PLACES TO STUDY AT DARTMOUTH
Residence halls are poor places to study due to the proximity of Blitzmail, computer games, TV, a
refrigerator, a phone, and friends. Learning in a place with fewer distractions will improve your
efficiency.
Comfortable Places
BY YOURSELF
 Sanborn Library is a great place to curl up with a book on a rainy afternoon. This library,
located on the first floor of Sanborn House, the building next to Baker, features cozy alcoves
and arm chairs. Tea is served daily at 4 pm.

Top of the Hop features lots of light and well-cushioned chairs by the windows. Unless groups
are meeting to study together, the Top of the Hop is usually quiet and fairly empty.
Places with Few Distractions

Dartmouth Hall is just one example of a classroom building that usually has vacant rooms in
the afternoon. No blitzmail, no intruders. Just complete silence and wooden chairs guaranteed
to keep you alert.

Dorm Study Rooms are a possibility depending on what dorm you live in. Some study rooms
are always empty. Often located in the basement, study rooms may have undecorated walls,
high windows you can’t see out of, and tables or study carrels.

The Baker Stacks are infamous for their austerity. Hidden away among musty-smelling books,
you can’t fail to concentrate. Park yourself at a carrel and get to work. Once you have hiked to
the ninth floor you won’t be tempted to run any errands or see what flavor frozen yogurt they’re
serving in food court.

The Berry Stacks are a new version of an old favorite. The Berry stacks offer the same
seclusion as the Baker stacks but with laptop friendly carrels and better lighting.

The Tower Room is always silent, and there are usually empty chairs. However, avoid the
Tower Room if you are feeling sleepy because the warmth and still air may lull you to sleep.
On any given day, half the people in the Tower Room have their eyes shut and their mouths
open.

Feldberg Library at the end of Tuck Drive, near residents of the River Cluster, provides a
motivational environment. The presence of business-like Tuck and Thayer graduate students,
the silent study area on the second floor, the availability of either carrels or large tables, makes
Feldberg Library an attractive study option. If you get hungry, you can stop by nearby Byrne
Hall for a snack.
 Rauner Special Collections Library holds the college archives. Rauner is not well know so it is
often quiet. Special care is taken to keep the library at a cool temperature to preserve the old
books which makes this a great place to study in the summer.
Revised Fall 2000, Meagan Verdeyen ‘03
©Academic Skills Center, Dartmouth College 2001
Social Places

The Novack Café located on the ground level of Berry is a great place for those late, late nights.
Open 24hrs a day, seven days a week, Novack give students access to public computers and the
print out window located on the ground level of Berry.

The Collis Living Room is where you study for half an hour between class and lunch, or when
you're too tired to walk anywhere else. There is a constant stream of people passing through,
including large tour groups, so don’t expect to get any serious work done here.

The Green truly becomes the center of campus life in the late spring. On a given day, half the
people there will be studying and half will be chatting or playing frisbee.

The Reserve Corridor is a mixture of students who are trying to read their reserve readings in
the two hour limit and those who like to talk while they study. Although popular in the
summer as it is air conditioned, the Reserves may be drafty in the winter. The acoustical effect
of the long hall creates a sort of low hum when there are a lot of students there.
WITH A GROUP

Classrooms are the best place to study with a group of people. You can take turns writing
problems on the blackboard and explaining them to each other. You will not disturb other
people or be disturbed by them, and there are plenty of seats for everyone.
 Rocky is in a central location, is open until midnight, and has space on both the first and second
floors for groups to meet.
 Berry has several group study rooms on the third and fourth floors. These rooms are in a
central location with easy access to food, computers and a supportive library staff.

Outside, on the nearest patch of grass, under a shady tree, provides a good group meeting place.
You can be as loud as you want and move around as much as you want (if you are preparing a
skit). Of course, there are only a couple months in the school year when studying outside is
practical in New Hampshire.
HOURS AND RATINGS
Tower Room
Novack Cafe
Reserve
Berry Stacks
BakerStacks
Sanborn
Rauner
Dana
HOURS
NOISE LEVEL
8 am - midnight
24hrs a day
8 am - mid
8 am - midnight
8 am - midnight
8 am - midnight
8 am-4:30 pm
7 am - midnight
very low
medium
high
low
very low
low
low
low
Revised Fall 2000, Meagan Verdeyen ‘03
©Academic Skills Center, Dartmouth College 2001
TABLE
SPACE
good
good
excellent
excellent
good
fair
good
good
Math Lib.
Paddock
Sherman
Feldberg
Kresge
Top of Hop
Collis
8 am - 10 pm
8 am - 10 pm
8 am - midnight
8 am - midnight
8 am - midnight
7 am - 11 pm
7:30 am - 1 am
Dartmouth
Rocky
7:30 - midnight
7:30 - midnight
Revised Fall 2000, Meagan Verdeyen ‘03
©Academic Skills Center, Dartmouth College 2001
low
low
low
low
low
medium
medium to
quiet
very low
low
good
fair
fair
excellent
good
fair
fair to excellent
good
good