We also welcome back our historic elevator. After a lengthy repair, the library’s elevator is back in service!
The Mina Rees Library extends a warm welcome to all new members of the Graduate Center community, and an equally warm greeting to all returning members! We hope you’ll avail yourselves of all the library has to offer…and ask us questions when you need help navigating our collections or services! To get you started, here is a round-up of some key information:
The Library Is Everywhere You Are: In addition to the books and journals we hold in print, the library offers electronic access to hundreds of databases, thousands of e-journals, and hundreds of thousands of ebooks. No matter where you are, you can access all of our e-resources with your CUNY Login.
OneSearch: All of our print books (as well as books across CUNY and SUNY) and most of our journal articles and ebooks can be found by searching OneSearch. However, OneSearch can be a little overwhelming, so don’t hesitate to ask for help using it or guidance about when to turn to other tools.
Interlibrary Loan: Almost certainly, you’ll eventually need some materials that we don’t hold. Whenever you need something that we don’t have — whether it’s a book, book chapter, article, music score, audio/video recording, thesis, or something else — you can request it through interlibrary loan. Learn more.
Research Workshops: The library offers workshops on a wide variety of research-related topics. Dip your toe into the research waters with Introduction to Library Research, which we’re teaching multiple times over the first few weeks of the semester. Then dive into our other offerings, which will cover archival research, scholarly publishing, citation management with Zotero, and more. Some workshops (as well as drop-in help sessions on a variety of topics) already appear on the library calendar, and more will be posted soon. Stay tuned!
Research Help: GC librarians welcome your research questions at the reference desk whenever we’re there (2nd floor of library; see reference desk hours), but you might need help at other times as well. At those times, you can start an online chat with a reference librarian, a service that’s available 24/7. You won’t always be connected with a GC or CUNY librarian, but, thanks to a consortium that spans multiple time zones, you will always reach a qualified academic librarian (never a bot!). Alternatively, you can contact your subject librarian directly (see below).
Subject Librarians: When you need more in-depth research help, you can seek out your subject librarian. That’s right: Every degree program and MALS concentration has an associated librarian! Consult the directory of subject librarians and click your librarian’s “Schedule Appointment” button to set up a one-on-one consultation. (If none of their available times work for you, don’t hesitate to email to inquire about other availability.)
New York Public Library: NYPL offers enhanced borrowing privileges for GC affiliates — specifically, you can borrow many NYPL research materials that are usually reserved for on-site use only. Register for extended NYPL privileges by bringing both your NYPL card and your GC ID card to our reference desk (see reference desk hours).
Free Printing in the Library: GC students, faculty, and staff receive unlimited free black-and-white printing in the library. Printing can be initiated from library computers or from any web-enabled device. In order to print, you need to know your GC network account (which is not the same as your CUNY Login!).
Free NYT and WSJ Subscriptions Too: CUNY libraries offer all students, faculty, and staff (anyone with a cuny.edu email address) free access to the New York Times website/app and the Wall Street Journal website/app.
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