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To provide insight and practical perspectives into the needs of university students regarding places to gather, develop community, and find restoration on the college campus. This information can be used by libraries as they seek to encourage library use by students.

About 44 students were sent into the field to document the location and physical characteristics of the “third place.” The questionnaire and field notes recorded by the students addressed the central questions of what spaces constituted their third places, the location of those spaces, the activities in which they participated while there, the factors that contributed to their selection of those places, and the important design features of those third places. In addition, the research team observed students in library settings and interviewed library administrators.

About 80 percent of students indicated that their favorite third place was off campus. These places were overwhelmingly coffee shops and restaurants. The major functions served by their third places included socialization and relaxation.

These findings provide insight into the way students now study, research, and communicate. Libraries can use this information as they design spaces that encourage students to come to the library to study, as well as socialize, converse, find restoration, and simply “hang out.”

The paper brings together practical information from an interdisciplinary team that can aid libraries interested in renovating spaces to accommodate students of the twenty‐first century.

This study aims to examine the library/information issues affecting graduate students, both those on taught courses and those undertaking research. It seeks to focus specifically on their perceptions of the value to them of physical and digital resources and spaces, and how well their needs were being met.

An online questionnaire survey of students was complemented by a series of face‐to‐face interviews with library staff.

This group of students are different from undergraduates, whose information behaviour has more often been studied. They require silent study space, are enthusiastic book borrowers, and have limited interest in social media in the library. They have a strong requirement for digital resources and IT support, and are not inclined to ask for assistance from librarians.

The study is limited to three English universities, although they are sufficiently varied in nature to make the results more widely applicable.

The survey provides evidence for librarians in universities and colleges serving graduate students as to the best form of provision, and for any library seeking to make best use of its space as resources become increasingly digital.

This is one of the few studies to examine the information behaviour and needs of advanced students. It contributes to the debate on the future of the library as place in a digital age.