Libraries writing retreat provides graduate students support, community

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — In spring 2025, Shelley Zhou read about a writing retreat for Penn State graduate students and decided it offered a perfect opportunity to pursue a goal.

Zhou, a fourth-year doctoral candidate in history, said she wanted to apply for a Penn State Humanities Institute Graduate Student Residency Fellowship. She received an email about Penn State University Libraries’ Graduate Student Writing Retreat, scheduled for spring break week, and signed up immediately.

“I wanted to stay productive during the break, and this seemed like a good way to do so,” she said. She used the time to complete her application and draft part of a dissertation chapter.

“I really enjoyed going to the library early every morning,” Zhou said. “I’d find a good study room, say hello to some of my fellow grad students while we lined up for coffee, and then get to work.”

Those are exactly the kinds of projects for which the writing retreat was planned, said Rebecca Waltz, associate dean for learning and engagement, Penn State University Libraries.

“This retreat was designed to provide graduate students with a community of support alongside plenty of free writing time to work on individual projects,” Waltz said. “It creates an essential opportunity for our library colleagues to support and engage with graduate students.”

The Graduate Student Writing Retreat was originally conceived by employees in the Fletcher L. Byrom Earth and Mineral Sciences Library as an opportunity for grad students in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences. After a hiatus during the coronavirus pandemic, the event was expanded to include the other STEM libraries, including those for engineering, life sciences, medicine, and physical sciences and mathematics. This year, the planning committee decided to expand the event to include participants from the areas of humanities and social sciences, business, education and law as well.

“Over the past three years, we’ve alternated between the EMS Library and Pattee Library in an effort to introduce graduate students to different library spaces on campus,” said Sara Kern, engineering librarian and a member of the planning committee. “We plan to continue rotating the location for future retreats.”

The Writing Retreat is one of a number of events organized by University Libraries specifically for graduate students to address their unique needs. Other such events include mixers, which allow students to become acquainted with faculty librarians and one another; “Finish-It Fridays,” which provide additional opportunities to work on writing projects with assistance from subject librarians; and workshops addressing research topics and other issues of importance to graduate students.

“Our goals are to introduce students to library resources and support in an informal setting and to create space and structure for them to expand their social and professional networks, since graduate school can be very isolating,” said Kern. “We're doing that at the writing retreat by offering a space and time for them to write, during which their other needs — like accountability, research help and food — are supported by the Libraries. Many of the students mention that they appreciate the community aspect of the retreat and the opportunity to interact with other students.”

During spring break, more than 90 registered participants began the week by signing in at Pattee Library and Paterno Library’s Collaboration Commons and receiving a study pack filled with items to help them get the most out of the retreat. Each bag contained a notebook, pens, sticky notes, a University Libraries beanie and other items. A total of 135 participants spent one or more days at the library that week to take advantage of quiet writing time as well as workshops offered on topics of interest to graduate students.

“Previous workshop topics focused on themes like stress reduction and wellness, as well as research topics,” said Kern. “When we asked for feedback, we learned students were most interested in the research topics, so we shifted the focus accordingly.”

Ample spaces for collaborative work were available. Sixteen small group study rooms provided privacy and quiet, while the larger multipurpose room was used for workshops presented by University Libraries faculty and staff on research data, reference management software and artificial intelligence.

“The venue and ambience were perfect for writing,” one attendee wrote in a follow-up survey. “I have decided to use the Commons now for other serious writing assignments.”

Lunch was ordered from a different restaurant each day, and coffee, tea and snacks also were provided. This amenity was greatly appreciated by another attendee, who said, “I loved that lunch was provided. That really helped me not have to worry about leaving campus to go find food in the middle of writing hours.”

Some students, like Zhou, used their time at the library to edit and format dissertation chapters. Others completed sections of journal articles and made significant progress on other manuscripts.

“I was able to finally finish an article I have not been able to work on since last December,” said one. “The dedicated and uninterrupted writing hours allowed me to complete the draft and send it to my collaborators.”

“I attended for one day, during which I wrote two pages and added important figures,” said another. “Based on my previous efforts, I don’t think I would have been as productive elsewhere.”

Zhou, meanwhile, was accepted for the Humanities Institute Graduate Student Residency, which she said she plans to use in spring 2026 to focus on her dissertation research and writing without needing a teaching income.

“All the librarians were very welcoming,” she said. “It was great to get out of the house over spring break and work in the supportive environment they created for us.”

Follow-up survey respondents also included those who have attended the workshop multiple times. “Events like this make grad students feel valued and that we belong here," shared a second-year attendee.