Open hours: Normal academic hours during A-D Terms for WPI students, faculty & staff are from 8 am to 1 am Monday through Thursday, from 8 am to 9 pm on Friday, from 11 am to 9 pm on Saturday, and from 11 am to 1 am on Sunday. For detailed hours of service please check our hours page.
Location: The Library is between Fuller Hall and Unity Hall on the hill overlooking Boynton Street, a short walk from the Rubin Campus Center. Find the library’s location on the campus map. For directions to the WPI campus and information on parking and public transportation, see Coming to Campus.
Visiting: The Gordon Library is open to the WPI community, alumni, and the general public. Please note: after 9 p.m. Sunday - Thursday, card access is needed to enter the building.
Archives & Special Collections: We welcome the WPI community to our unique historical archives, rare books, works of art, and records documenting WPI’s culture and history. Access to the archives is available during our posted open hours and by-appointment. Appointments allow our team to prepare materials for your use and coordinate to ensure we have staff available to support your interests and needs. We are also glad to meet with you remotely before your visit to find out what you need to consult and to plan your work in the archives.
Computers, printers, & other technology:
Computers are available on the first (lower) level in the Multimedia Lab and the adjacent Anderson Lab; there are also computers on the entry level in the Info Commons opposite the Library Café near the IT Service Desk. 
The IT Service Desk also provides lending laptops; check with them for more information. Printers are available on the main, lower, and upper levels of the library (1st, 2nd, and 3rd floors). Scanners, including a face-up book scanner, are also available in several locations.
Course reserves:
The library offers a print course reserves program for textbooks and other materials provided by faculty.
The library also works with faculty to purchase or license accessible digital versions of preferred books when possible, and supports faculty in using high-quality zero-cost open access course materials to ensure the greatest possible access and decrease student costs. Students looking for digital course materials can find them in their Canvas course or are welcome to ask for help from our staff.
De-Stress programs:
We are committed to helping students de-stress throughout the Term: watch for information about de-stress events or resources in our social media. We regularly have crafts and other relaxing activities (puzzles, coloring) available for you! Everyone in the WPI community can join our twice-weekly mindfulness sessions. Short, sweet, and always welcoming, they happen every Wednesday at 12:15pm and every Thursday at 2:15pm. You can join in person or on zoom. Check the calendar on the library's home page for details. The library’s Reflection Space on the 1st floor is also open to all.
Digital WPI:
Digital WPI is Gordon Library's platform for sharing student projects and research - from GPS posters, to IQPs and MQPs, to graduate theses and dissertations. This platform makes it easy to find works by Project Center, advisor, author, and key themes. The platform also features a complete digital collection of C
harles Dickens’s novels in their original serial form; over 9000 historic images of WPI, selected faculty research articles, and full historic sets of WPI yearbooks, student newspapers, and other WPI publications, as well as digital exhibits.
E-books and e-journals:
Gordon Library provides the WPI community with free access to millions of research articles, news stories, digital media, and over a million ebooks. They can be found by using WPI Library Search (on our home page), by using Browzine (click on 'Journals" below the WPI Library Search box), or by using our phenomenal Databases & Electronic Resources list. All can be used off campus by authenticating as WPI students, staff, or faculty. Alumni and those not affiliated with WPI can also use these resources, but on site only. Ask at the Information Desk for more information.
Eating & drinking policies:
The library’s food-friendly policies allow eating and drinking in most library areas, with the exception of the Archives and in computer labs. The Library Café on the entrance level offers food and drinks through a self-service 'micro-market' during all library open hours. Water fountains offering filtered water are also available throughout the library.
Instruction:
Our instruction librarians are preparing high-quality instruction resources and experiences for your courses and can deliver both in-person and virtual instruction (synchronously or asynchronously).
Interlibrary loan:
Interlibrary loan services (ILL) are available for print books as well as desktop delivery of digital articles, book chapters, and other items not owned or licensed by WPI. We will notify you when your item is ready for you to pick up. If you’re unable to come to campus to pick up your items, please let us know when you submit your ILL requests, so that we can work with you to arrange an alternative delivery option.
Print books & journals: 
The library’s print book and journal collections on all four floors are accessible to retrieve materials yourself. Please note that the book and DVD collections from the third floor have been moved to the Ground floor to make space for new seating.
If you’d rather not retrieve books or journals yourself, you can look up the item in our online catalog (WPI Library Search) and submit an online request for the item, and our staff will retrieve it for you, and send you an email when the item is ready. You will be able to pick it up at the front information desk, just inside the main entrance; or request our curbside service, and we will hand it to you outside the library’s main entrance. Requests will be done as quickly as staffing allows but may take up to 48 hours to fulfill. If you’re unable to come to campus to pick up your items, please let us know when you submit your requests, so that we can work with you to arrange an alternative delivery option.
Research and team consults:
Our research and project team support librarians can support on-campus students and students who are attending classes remotely. All consultations can be easily scheduled online and can be conducted using Zoom, or held in-person.
Restrooms and water fountains:
There are at least 3 restrooms on each floor, including at least one accessible and/or gender-neutral restroom on each floor. Visitors are asked to be considerate of others by leaving the restroom clean and exiting as soon as you’re done, so the restroom is available for others. Water dispensers throughout the building are available to fill your personal cups or bottles with filtered water.
Tech Suites:
The Gordon Library has 10 Tech Suites located throughout the library that are available for current WPI students for GROUP use only, Tech Suites can be reserved for up to 3 hours at a time and with a limit of two advance reservations per week.
Our two “phone booths” (small individual rooms on the entry level / 2nd floor) are available for interviews or solo study. A new interview room can be reserved on the lower / first floor (adjacent to the Multimedia Lab). The Large Group Tech Suite (206) on the entry level is available by priority for groups of more than 6.
Updates:
We’ll update you with important changes by sharing updates on the library website, on library Twitter and Instagram accounts, and through other regular campus communication channels.
Visitors:
Visitors not affiliated with WPI are welcome to visit the Gordon Library, including students and faculty at other Worcester-area universities and colleges and ARC institutions Please just note that WPI card access is required in the evenings after 6 pm Friday and Saturday or after 8 pm Sunday through Thursday.
Your ideas and questions:
Thank you for your ideas and support as we work together to make the Gordon Library a safe, welcoming, and healthy environment for everyone at WPI. Questions or ideas? Let us know!
Zzzzzzz:
Sleep is important! It keeps our minds sharp, keeps us physically healthy, helps reduce stress and anxiety, and promotes emotional wellness. If you want to take a nap while you’re working in the library, we understand. Enjoy a rest on our popular beanbags, and if you haven’t tried our rocking chairs in the Reflection Space (on the lower/1st floor), you may find them a good spot when you need to close your eyes and take a break.
library@wpi. edu
Icons on this guide are from the Noun Project, Digital WPI, or WPI Marketing.
