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Study Spaces
Whether you’re looking for a spot to study alone or with friends, we have a variety of spaces to suit your needs.
Helen Howard graduate student reading room
Located on the third floor of Stauffer Library, this secure graduate student space is equipped with two bookable group study rooms, presentation spaces, and opportunities for collaborative work.
An entry code is sent to all graduate students at the beginning of each term. If you can’t find the code, please visit our service desk with your graduate student ID card and staff can provide you with the code.
Everyone with an active Queen’s NetID can book a group study room at any library location. Individuals are allotted 10 bookable hours per month. Further details about the number of bookings per day, cancellations, and more can be found on our Use of Study Rooms webpage.
Group study rooms are equipped with a variety of features such as whiteboards, chalkboards, and TVs for screen casting.
Study space is available in each of our libraries on a first-come, first-served basis. While the library does not currently have designated silent study spaces, you can generally expect the following areas to be quieter than others:
- upper levels of Stauffer Library
- lower levels of Douglas Library
- lower level of Bracken Library
- 1923 Reading Room at Douglas Library
- 1966 Reading Room at Douglas Library
For collaborative study space, check out:
- ground floor Stauffer Library
- ground floor Douglas Library
- ground floor of Bracken Library
The Adaptive Technology Centre (ATC) has three bookable study rooms that are accessible and provide access to a variety of assistive technologies. They are also equipped with height-adjustable desks and a whiteboard. Students must be registered with Queen's Students Accessibility Services (QSAS). If you are a student with a disability and not registered with QSAS, please contact ATC staff at library.atc@queensu.ca to arrange to use a study room.
Getting Started With Research
Have an assignment coming up and not sure where to begin? We can help.
Omni is our academic search tool that provides access to high-quality resources from Queen’s and 18 other Ontario university libraries.
You can use Omni to find:
- Background information
- Peer-reviewed journals and articles
- Books and e-books
- Videos
- Theses & dissertations
- Newspapers and other primary source material
- Music scores
- Microforms
- Maps and government information
- And more!
Start your search in Omni, or use our Omni Search Tips guide for more information.
Research consultations provide a valuable opportunity to develop your research skills. During a research consultation, you will meet with a librarian online, in-person, or by phone for in-depth, customized, one-on-one support. This may include:
- Defining and focusing your research
- Developing search strategies
- Recommending appropriate search tools and databases
- Evaluating information sources
- Advice on publishing
- Developing strategies for managing research data
- Planning research skills workshops to integrate into a course
Use our booking calendar to make an appointment.
Not sure which databases or journals are best for your research topic or just need some subject-specific advice to get started? Check out our research guides which are prepared by Queen’s library subject specialists.
As a graduate student, you may be writing essays, research reports, theses, or journal articles. Most forms of academic writing will involve summarizing, paraphrasing, or quoting sources of information that need to be cited.
Check out the library’s how-to guide on citing that includes links to commonly used citation style guides (such as APA, MLA, Chicago, and more) and information about citation managers like Zotero, EndNote, and Mendeley.
During your time at Queen’s you will very likely use copyrighted materials in some way for your studies. The Copyright Act of Canada governs the making of photocopies, scans or other reproductions of copyright material. Certain copying may be an infringement of copyright law whereas other uses may fall within Fair Dealing guidelines. For further copyright support check our Copyright for Students guide or contact our specialist copyright team at qcopy@queensu.ca.
Open publishing offers timely, broad exposure of your research to other researchers. Scholarly Publishing staff can answer your open publishing questions and provide support in using open publishing facilities such as QSpace, Queen’s research repository, and our open journals. The library has many topic guides you can browse, and you can contact the Scholarly Publishing team for further information at open.scholarship.services@queensu.ca.
Queen’s University Library offers graduate students with a variety of research data management (RDM) services, including support for developing data management plans (DMPs), advising on issues related to research data storage, backup, and documentation, and assistance with preparing data for deposit into a repository. Check out the RDM webpage for more details.
Librarians are available to advise or collaborate on knowledge synthesis projects such as systematic reviews or meta-analysis.
To meet with a health sciences librarian, please submit a booking consultation request through the booking calendar. For all other subject areas, reach out to your subject librarian.
Borrowing
Find out how you can borrow library resources and place requests.
In general, the typical borrowing period is 120 days (about 4 months) for regular materials. For other resources such as government documents, reference, or special collections, etc., check our Loan Periods webpage for more information. Graduate students can borrow up to 500 items at once and there are no renewal limits.
If you are unable to find the book, book chapter, journal article, newspaper article, thesis, dissertation, or conference proceeding in omni, you can place a request through our interlibrary loan (ILL) service free of charge.
ILL allows Queen’s University members to borrow items from other lending institutions. The library requests materials on your behalf from other libraries, organizations, and document delivery services.
For more instructions on how to make your request, visit our interlibrary loans page. Have other questions about ILL? Check out our ILL FAQ or ask us!
If there is a resource you need to support your graduate studies and we don’t currently have it, you are encouraged to recommend a new purchase for the collection. You can do this through our New Acquisitions Form or by contacting your subject librarian directly.
Print, Scan, and Copy
All library locations have multi-functional devices (MFDs) that provide printing, photocopying, and scanning services.
You can print, scan, and photocopy at our library locations by installing the LibraryPrintQ driver on your own device or by using a library computer. Students can log into the Papercut portal using their NetID and password.
For more information about how to download the print driver on your device and how to add credit to your account, visit our Printing at the Library.
Library Accessibility Services
The library offers a variety of accessibility services, including materials in alternate format, training on adaptive technology, and mediated research help. We serve students registered with Queen’s Student Accessibility Services (QSAS).
The ATC is a dedicated quiet study space for students with accessibility needs who are registered with Queen’s Student Accessibility Services (QSAS). Located in Stauffer Library room 120, the ATC is equipped with a relaxation area, three bookable study rooms, and a computer lab with specialized software to meet your specific learning needs.
Meet with our Adaptive Technologist who can assess your adaptive technology (AT) needs, provide training on AT devices or software, assist in setting up accessibility features on your device, or advise on the purchase of AT products. For a list of available adaptive technology, visit our Adaptive Technology Guide.
Library Materials
Patrons with a print disability may request alternate formats of library materials by contacting the Adaptive Technology Centre (ATC). The library also provides access to alternative format repositories for patrons with print disabilities to discover alternate formats of library materials independently. To learn more about this service, visit our Library Accessibility Services alternate format page.
Course Materials
Students referred from Queen’s Student Accessibility Services (QSAS) with a print disability may request course materials in alternate format. Contact alyssa.lunney@queensu.ca to make your request.
Captioning of audiovisual library materials
Many of the videos in our video collections are captioned with transcripts or can be captioned upon request. Video captioning is only available for library materials. Video captioning may require substantial preparation time. Please submit your requests in advance of the semester to library.atc@queensu.ca.
Leisure Reading Collections
While our collections typically focus on scholarly materials, we also have fun fiction reads too!
The library has several leisure reading collections to help you balance academics with a little fun. Check out the following if you get the chance:
Douglas Library
- Sci-fi & Fantasy Lounge on the 2nd floor (5th level)
Law Library
- Mystery of the Law Reading Nook, located on the main floor of the law library
Stauffer Library
- PN, PR, or PS call number ranges located on the 4th floor
- Student Reads Collection
Education Library
- "Youth" or "Teach" collections in the PS call number range
Distance Learners
Completing Queen’s courses outside of Kingston? Here’s what you need to know about library services and supports.
All of the library’s e-resources are available to students, staff, and faculty remotely through the web proxy. The proxy will automatically prompt you to login using your Queen’s Single Sign-On (SSO) using your NetID.
With the Pickup Anywhere service, you can request a physical item in omni and pick it up at any of our Omni partner libraries across Ontario. You can also go into one of these libraries and browse the shelves and borrow items with your Queen’s student card.
To request an item and choose your pickup location:
- Sign in to My Library Account.
- Find an item in omni that you are interested in and open the full record display.
- Scroll down to the Get It section of the record and select ‘Request’ or ‘Get it from another library’.
- Select your preferred pickup institution and pickup location in the request form.
If you’re continuing your studies at Queen’s but will be located outside Ontario, you can register for an IUBP card in order to borrow books in person from another participating Canadian university library.
Students who are enrolled in Queen’s academic distance programs and those who may be working off-campus for internships, co-op placements, or field research may be eligible to place a request to have print materials delivered to them by mail. To make a request, please fill out the form.
Library Policies
Here’s what you can expect when visiting library locations on campus.
The consumption of food and drink in library spaces should be minimized in order to protect collections and equipment and to keep shared spaces clean. In general, only small, handheld snacks and covered drinks are permitted.
Additionally, no food or drink of any kind is allowed in the following spaces:
- Queen’s University’s Archives at Kathleen Ryan Hall
- The W.D. Jordan Rare Books and Special Collections floor of Douglas Library
- The Art and Maps collections spaces in Stauffer Library
- At library computers and equipment (e.g., photocopiers, scanners)
Please check our Food & Drink Policy for further details.
We welcome all users and strive to provide a favourable and inclusive environment for everyone to positively engage in research, learning, and intellectual exploration. To ensure everyone can get the most out of all that the library has to offer, we ask that you please abide by all library and university-wide policies and practices.
For example, library users are expected to:
- Maintain appropriate noise levels and silence devices
- Follow any posted guidelines for dedicated quiet areas
- Avoid strong scents (i.e., perfumes, colognes, etc.) as they can negatively impact others
- Treat every individual in the library with courtesy, consideration, and respect
Please check our Code of Conduct for more details about expectations.