Library Bar

You can still smoke in here. I like how cheap it is. I was totally studying…

Drenched in authentic dive charm, The Library is one of those good old college bars that has managed to stand the test of time, which is easier said than done in this city. As the daughter of an English professor at OSU, I grew up hearing stories about Larry’s but it was long gone before I started exploring Columbus’ bar scene. Luckily, The Library doesn’t appear to be going anywhere. The place is straight out of a Billy Joel song with a wooden interior, dingy basement, sticky floors and a jukebox stuck in the late nineties. The booths are treasure troves of carvings and Sharpied inside jokes, the drinks are cheap and the people-​watching is enough to keep one entertained for hours. My only complaint was that the Simpson’s pinball machine alluded to in several of the reviews was nowhere to be found. Still, with a bill under $ 10 for three drinks and a shot, I’ll be back. Stumble over to Cazulea’s for some late-​nite nachos for the full effect and party on.

Divey, can get crowded, generally filled with salt of the earth people.

Great little dive near the shoe on Lane & High next door to BW3. They have a Touchtunes juke box, so I can play Illinois Loyalty over and over and over again.
Small but nice selection of beers on tap. Miller Lite pitcher for $ 7.50. Even Kevin can soak up the suds!
Also ran into some fellow Illini here. And, ran into my first guy that wanted to engage me in conversation because of my Illinoise shirt. I asked him if he knew which of the twin states I came from…

This is my favorite bar in the city. It’s a regulars sort of place, you either drink here or you don’t. The bar tenders are the kind of people you get on a first name basis with, they’re quick to learn what you drink so you don’t even have to order anything by name. Easily my favorite bar in the city.

Let me tell you a little something about the library. It is definitely not just for studying. It is for cheap drinks, good times and divey goodness. This place is clearly not for any of you that want a trendy place to have a beer and hookup. It is for the night owls looking to get wasted. When you are wasted, look up! You’ll see a very vintage ceiling. Look to the left! You’ll see carvings and sharpie on the wall. Look to the right! You’ll also see carvings and sharpie. You might as well add your own! Just don’t look down! You’ll see sticky floors and a lot of shame. If you want a chill cheap drink just head to the library!

To answer the question at the end of my last review…
the basement. I had been to The Library countless times without ever visiting the downstairs and for awhile didn’t even know it was there despite the staircase being directly on your left when you walk in. But this last time, The Library was apparently the hoppingest place in town and there was virtually no where to even stand, especially for five people.
It brought me back to high school/​early college days of hanging out in a damp, drafty, unpleasant, unfinished basement when there was no better option. But now I’m a grownup who can legally enjoy alcohol and don’t have to hide out in a bomb shelter to get my drink on.
There is a pool table, darts, and a Simpsons arcade game but none of that would be enough to lure me down there again. It was more enjoyable once more people were also forced down there due to the packed upstairs — it at least made it feel like we were at a bar again. Before that, I was practically waiting for my mom to yell down and ask if we wanted Pizza Rolls.

A true dive and dive bar lover’s dream. Old as shit wooden tables, salty bartenders and regulars, cheap beer, and a trough urinal. Yup… all the makings of a great dive. A couple of pinball tables a jukebox… bonus plus bonus. A great spot that I hit before the Bucks game. I will be back…

Chill spot. Lax atmosphere. It gets smokey…

Meh. That pretty much sums it up. One of the cheaper bars on campus to drink in, but it’s very dirty. Last time I was there it reeked of vomit and you could see the stain on the orange carpet where they hurled still. There’s this ancient guy who hangs out there all the time who wears a cowboy hat. He’s a humongous asshole and tries to pick fights with any of the college kids that are too drunk to do anything. If your hard up for a drink, it’ll fit the bill. I wouldn’t refuse to go there, but I’d try to steer the party elsewhere fo shizzle

Luke said it best. «Old-​as-​shit campus bar» full of regulars and locals.
This has been a staple for years, do to a few friend’s constant close proximity to the place, so it’s usually where we end up if we go out for a walk and don’t keep heading south.
The bartenders are good with the basics, and the crowd is often a mixed bag. It may not attract the douche bags, but instead you are surrounded by the «college hipsters» and the jukebox is locked down to prevent any offending song from being played.
Except Justin Bieber. Seriously. I couldn’t play a lot of songs (indie rock, rock, hip hop) but I could play Bieber. So we did, as we left the bar, just to listen to the collective groan of everyone there.
I apologize kids, but it was totally worth it, and that’s what makes me come back.

This is my favorite campus bar, by far. It’s not «cool» enough to draw frat guys and underage girls, but that’s exactly what I like about it. There is usually a spot to sit, though if you go with like 4 or 5 people, you might not be able to sit. But there is a basement too and an outside area, as well as darts, pool, and foosball. Drinks are pretty reasonably priced, though you won’t really find anything out of the ordinary. It’s not deafeningly loud like in other campus bars, so it’s a great place to go hang out and actually talk with people.

So, here’s the thing… This is one of the last dive bars left on campus that has stood the test of time. I came here in college back in the late 90s. It is still the same… but it seems much busier now… with actual students instead of deadbeats and bikers. It’s tiny, dingy, dark, cheap, nonjudgmental, often smelly, and smokey. But it’s a cheap place to come and forget the night. Oh… but the jukebox is not as good as it was back then. Miley Cyrus? Only 4 Black Sabbath songs? Crap.

One of very few old-​as-​shit campus bars left. A total dive, with tons of old timers and regulars hanging out drinking. Everything is wooden, which I think gives it a nice tavern feel. Salty staff takes no gruff. Cheap everything, especially at happy hour. I think they even have a foosball table if I recall correct.

I love this place! It’s an old dive bar but for some reason, updates just don’t seem necessary here.
The beer is super cheap and it’s a laid back, yet fun atmosphere. There aren’t many little 21 year olds hanging around in here, which is an added bonus.
The bathrooms are clean, service is always great, and it’s a good, fun time!

Solid hangout! I used to live right across the street. Had my first drink on midnight of my 21^st birthday at the bar! Me and so many of my great friends would go to the library all the time. Got to know all the regulars and bar tenders! You never really knew what was going to happen on a given night at the library. Sometimes it just gets really weird.
It smells in there and its covered in wood. This is the best part because it keeps the meatheads and the clueless people away. Only until they hear all of their friends talking about how cool it is, then they come.
Pinball is a great time there. they used to have a really sweet star wars one in there. There’s a company that changes the machines up every so often so there’s some variety. Played many a night of pool there as well. During the weekends your lucky to squeeze in a game at night, but get there early enough, or write your name on the board (if anyones looking at it) and you can join a team. The basement is a basement and it smells even worse, but you can still chill down there.
Oh and the bathroom is not a pretty sight. You pee into a bathtub style urinal and it smells like an ancient mixture of urinal cakes. But it is what it is. There’s the back patio and thats a nice little spot as well!
I live in California now, but will definitely be heading to the Library bar on all my trips to Columbus.

Campus has evolved tremendously in the past few years, but thankfully we still have a few gems here and there that have retained the beloved grit and grime of High Street.
The Library is one such place.
Cheap beers, dark wood walls and fixtures, sticky floors and a pool table. What more could you need in the hunt for the perfect college dive?

This place has been around forever. Seriously, one of the cheapest happy hours you will get in the area. While it may be a dive bar, you won’t feel out of place– unless your dressed like a street hooker walking up King Ave.
Check out the basement, it’s a solid hangout, and scope out a booth and order a pitcher. Stay for hours, you won’t regret it!
I hardly frequent this place due to all the smoking! So, despite the history and tradition, I cannot rate this bar too high.

This place is one of the diviest of dive bars.
— General lack of windows: Check. I believe it has 2 total windows
— Well Worn Décor: Check. The tables and booths must be 40+ years old.
— Old Bartenders: Check. No offense cause they rock. Staffed often by the owners who will chat with you about anything and everything.
— Locals: Check. They come in cause they know the bartenders.
— Graffiti laden bathrooms: Check. Bonus for having a trough!
— Odor of Stale Beer: Check. At least I think it is beer…
— Old POS pool table: Ehhh. I think they got a new one in the last couple years. First time I have ever called that a negative though.
Overall I really love this place. So much character. One of the only campus bars worth your time.

I have no historical connection to this bar, except that a teacher of mine from high school used to go to this bar in college back in the day. I’m not a hipster, or a frat boy, rather I’d like to think I’m somewhere in the middle. Perhaps this is why I also get a normal, right in the middle, vibe from this dive bar. It was nothing extremely special, but nothing I can’t appreciate either. There are some pool tables, there are some lower priced domestics… wooden tables, booths, and stuff. It’s a dive bar.
My friends who smoke, love this place. Somehow The Library has finagled the Ohio law books to allow smoking in (at least) the basement of the bar. Or perhaps the bar is drafty enough that they consider the whole place a patio, I’m unsure. Again I say, nothing amazing here (but do bring a sweater if you’re lounging here in the Winter).
I had a positively average evening, overall. I saw a drunk man smash his beer on the stairs and get yelled at. I watched a couple play pool together. I talked with some friends about life over a pint of domestic, which seemed moderately priced. I’ll probably be back to see if something extraordinary happens, or if the positively average atmosphere consistently lulls me into a deep emotion of some sort. Until then, The Library is simply… a bar.