Harvard Kennedy School

HKS Library Newsletter

Before Winter Break... ☃️

Congratulations to all for (almost) finishing up another semester! We in the HKS Library hope you have a rejuvenating break. In case you plan on getting a head start on spring coursework or assignments (looking at you, PAE and SYPA writers), here are some resources that may help. In case you don't, we have some stuff for you, too. In this email you'll find:

Library hours over Winter Break ❄️
Qualitative data & methods support for PAE/SYPA writers 📊
Student organizations & journals can now reserve the Library Commons 🛋️
Recommended break reading: Diversity, Inclusion, & Belonging Collection 📚

Library hours over Winter Break ❄️

Saturday, December 17 - Sunday, December 18: Closed
Monday, December 19 - Thursday, December 22: 8am - 5pm
Friday, December 23 - Monday, January 2: Closed

The HKS Library will reopen on Tuesday, January 3 with limited weekday hours (8am - 5pm). We will resume normal hours on Friday, January 20. Find our full hours online.

Qualitative data & methods support for PAE/SYPA writers 📊

If you're an MPP or MPA/ID student working on your PAE or SYPA, the Library is here to help! Our two Data & Methods Course Assistants can provide guidance on quantitative and qualitative research.

After not being able to offer a Qualitative Course Assistant for most of this semester due to unforeseen circumstances, we are excited to welcome Kailah McGee Adefolalu! She can help you:

Decide on research methods, including who to interview
Think through mixed methods integration
Draft interview guides, consent forms, and other research instruments
Design surveys
Code and organize qualitative data
Conduct qualitative data analysis

Kailah will be holding virtual office hours next Thursday (12/22), then will return in the new year.

Eleanor Krause is our Quantitative Course Assistant. She can help you:

Decide on research methods
Select data sources
Clean administrative and survey data
Calculate summary statistics
Regression and other data analysis

Eleanor will not be holding office hours next week, and will resume her Tuesday/Thursday sessions on December 27.

Find details and sign up for office hours on Knet

Student organizations & journals can now reserve the Library Commons 🛋️

Registered HKS student organizations and journals can now reserve the Library Commons for events and meetings! It's available Monday - Friday, 5:00 - 11:00 pm. Groups making reservations must follow the guidelines on Knet.

The Library Commons is a collaborative, comfortable, and accessible space located directly to the left of the main HKS Library entrance. It can fit up to 35 people with two areas for group seating, and has access to computers, printers, charging stations, community artwork, and our Diversity, Inclusion, & Belonging Collection.

Find details and make your reservation on Knet

Covers of six highlighted titles in the Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging Collection at the HKS Library.

Recommended break reading: Diversity, Inclusion, & Belonging Collection 📚

The Diversity, Inclusion, & Belonging (DIB) Collection features books and films that represent the multitude of identities that make up our vibrant HKS community. In it you'll find writings on the direct experiences - whether joyful, painful, or otherwise - of those who have faced systemic marginalization. The DIB Collection focuses on literary nonfiction, memoirs, essays, novels, and poetry.

Winter Break is a perfect time to dive into the DIB Collection! Here are some of our most popular titles of 2022:

Convenience Store Woman: A Novel by Sakaya Murata
Her Body and Other Parties: Stories by Carmen Maria Machado
Washington Black by Esi Edugyan
Whereabouts: A Novel by Jhumpa Lahiri
The Collected Schizophrenias: Essays by Esmé Weijun Wang
Heavy: An American Memoir by Kiese Laymon

We are always taking recommendations on what to add to the DIB Collection! Fill out this form or email library_research@hks.harvard.edu to share your favorite books on identity and belonging.