This article is featured in the 2025 Freshman Special Issue.
As a first-year Dartmouth student, there’s something you should know about before all else. And no, it’s not where your dorm is located or how to get into Foco. It’s the Dartmouth library system! Bursting with talented staff, almost infinite resources and beautiful spaces to study, the Dartmouth libraries are your key to an incredible student experience. With insider insights from library deans, building guides and resource flags, begin your Dartmouth journey with this guide to the libraries in your back pocket.
Library Resources
Staff: According to associate dean of libraries for academic engagement Jennifer Taxman, one of the “most important” things incoming freshmen should know is that library staff are available to them in Baker-Berry Library during all of its operating hours. Whether it’s engineering or economics that piques your interest, expert staff are a great resource.
Subject librarian offices: As a Dartmouth student, you have access to some of the best researchers in the world. Go to the subject librarian directory to find the librarian that covers your topic. Then, schedule office hours with them. Their offices are located on either side of the Tower Room, up in the mezzanine of Baker. If you are stuck on researching or need to dive deeper into a subject matter that fascinates you, these librarians are happy to help.
Interlibrary Loan or BorrowDirect: If there isn’t an item available in the library, tools like Interlibrary Loan and BorrowDirect are available online through your Dartmouth Libraries account. BorrowDirect links Ivy Plus partners to access the libraries of twelve participating universities. Send an online request and soon receive your material! Interlibrary loan sources the items you need from across the globe. You can request books, physical media, book chapters, articles, patents, microfilm and more.
Attend an event or workshop: The Dartmouth libraries host hundreds of events and workshops each year. From book arts and printing to media to computer science, attending an event or workshop is a great way to learn a new skill or brush up on an old one. Start the year off strong with attending the library open house on Thursday, Sept. 12!
Baker
Baker Library has been a “fixture” on campus for nearly 100 years, according to associate dean of libraries for academic engagement and operations strategies Daniel Chamberlain.
“It’s hard to think that it wasn’t always here, given the way that it’s such a symbol for the institution,” he said.
“Blobby”: Enter the heavy doors under the famed Dartmouth clocktower, which you’ll quickly be able to find when you hear bells ringing on the hour. Officially named Reiss Hall, Blobby is the student-preferred term for Baker Library’s lobby — and it’s one of the first pieces of Dartmouth slang you’ll pick up. Blobby’s mix of tile, squashy armchairs, tables and low hum of chatter make it a great place to meet with friends and teams for your group project. However, it is easy to get derailed when studying here, as people you know are constantly moving in and out. Still, you could be the first to write more than a page of a paper when working in Blobby.
Class of 1902 Room: The Class of 1902 Room is open 24 hours a day and in a prime location between coffee and any classes in the vicinity, making this room a popular place to study. Designated by the library as a noise level “normal,” 1902 accommodates noisy debates on the intricacies of Aristotle’s “Nicomachean Ethics.” Its large wooden tables make it perfect to “lock-in” with a big group of friends. One of the 1902 Room’s loyal patrons, Julianna Wong ’28 said it is her favorite spot in the library.
“There are really high ceilings, lots of natural light and open space with long tables,” she said. “It’s a place where people can be together, and I see people that I don’t normally see.”
Sanborn Library: Just past the 1902 Room is Sanborn Library. Sanborn is a Georgian-style, two-storied, arched study hall with hand-carved butternut paneling, heavy lamplit tables, a marble fireplace and ornate chandeliers. Sanborn would be an incredible place to study even if there wasn’t a tea service offered every weekday afternoon at 4 o’clock.
Devin Gifford ’27 told The Dartmouth that she favors the right balcony of Sanborn.
“There’s a bunch of comfy chairs on that side, and you can look out and see the green — I love to be there when I’m reading and writing,” she said. “It’s a quiet space, [and] you can people-watch out of the window.”
The Dr. Seuss Room: Located in the east end of Blobby, this tribute to Dartmouth alum and snowballfight-instigator Theodore Geisel is often unoccupied. Its eccentric bookshelves and editions of Seuss books provide a great backdrop for studying, and Geisel’s piercing portrait might inspire some of his creativity for an assignment. Oh, the places you’ll go!
East Reading Room: This two-story study space well lit by its arched windows lies on the east side of Baker Library. Its shelves are lined with current newspapers and magazines as well as musical scores. Sometimes, student concerts are held here, and it’s certainly pretty enough to be a concert venue. The East Reading Room’s alcoves are study spaces that can almost take you away from the world.
The Tower Room: The Tower Room has the feel of academia. The plush emerald green armchairs, books shelved in the walls and heavy curtains — as well as the silent atmosphere — make the Tower Room a beloved study spot for many. Just beware, in the winter, it gets warm, and more than one student has snoozed accidentally here.
Orozco Mural Room: In the belly of Baker Library sits the Orozco Mural Room. The room is silent and has long wooden tables perfect for students looking to study. You could also journey here simply to stare at the walls, which are designated National Historic Landmarks. Painted by José Clemente Orozco in the 1930s and called “The Epic of American Civilization,” these artworks explore the story of America from the perspective of Mesoamerican civilization with a focus on cycles of destruction and creation.
The Stacks: If you have procrastinated a paper due in a day, get yourself to the Stacks — an absolutely silent study area. Surrounded by shelves of books — which are all available for checkout at the circulation desk, should one pique your interest — you can almost feel the weight of academia spurring your brain to complete your assignments. There are eight floors of stacks — two in the basement, six above.
Berry
FFB: FFB stands for first floor Berry. There are large computers available for studying and tables for groups. Think fast, though, because getting a seat in FFB during peak study hours requires diligence. It’s set at a loud noise level according to the library, and an enthusiastic tour group will likely spot you as they wind their way through. Still, FFB is a favorite, especially the small rooms that you can reserve for group projects and study needs.
2FB, 3FB, 4FB: 2FB, 3FB, and 4FB are shorthand terms for second floor Berry, third floor Berry, and fourth floor Berry. In theory, each floor is supposed to get quieter as it ascends. If you need a good noise level going on while you study, 2FB is the place for you. 3FB is supposed to be quiet, and if you’re chatting loudly you may get an angry callout. 4FB is silent. These floors have lots of comfortable spaces, chairs and desks for you to set up camp.
Jones Media Center: Located adjacent to 2FB, the Jones Media Center’s collections include an extensive range of movies, television series, documentaries, educational programs, music recordings and video and board games. You can rent equipment and reserve a room to record to your heart’s desire.
Evans Map Room: Want to brush up on your geography or just have the world around you while you work? Come to the Evans Map Room on the second floor of Berry. The Map Room’s collection consists of over 189,000 sheet maps and 3,000 atlases, books, aerial photos and globes. There is access to GIS software and large format printing and scanning for all your map and study needs.
Sherman Art Library: Located on the first floor of Berry, this room is art itself. There are great tables to study under soaring windows, surrounded by crafted wooden paneling, resting on a cozy tiled floor. When you study here, you are surrounded by Dartmouth’s art reference collection, journals and books. The Sherman Art Library often hosts an Art Special Collection of rare art historical materials and handmade artists’ books.
Specialty Libraries
Rauner Special Collections Library: Just next to Baker Library’s entrance on the green, the Rauner Special Collection Library houses over 100,000 rare books, millions of manuscripts and the extensive Dartmouth College Archives. From a three million dollar first edition of Shakespeare’s plays to a rare copy of Horace Walpole’s “The Castle of Otranto,” Rauner’s collection is unlike any other. The specialists inside Rauner are happy to help students interested in archival research and share their extensive rare book and manuscript knowledge.
Dana Biomedical Library & Matthews-Fuller Health Sciences Library: If anything regarding the health sciences is calling your name, both of these deserve a visit. Research support, reservable rooms and an extensive collection of health science materials abound here.
Feldberg Business & Engineering Library: Just off the Irving Building, the Feldberg Business & Engineering Library services the Tuck Business School and the Thayer School of Engineering as well as undergraduate students. Pop in for any entrepreneurial ideas and career assistance. It has ten Bloomberg terminals, expert staff and a reservable study and conference room.
Literary Arts Bridge: The Literary Arts Bridge is a new space located on 7 Lebanon Street. According to the first student worker at The Bridge, Devin Gifford ’27, it was established “specifically for creative writing work.”
According to Gifford, The Bridge has a large conference room and often hosts guest authors for readings or talks. The space also boasts six meeting rooms for individuals to write in peace; an expanding library of fiction, nonfiction, drama and poetry; a podcast recording studio; and a stocked kitchen.
As you begin your Dartmouth adventure, Chamberlain emphasized that the library is always a place to explore, study, research and fit in.
“We want to make sure that students feel like they have an intellectual home at Dartmouth, even before they pick a major or settle on a discipline,” he said. “From having a personal librarian to dedicated spaces and the partner work we do with the Student Success Center, [Dartmouth Libraries] is dedicated to making people feel like they have this really supportive environment when they land here. It’s never too soon for students to start engaging with the librarians.”
