Welcome to Library Services!

The University of Bristol is home to eight libraries which vary in their sizes and styles from sleek and modern to grand and historic. We also have a growing number of Study Spaces ranging from silent to group work to social. No matter which subjects you are studying every student is welcome to work in any library of their choosing. We recommend trying them out and finding the right fit for you!

Open day, 26 October 2024 - Information for visitors

Our Libraries

 

Arts and Social Sciences Library our largest library is open 24/7 during term time and holds the collections for nearly all humanities subjects.

Chemistry Library found in the heart of the Chemistry building this is one of our most contemporary spaces.

Education Library housed on Berkley Square this smaller library has a park on its doorstep.

Medical Library this library is open late and wraps around the courtyard in the biomedical building, Dentistry students you are based here too.

Physics Library a traditional library with an intimate feel the Physics library can claim the best views.

Queen’s Building Library spacious with lots of natural light the library in Queens also opens late and, amongst other subjects, houses all things Engineering and Mathematics.

Veterinary Sciences Library this library is housed on our Langford campus and is also open 24/7.

Wills Memorial Library if studying within an impressive neo-gothic building is your thing our late opening Wills Memorial Library is for you, especially if you are studying Geographical or Earth Sciences or Law as these collections live here.

                                             ↓ Explore Our Libraries Here! ↓

Looking down a corridor, left-hand side receding bookshelves, at the end of the corridor a student works at a desk in front of two windows.

Three students in a row on one long white desk working on their laptops.

Looking between two parallel book shelves, at the end is a student working on their laptop at a white desk, the desk is in front of a window.

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Rows of desks with students working at them.

A reclining chair in front of two bookcases full of books, on top of one is a fern in a plant pot. The Bristol Reads sign is hung above the shelves.

students working on rows of desks, the wall behind them is covered in bookshelves.

View down a corridor space with students working on desks on the left and window desk cubby spaces on the right. lots of sunlight coming in from the windows on the right.

view down an open corridor, on the right hand side wall are book shelves, on the left hand side are rows of students working on desks, at the end of the corridor are more book shelves and a door.

Two entrances of Postgraduate Window Seat study spaces, both include desks, computers and lamps. Well lit by the sun.

rows of students working on laptops on desks

Row of high stool chairs running along a high desk table top facing a window

Colourful large glass semi circle sculpture outside the university's chemistry building.

The lit up welcome sign for the medical library, to the left of the sign is a life size skeleton.

portrait view down central corridor of the Medical Library.

At the end of a book case is a student working on a desk which faces a window.

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Woman walking down the main corridor in the Medical Library, the corridor includes computers, stools, sofas and windows.

Two students working on their laptops at a desk which faces a window.

Students studying on desks with dividers between the desks for privacy, the desks are facing a sunny window.

The front desk in the medical library, a machine to check out books is located at the end of the desk.

cross section of two floors of the physics library, mezzanine floor visible due to balcony banisters, both floors contain rows of bookcases with wooden desk in between, everything is lit by a window on the left. On the mezzanine floor towards the back a student is sat at a desk studying.

A wooden desk with an open laptop, water bottle and sheets of paper on it, behind the desk is a bookcase full of books.

Two bookcases filled with books, both book cases have wooden chairs at the end of them, scene is lit by a window at the back right.

Rows of wooden bookshelves, in between the first wo is a wooden table with a laptop on it and their rucksack and water bottle next to the table on the floor.

Three wooden bookcases, between the first two a student can be half seen studying at a desk, there are also wooden chairs at the end of the first two bookcases.

Ground floor of the Queen's library showing four receding bookcases, between two bookcases a student is studying at a table.

Looking down onto the ground floor of the Queen's library from the balcony, can see students working at computers and a group of students working at a wooden table.

Looking down a corridor which is lined with bookcases full of books.

Two wooden chairs tucked under a wooden table, behind the chairs in a full bookcase.

A small pile of books in front of a window frame, through the window in a view of Bristol and the skyline.

A machine used to take out books, behind it are glass panels which you can see through into the library where students are studying at desks.

‌View from the balcony inside the Wills Memorial Library looking down the length of the library.

A bookcase on the left receding to a back wall which has a standing lamp and green sofa against it.

An old wooden desk in the Wills Memorial Library, next to a gothic style window. On the desk are a couple of books, notebook and tablet computer.

‌Two rows of book cases face each other, at the end is a desk with a student working at a computer in front of a window.

View of computers and bookcases in front of a window.

In foreground desk in use, behind two more desks, at the back three windows

View of desk in use in front of a Bristol Reads display

desks against a wall, behind them desks facing a window‌‌‌

What you can expect

Throughout these first few weeks you will have an opportunity to make contact with your  subject librarian and learn more about the support that is available for using library resources. As your course unfolds you will also benefit from the support provided by our Study Skills service.