Reopening Refresher: Library Floors and Study Spaces

6th floor of library with study carrels
Our scenic 6th floor

It’s August and activity in the library is ramping up!  Now that many of you are returning after a break or visiting for the first time, we wanted to give you a little refresher on some basic information about the library spaces. As a reminder, masks are required everywhere in the building, except when eating.

You can find us on floors 4-7 of the Medical Education building. The basic rule of thumb is that the higher the floor is, the quieter it is.

The 4th floor is our main floor and the major hub of activity in the library. It’s not necessarily loud all of the time, but it sees a lot of foot traffic throughout the day between the cafe, Library Service Desk, printers, and open seating. We’d say this is your best bet for when you want to take a little break and socialize.

The 5th floor is much quieter than the 4th floor, but conversation is still allowed. We have a large classroom, two computer labs, the IT Walk-Up Desk, Data Lab, and public computers up here, so many people come and go throughout the day. Things tend to quiet down in the evening, however. The 5th floor is also home to our collaboration rooms. Beginning in September, groups of 2 or more will be able to reserve them for collaborative work again. You can read up on the poli\cies here. 

The 6th floor is our first official quiet floor. We have study carrels and small tables for independent quiet study. There are two large classrooms up there as well, and we’d like to remind those using the classrooms to remain quiet when they are out on the main floor.

The 7th floor is also a quiet floor and has many study carrels and small study rooms. These rooms aren’t soundproof, so please be sure to be mindful of your noise level when working in there. These rooms are not reservable and access is on a first-come, first-served basis for groups, who may ask lone occupants to vacate. Rooms unoccupied for more than 15 minutes become available even if belongings remain in the room.

Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at hhsl@tufts.edu if you have any questions! We look forward to seeing you around the library!