB graduate students, faculty, and staff, please remember to bring your UCB ID to show when you enter 208 Doe. 

The DWR’s current capacity accommodates six students using the study tables and two using the reading chairs; this will be expanded as utilization increases. AirBears enables wireless Internet connections. 

Overall, Doe’s Graduate Services is a study space for graduate students, housing ~25,000 volumes and a reserve library for graduate courses in the humanities and social sciences. The core collection comprises standard editions of core texts, works of major theorists, titles on Master’s exams reading lists, and other materials heavily used by graduate students in the humanities and social sciences. Graduate Services also houses the Modern Authors Collection (XMAC), comprised of the works of major 20th century English, American, and Anglophone literary authors,and a small collection of English and foreign language dictionaries. More information about the Graduate Services collections and its policies can be found here.

By the way, in addition to the study spaces in Graduate Services, study carrels in the Gardner (MAIN) Stacks can be reserved by graduate students. Graduate students may apply at the Doe Circulation Desk for these carrels, and books from the Gardner (MAIN) Stacks may be charged out and kept in the carrels.

We hope you will check out this new space over the summer and in the coming academic year. Your feedback is most welcome; please write to graddean@berkeley.edu.