Also, you need to know where to procure textbooks and research for the many brilliant papers you will be writing now that you are a member of the club (or at least to get you through the program).

Since many of the journals at the CCNY library seem to only be current through the mid-1970s, it is wise to know what other resources are available. All of the following are in Manhattan:

Baruch College (151 East 25th Street between Lexington and 3rd Avenues): Though Baruch is a business college, they have many current subscriptions to psychoanalytic and psychotherapy journals. And, because it’s part of the CUNY system, we can get in without a problem. They seem to have internet hook-ups for those of us with laptops, and I’ve heard that there are computers for general use on the top floor, though I have never personally seen them. The library is comfortable, quiet, and beautiful.

Columbia Psychology Library (409 Schermerhorn building, inside the Morningside Heights campus, on Amsterdam and roughly West 117th Street): They have a decent collection of journals and books from all branches of psychology. Though, technically, you are not allowed to use the library unless you are affiliated with Columbia, I have never been asked once by any of the lethargic undergrads manning the door to produce identification. But you have been warned.

The New York Psychoanalytic Institute (247 East 82nd Street between 2nd and 3rd Avenues): Referred to by many as “The Institute,” the building houses an extensive and current library of, you guessed it, psychoanalytic journals and books, and a very helpful and knowledgeable librarian. It is open to members of the public who have good use for it.

New York Public Library (5th Avenue and 42nd Street): Just a hop, skip, and a jump from the Graduate Center, you can find pretty much anything at this, the epicenter of the NYPL, the city’s main research venue. You can’t take anything out of here, and you need some sort of identification to check out books and journals on reserve, but if you’re into one-stop-shopping, this is your place. And you can always have a “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” moment there, which I always find helps me get through the week.

http://nyfreudian.org/abstracts: Though not a physical library per se, this is like Cliffs Notes for Freud, if you will. The New York Freudian Society has compiled and summarized all of the volumes of the Standard Edition at this wondrous site. Not that I endorse cheating or skimming of any sort, but sometimes it helps to get a good overview, especially when you’re wet behind the ears.

You might want to hang on to some of the books you find more important and interesting, so here are some places in Manhattan to get a good deal:

The Strand (828 Broadway at 12th Street; 95 Fulton Street between William and Gold Streets): If you’ve never been here, shame on you! When Other Books closed a few years ago, they sold their overstock to the Strand, so they have a lot of good psychology books for cheap. Also, it seems like when analysts are cleaning out their offices, they sell their books to the Strand, so there are some great old crusty books here too. They don’t always have what you’re looking for, but it’s a good place to start, and to check back periodically.

Addall.com (your computer): I would not have been able to get though graduate school without this site (I’m not done yet, so maybe I shouldn’t say that). You enter a title or an author, and it compares prices for the book in question at every other book-selling site you can think of (Amazon, Powell’s, etc.). Simply amazing.

The Last Word Bookstore (1181 Amsterdam Avenue at West 118th Street): This is a smaller bookstore with a great selection of used psychological and psychoanalytic books. Another place the analysts go when they clean out their offices (and some professors too, it seems).

Labyrinth Books (536 West 112th Street between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue): No used books here, but one minute in this place will make you proud to be in academia. They have possibly the best selection of psychology and psychoanalytic books around, though it ain’t cheap. But if you buy from here you’re supporting an independent bookstore, so your wallet will be a little bit lighter, but you can feel good about where your money is going.

Barnes & Noble (105 5th Avenue at 18th Street): And speaking of independent bookstores, here is the exact opposite. Of course, this branch has an excellent psychology section and better prices than Labyrinth, but it’s up to you if your soul is worth 7% off the cost of Therapeutic Communication.

And as long as you’re in the Columbia area buying books and checking out journals, you’re going to need a place to read all of this stimulating literature. You might as well go to my favorite café, The Hungarian Pastry Shop on Amsterdam Avenue at 111th Street to grab a cup of joe. Come on, after all of this intellectual toil you deserve some strong coffee and an apricot hamentashen.