Back in August, I posted on the updates to the ZSR Graduate Student Lounge, and now, thanks to feedback from the graduate students and data from Occuspace and key card use, I’m pleased to report that we’ve seen an increase in lounge usage!

Graduate Student Lounge Use 9/23 compared to 9/24

We gathered more data for the week of October 21 through Oct 27, 2024, to get a more detailed measure of lounge usage. During that week, the lounge was accessed by students 73 times by a total of 43 unique users. Feedback from a Google form accessed by QR Code in the Lounge has helped us understand what the students like about the space:

  • “I deeply appreciate and value the portraits and biographies in the space. A surprisingly inspirational connection to history amidst all the work.”
  • “Nice sunny windows, whiteboard, moveable chairs and tables.”
  • “I love that the graduate student lounge feels like a home away from home because I commute from Raleigh every day, and it’s very welcoming!”
  • “I like having a space committed to graduate students to unwind and study if need be.”
  • “I love how accommodating the graduate student lounge is!”
  • “I think the snack stash is amazing!”

We’ve also included some signage with QR Code links to the librarians who support graduate programs and have plans to increase that signage. The lounge has become a great location to market events for graduate students on campus. In the Fall, the Center for Learning, Access, and Student Success (CLASS), the Writing Center, the Graduate School, and ZSR collaborated to host a Graduate Student Writing and Working Group. That group is moving to ZSR 476 in the Spring because it needs more space!

Thanks to the Graduate School and the ZSR Library, the “Snack Stash,” funded in the Fall by a Library Innovation Grant, now has funding for the Spring 2025 semester.

ZSR Snack Stash in the Graduate Student Lounge

Thanks to everyone in ZSR and across campus who have made it possible for ZSR to create and support this space for graduate students!