Which Colleges Have the Best Libraries?

College Search & Selection
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<p>Basically what the title says. I know Yale, Harvard, Princeton etc probably have the best, but which ones have libraries that are both beautiful on the interior? And, which ones have the best features/services? I think Columbia's Butler Library is gorgeous! Any others?</p>

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<p>UVA’s libraries are amazing!</p>

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<p>[The</a> Most Beautiful College Libraries (PHOTOS)](<a href=“The Most Beautiful College Libraries (PHOTOS) | HuffPost College”>The Most Beautiful College Libraries (PHOTOS) | HuffPost College)</p>

<p>I really like University of Chicago!</p>

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<p>SeattleBulldog: I was actually just looking at the list! UChicago’s is beautiful!</p>

<p>Could someone rank these from best to worst?</p>

<p>Boston College
Brown University
Georgetown University
Bryn Mawr College
Bowdoin College
Middlebury College
University of Chicago
The Claremont Colleges
College of the Holy Cross
Barnard College/Columbia University
University of Southern California
Tufts University
Emory University
Johns Hopkins University</p>

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<p>exegesis: UVA’s entire campus is beautiful! :slight_smile: You’re so lucky you go there!</p>

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<p>Anybody else?</p>

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<p>Duke’s Perkins library is amazing, particularly after the new renovations and the construction of Bostock. A virtual tour can be found on the Duke website:</p>

<p>[About</a> Duke University Libraries](<a href=“http://library.duke.edu/about/]About”>About Duke University Libraries | Duke University Libraries)</p>

<p>Lilly (on the freshman East campus) is also quite pretty, and the Law library is exceedingly comfortable. </p>

<p>A few more of my favorites…</p>

<p>App State: [Exterior</a> view](<a href=“Blog | Workers Compensation Insurance”>Blog | Workers Compensation Insurance)
Boston College: [Exterior</a> view](<a href=“http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8e/BCburnslawnsunset.jpg]Exterior”>http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8e/BCburnslawnsunset.jpg) / [Interior</a> view](<a href=“WBUR”>WBUR)
Bryn Mawr: [Exterior</a> view](<a href=“http://wohlsenconstruction.com/assets/uploads/projects/Bryn_Mawr_College_Library_Exterior.jpg]Exterior”>http://wohlsenconstruction.com/assets/uploads/projects/Bryn_Mawr_College_Library_Exterior.jpg)
Uris @ Cornell: [Interior</a> view](<a href=“http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CjyKC0qYp78/TaZz0lPFUyI/AAAAAAAAANU/jvbN1e7qYlM/s1600/UrisLibrary.jpg]Interior”>http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CjyKC0qYp78/TaZz0lPFUyI/AAAAAAAAANU/jvbN1e7qYlM/s1600/UrisLibrary.jpg)
Peabody @ Hopkins: [Interior</a> view](<a href=“http://www.fscottfitzgeraldsociety.org/conferences/baltimore2009/images_2009/Peabody_Library.jpg]Interior”>http://www.fscottfitzgeraldsociety.org/conferences/baltimore2009/images_2009/Peabody_Library.jpg)
Fisher @ Penn: [Exterior</a> view](<a href=“http://farm1.static.■■■■■■■■■■/8/8864902_af4a0d9304.jpg]Exterior”>http://farm1.static.■■■■■■■■■■/8/8864902_af4a0d9304.jpg) / [Interior</a> view](<a href=“http://archrecord.construction.com/community/TopTenPhotos/081128/2.jpg]Interior”>http://archrecord.construction.com/community/TopTenPhotos/081128/2.jpg)
Barret @ Rhodes: [Exterior</a> view](<a href=“http://farm4.static.■■■■■■■■■■/3642/3588966671_ce61bd1763.jpg]Exterior”>http://farm4.static.■■■■■■■■■■/3642/3588966671_ce61bd1763.jpg) / [Interior</a> view](<a href=“http://dlynx.rhodes.edu/jspui/retrieve/14630/Barret%20Library%20Stairs.jpg.preview.jpg]Interior”>http://dlynx.rhodes.edu/jspui/retrieve/14630/Barret%20Library%20Stairs.jpg.preview.jpg)
Powell @ UCLA: [Exterior</a> view](<a href=“http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/ff/Powell_Library,_UCLA_(front_view).jpg]Exterior”>http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/ff/Powell_Library,_UCLA_(front_view).jpg) / [Interior</a> view](<a href=“http://farm6.static.■■■■■■■■■■/5171/5404444489_d9acbcb1f1.jpg]Interior”>http://farm6.static.■■■■■■■■■■/5171/5404444489_d9acbcb1f1.jpg)
Vassar: [Exterior</a> view](<a href=“http://www.aavc.vassar.edu/images/news/Feb2008/library.jpg]Exterior”>http://www.aavc.vassar.edu/images/news/Feb2008/library.jpg) / [Interior</a> view](<a href=“http://library.vassar.edu/files/images/front_photo_interior.jpg]Interior”>http://library.vassar.edu/files/images/front_photo_interior.jpg)</p>

<p>Ugliest libraries: Brown, Northwestern, and Toronto</p>

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<p>^^ Restored William Oxley Thompson Library @ TOSU</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.bfhstudios.com/slideshowpro/albums/album-5/lg/reading_room_Panorama1.jpg[/url]”>http://www.bfhstudios.com/slideshowpro/albums/album-5/lg/reading_room_Panorama1.jpg&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p><a href=“Ohio State's Thompson Library: History and Architecture - YouTube”>Ohio State's Thompson Library: History and Architecture - YouTube;

<p>Go Bucks!! :)</p>

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<p>Does anyone have a picture of the interior of Brown’s main library or Georgetown’s?</p>

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<p>warbersrule86: That stinks that Brown’s library is ugly! Brown’s my first choice and I was going to apply ED, but I wish its library was prettier… Did you mean the inside or outside of it?</p>

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<p>Wake Forest’s Z Smith Reynolds library is very nice too</p>

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<p>

Either, though I was mostly referring to the outside. The main library (the Rock) and the science library (SciLi) are both quite ugly. The latter looks like a concrete washboard. I was admittedly glad to have it around the week I was at Brown visiting friends since it’s tall and helped me navigate back to campus, but it was also something of an eyesore relative to the rest of Brown and Providence. </p>

<p><a href=“http://students.brown.edu/bruin/vtour/main-pictures/stop2.jpg[/url]”>http://students.brown.edu/bruin/vtour/main-pictures/stop2.jpg&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p><a href=“http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6b/BrownScienceLibrary1.JPG/220px-BrownScienceLibrary1.JPG[/url]”>http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6b/BrownScienceLibrary1.JPG/220px-BrownScienceLibrary1.JPG&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>To be fair, the Hay library is nicer though a bit austere.</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.finebooksmagazine.com/issue/201105/graphics/hay_library.jpg[/url]”>http://www.finebooksmagazine.com/issue/201105/graphics/hay_library.jpg&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>I second the above post about Wake’s library; I meant to include it earlier. It’s extremely cozy, and the main reading room is very nice.</p>

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<p>University of Kentucky has the 2nd largest library in the nation (to Harvard) ive only drove by it but it looks very nice.</p>

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<p>^^^ This is a joke, right? </p>

<p><a href=“http://www.ala.org/ala/professionalresources/libfactsheets/alalibraryfactsheet22.cfm[/url]”>http://www.ala.org/ala/professionalresources/libfactsheets/alalibraryfactsheet22.cfm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>Vassar’s library is stunning. Glad it made the list!</p>

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<p>Indiana University is just shy of the Top 10 in holding size. Won’t win any architectural awards, though - the building is a pair of windowless limestone blocks, a-la Stalinist Brutalism circa 1960s.</p>

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<p>I don’t know the answer, but I LOVE this question <3</p>

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<p>Boston College’s is awesome, I always hear it compared to that in Harry Potter.</p>

<p>I really like UChicago’s and Georgetown’s as well.</p>

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<p>I do really like Vassar’s library. It has a unique look to it. Does anyone else think Bowdoin’s main library is ugly? And I’m talking about the inside.</p>

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<p>Kcombs: Do you have a picture of Georgetown’s? I can seem to find one. I looked through Google Images and Flickr.</p>