Reviews of Main Library (Library)

David Borger Germann

Stacks and stacks of books, free fast WiFi, and a cafe. I could live here.

CJ Flynn

I have a community borrower's permit from U of I and really enjoy their library I could spend days just reading all the books they have available. I think its great that any resident of Iowa can borrower books from them for Free!!!

fisher 1914

Largest public university library in the United States. You can find almost anything you are looking for.

Brandon Plond

Good for students

mike schuler

I am routinely disappointed by the lack of professionalism on behalf of the universities staff decision making. I can't believe how the staff seems to be clueless that this is a library and that it should remain quiet for those who are trying to study. Also, the ongoing construction is distracting, for the extreme high tuition that is being charged for this university I would expect the facilities people to have this work done outside of normal business hours. This is not a library, it is a construction site.

Shriram Varadarajan

Very quiet place if you want to study

Jeffery Lebowski

The University of Iowa library is HUGE and COMPREHENSIVE - it is amazing. The main problem I have with the library - and why I rate it so low - is that several times a year they fail to scan in a book when I return it. This has happened to me multiple times. They always claim they have looked for it, and then charge me. Sometimes later they will email and say they have found it, and sometimes I will be looking for a book and find it on the shelf (it has been shelved without being scanned back in). I have NEVER received an apology or acknowledgement that they messed up, and that is frustrating. I want to say "You are a library with 2 main tasks: check books out and check books in - if you fail at that you suck at your primary purpose." Agh! - the dude abides

Philip Huang

Wow. This place is awesome - great spaces, very large. Only problem is that it can get crowded with undergrads... but that's not the library's problem.

G Rudderham

I give the University of Iowa Main Library 5 stars for its facilities, but only 3 stars for professionalism and service. The main library has a good collection of materials. The study rooms are spacious and usually well-equipped. Tables, chairs, whiteboards and pens are available. A convenience shop is also available; the food is of course not restaurant quality, but it makes one's life easier when one forgets to eat a proper breakfast. The computers are great, available on every floor and often come with an extra monitor. Most of the employees are friendly and helpful. I hate writing about the negative aspects of the library probably as much as its employees hate to read about these aspects. In all fairness most of the employees are very nice and pleasant. There is only one particular lady who is usually a bit snippy, but I suppose I must have run into her on her bad days. I have two main complaints about the service: 1) I work for the Statistics Tutor Lab, and the lab's director leaves the sign-in clipboard with the library front desk. The staff at the front desk often has trouble finding the clipboard when I come to pick it up. Sometimes the clipboard was lost. Sometimes it was kept in a place unknown to the staff member to whom I talked. Sometimes the staff member didn't know such a clipboard existed. 2) Several books were once checked out under my name, even though I didn't borrow them. When I called the library about the issue, I received frosty questions about the truthfulness of my statements that might have been accompanied by incredulous stares at the other side of the phone line. I emailed them after that, thanking them profusely for looking into the issue for me. I was kept waiting for a week, then was informed that the books were returned. I thanked God that the borrower didn't just grab the books and run, and emailed the library once more to thank them for their effort, this time ever more profusely than the last. They never sent me an apology for the inconvenience, never even acknowledged that there might have been a chance of things going wrong on their end, such as a computer issue, or a poorly trained student assistant made a mistake with checking the books out. I understand that there was a conflict of interests, but is something friendly a long the line of "We are sorry to hear about the issue. As you probably understand, there is a conflict of interests in this situation, but we'll do our best to resolve the issue. Please give us a few days to investigate further, and thank you for your patience." so hard to say? Please remember that kindness can make one's day, whereas inconsiderateness can ruin it.

AJ Beattie

Excellent Library! Several floors and seemingly endless shelves off books provide many "hiding" spots to burrow away and study for long hours. Grad Students will particularly enjoy the Grad Student-only study room located on the north side of the third floor and overlooking AJB/BCSB plaza, which features nice large desks with outlets. The grad sit lounge features privacy dividers, and spiny chairs (you will need your student ID to swipe the rooms locks). The downstairs levels are a little noisier, but sometimes the din of the coffee shop and groups meeting together can lull you into a deep state of focus - if not, the uppermost floors (especially 5) are significantly quieter. There are plenty of computers on the second floor, as well as soda machines on all levels to keep you caffeinated. This isn't the biggest or fanciest library in the Big Ten, but it packs the essential library qualities where it counts!

Wanda Stokes

It is just a quiet place 2 be relax or study✏️

Wade Summers

Good study rooms

Jason H

Needs to wait until 11:45 p.m. until parking fee is free. I don't understand why school is trying to earn money from parking fee. Not enough with tuition? Huh?

Haydar Aljaafari

Excellent study and reading place! plenty of rooms, coaches, tables, desks and public use computers which makes you willing to study for long hours. The downstairs level have food cafeteria which give the din of the coffee shop, also there is several groups meeting and conformance rooms and areas in addition to the recording studio. if you are looking for quit place you can go to upper levels or reserve a privet study room. All in all it has all of what your need for studding place.

Joe Germ

5.5 million books!

Alex Lee

I basically lived here freshman and sophomore year.

Giotto Rao

The best library in UIUC！

Kathy Copas

The UIUC library is outstanding. It offers technology (and help with how to use it) and has every book you could ever want or need. I'm a graduate student and use the library religiously. Also, the librarians are so thoughtful and are extremely kind even when I am checking out about twenty books at one time.

Nima Hamidi

Great place to study!

Jessie Wells

I love our library, but it needs better hours.

Dada VFC

An awesome library, with huge spaces and a lot of very good facilities! Thanks to his excellency Mr. Timothy Shipe, you may discover here probably the best archive about (all kind of aspects of) Dada Movement: periodicals, magazines, reviews, scans of a large series of documents and so on! An amazing place, for sure!!!

sefonobong Obot

It's a wonderful place for students.

Larissa Sapak

DADA

yanyu wu

在学校留下心酸泪水的地方。哭着赶due的地方

Josh E.

A pretty good, quiet library with all of your literary needs! They have classics as well as the latest books for you to enjoy. Check it out!

Jonathan Kroepel

This place is a great place to read and research.

Nicholas Rozek

Very helpful staff and comfy chairs.

Kenny H.C. Wang

A nearly perfect place to study. +Perfect meeting room and study spaces. +Open to public +Great quantity of book collections +Useful ITC Lab and printer provided for students -The open time during the weekends are just too short: I wish it could open until midnight. -The study spaces are sometimes insufficient during the rush hours and Sunday night: Check google map to avoid bad, crowded times. +/- Mostly brand new, but few places (really just one or two) are a bit outdated. I personally are a great fan of the library service here. As a student, it’s more than useful to borrow charging cable for my MacBook, my iPhone and power bank- and the service manner here is almost perfect. Most staff who worked here are polite-mannered students and they’re more than just hospitable. However, there is one staff here who acts in a rude and impatient manner that really annoys me occasionally. Despite that, this place is pretty nice.