University of Edinburgh Main Library

In terms of resources and books available, the University Library gets 5 stars. The resources are world class, with books about absolutely everything. There is also excellent access to scientific journals online, and a facility to borrow laptops if that’s necessary. So in terms of available facilities, excellent!
However, actually staying in the library to study is a different story. It’s always packed, especially at busy exam periods, and there is insufficient alternative study space nearby. If indeed a computer is free, I’ve often found it to be out of order. Very annoying.
If you need a book for your course, this is the place to go. However, in terms of actual study space, I would recommend looking elsewhere.

Incredible resources, but not the best place to sit and read/​study.
This library is always PACKED and getting some space to study is difficult, much less an individual study room (impossible).
As a student, I come pick up my books but always intend to take them elsewhere.

Look, don’t get me wrong, the resources are amazing. I’ll say it again: amazing. They really, really are.
However, every time I walk into the library I die. Of heat over-​exposure. I have asthma, nothing serious, I just get a little wheezy when you make me run uphill (please don’t make me!).
This library however, has me into a full-​fledged asthma attack every single time I go in here. It’s gotten to the point that I don’t want to go in there anymore, which is incredibly annoying as it contains all of my vital resources, non of which I can take out.
I wish they would do something about the heat, and the air circulation system because it’s so incredibly uncomfortable that I avoid it at all costs.
If you’re sensitive to heat, and poor circulation, beware.

If you are an arts student you will become horribly familiar with this place. There are six floors and the most important floors for most are the ground floor, where you will find the HUB– highly used books and the café and the fourth floor where you will find general books that are not as much in demand.
There are reading/​working areas on all of the other floors, the best of which can be found on the fifth floor where you get comfy «spinny» chairs as well more conventional working desks and tables.
There has been much debate as to whether the library should become 24 hours permanently, but I don’t really think it is necessary, it does become 24 hours during exam period, but if you really need to work through the night at other times then you can always take a trip to the Hugh Robson building.

The Main Library is certainly not my favourite place in Edinburgh, but when there’s course work needing done or exams to be prepared for, it’s the place to go. It has excellent facilities with private pods downstairs which are ideal for working in groups. The downstairs HUB (heavily used books) is great for finding all the essential material for just about every course.
Upstairs the books are far more specific and they will undoubtedly have exactly what you require for any assignment. There’s usually plenty of free seating on all floors, except for exam time when the place is packed at just about every hour of the day.
Whether you need a book out or a quiet area to work in, the Main Library is the place.

Recently refurbished the library is now even more useful for students. On the ground floor you’ll find the café should you want to grab a coffee or a bite to eat and a help desk that will be able to help you with any specific needs and point you in the right direction. From walking in, head to the far right corner and you reach the group study pods with a large computer screen. For group work or group studying these are idea, though if working alone it is best to refrain from these pods; when you come to do group work you’ll realised how annoying it can be to see people in there working alone.
Upstairs the floors all hold a similar pattern — computer areas and desks to work at. Bar at exam time when the Hugh Robson Building across the square is quieter there are usually more than enough computers. The best places for working, however, are the desks. The walls of books on either side close in and form a study cocoon. By this I don’t mean that it’s claustrophobic, instead it greats an atmosphere of studying that helps keep you concentrated.
Generally the library is a good place to study, but in exam time I’d recommend your subjects library instead. At peak times the library has the opposite effect of making you want to study and can be distracting. For the rest of the year it will help you concentrate on your work and limit your distractions.

After being a student for more than four years the Main Library has become almost like a second home! And in that time the library has gone through a dramatic make over. Before the renovations the library was still stuck with interior from the sixties and seventies era, nothing too exciting and added to the atmosphere of ‘I really don’t want to be in here!’
However, now, with the majority of the makeover complete, the library has turned itself into a sleek, up to date facility, which makes you actually want to go in and work in the new brilliant surroundings! On the first couple of floors, there are new group hub seating areas, making the library a lot more accessible to groups of people who need to work and talk at the same time! On the fifth floor it’s always a race in the mornings to get the best seats in the house! Stunning views await you on the fifth floor which makes for quite a nice distraction indeed! There is also a new Café on the ground floor which is all very modern but has got quite a limited range of foods!
The library is open primarily to registered students and staff of the University of Edinburgh. However, the library is also open to the public for reference use (Free!) and also for borrowing books (A fee is involved for this)! It is a fantastic facility with millions of books, computers, and laptop access points. It has now got a new revived buzzing atmosphere which makes it a great place to study!

Aside from a painfully slow refurbishment and its subsequent lack of available study space, the University of Edinburgh Library has served me well.
To clarify: I always found an abundance of relevant books for my studies, always found the computer/​printing facilities adequate and always found the library staff more than willing to help with any request.
A crushing blow to my evaluation of the library is the afore mentioned ‘slow refurbishment’. This has been the bane of my time spent in the library as the frequent drilling, hammering and general construction noise has resulted in more than a few frustrating study sessions.
This refurbishment has been ongoing since 2006! absolutely ridiculous considering the eventual outcome, and for this it gets and A-​ok.

The café is one of the best library cafes in the city after the newly opened café at the NLS. It is part of the newly built extension of the Edinburgh University Library and has clearly allocated areas for computer use, dining tables and the third, the biggest area, is similar to a café/​tea room area with snug armchairs. A little bit for everyone not only in terms of room design but also in the choice of snacks and drinks at reasonable prices and, of course, good wi-​fi, unfortunately, only for university registered members.

Die Bib ist hier in Edinburgh echt né Sache fuer sich. Der Laermpegel ist recht hoch, viele Leute machen Gruppenarbeit, Telefonieren, Essen, etc. Ist hier alles erlaubt. Im 5. Stock gibts né neue quiet study area wo man in Ruhe lernen kann, die ist ganz cool. Verrueckt ist auch, dass die hier einfach in die Bibliotheksbuecher reinschreiben und Sachen unterstreichen. Bei so etwas koennte man in Deutschland Probleme bekommen, hier juckt es keinen.

There might be a lot of noise from construction works at the moment, but the main library at Edinburgh University is a fabulous resource for all students. Although not the library for my course, I often studied here due to its handy location beside the Meadows, large amount of seating (including a number of individual computer desks) and also due to the fact that this place is always full of students — which helps to make you feel a little less isolated during exam time! The café area on the first floor is a great place for a study break and is the only place in the library where food and drink is allowed (a rule which is now much more strictly enforced than in previous years). The building itself and the size of the collections are both huge so you’d be hard pushed to fail to find what you’re looking for. A non-​Edinburgh university friend recently went here to study for professional exams and massively improved her productivity, which I think says a lot for the place!

A complete mess at the moment, and a terrible place to try and study, due to the constant banging of builders and decorators, but I still love it. The views accross the meadows and towards arthurs seat are gorgeous enough to constantly distract me from my studies, and it’s going to be amazing when the renovation is done.