Abstract
Researchers at the University of New Mexico used a modified critical incident technique study to explore the lived experiences of graduate students in their roles as students, researchers, and teachers. The authors interviewed 20 graduate students in 2022 and then evaluated transcribed responses through two stages of qualitative coding. The students described their multiple roles during their graduate programs and the support they seek for their academic success and overall lives, along with common themes of struggling to secure adequate resources, both financial and social. Analysis of their responses will help align practitioner strategies and library service offerings with their needs, focusing on three major efforts: shaping a newly opened Graduate Commons into a nexus on campus; using existing library services, such as communications, marketing, outreach, and information literacy instruction, to improve the relationship between graduate students and the library; and creating more opportunities for graduate students to work within campus libraries. This study adds to the literature by representing a diverse urban student population in the southwestern United States, along with providing a snapshot of the short-term impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on graduate education.