Graduate students are some of the most avid users of the UMKC Libraries’ spaces. Graduate writers can find a space in any of the university’s libraries to spread out with their laptops and get down to business:
- The newly-furnished, expansive study space in the Health Sciences Library (located in the School of Medicine Building)
- The seats among the stacks of tomes in the Leon E. Bloch Law Library (in the School of Law)
- The natural light and quiet corners of the Dental Library (housed in the School of Dentistry)
- One of the many spaces in the Miller Nichols Library (found at the heart of Volker campus) which range from quiet and contemplative to active and collaborative
But the Libraries’ provide resources beyond just space to help graduate writers. Of course, the libraries have books and articles, but the most important library resource for graduate writers is people.
- A librarian dedicated to connecting graduate students with the resources, services, and people who can help them best. Ask any question and you’ll get an answer.
- Librarians who know about your discipline and will help you find research materials, journals in which to publish, and areas for further exploration.
- Librarians who teach graduate writing workshops on things like Zotero citation management, Microsoft Word tricks you didn’t know, copyright for doctoral research, and the limitations of Google.
- Library staff committed to making sure you have what you need to be successful, whether that’s an iPad, a proxy account, a study room, or a locker. Speaking of lockers, when the Miller Nichols Library heard that doctoral students needed lockers longer than the usual checkout period, the library developed a Doctoral Student Locker (Pilot) Program. IPhD students can apply to keep a locker for an entire semester at a time! Hurry! The application deadline for Spring 2017 is January 25, 2017!
- Librarians and library staff who help you make discoveries in the LaBudde Special Collections, the Marr Sound Archives, or the UMKC University Archives.
And all of these people at the library – what do they do to help graduate writers? More than you think:
- The libraries have compiled relevant information for graduate writers into a handy guide, which includes resources to help you write literature reviews, tackle your thesis or dissertation, avoid plagiarism, and find new apps and tools.
- With the UMKC Libraries Graduate Student Newsletter, you’ll get a once-monthly email full of useful information focused graduate student interests with tips and updates from the libraries. Subscribe today!
- Do you have publishing or copyright questions? We can help. Contact the Copyright Support Team. You may also want to check out the libraries’ guide on publishing, specifically the information on authors’ rights.
- Graduate research should be thorough and comprehensive, but what graduate student can afford to travel all over to find research materials? The interlibrary loan service helps graduate students obtain resources locally and from all over the world. (By the way, do you know about WorldCat, the world’s largest library catalog?)
Inquiry leads to research which leads to writing. Writing leads to discussion and further inquiry. Scholarship is a cycle, and as a graduate student, you may be at the very beginning or perhaps you are somewhere further along. No matter where you find yourself, the people of UMKC Libraries are here to support you on your quest. Don’t be a stranger: ask a librarian.