Library study spaces

There are over 1,000 single-and-group study spaces across the Library, which are divided into zones for different studying styles. They have different policies around food and noice, so you can find a space which suits you; there's a guide below.

We have a blended approach of bookable and non-bookable spaces, and you can use our study space bookings calendar to book your space if you wish, for various lengths of time, seven days a week. All our bookable study spaces are very popular and you can book up to three days in advance (new bookings are released at 8am every day); it gets busy during term time so booking well in advance is a good idea if you can do it.

Fairhurst - Floor 1: bookable spaces, all floors: studious buzz. Morrell - Floor 2: bookable spaces, Floors 0, 1 and 2: Quiet, Floor 3: Silent. Burton - Floor 1: Bookable spaces. All floors: Silent

Choosing a Library Zone which works for you

Silent Zones

Silent Zones are completely silent, with no conversation or even music through headphones.

Silent Zones are also completely food-free, because students want to be able to work without the sounds of people chewing and eating. Bottled water is allowed so you can stay hydrated.

The Burton is a Silent Zone, as is Floor 3 of the Morrell (the top floor).

Quiet Zones

Quiet Zones allow for quiet conversations. There is no group work in Quiet Zones, but you can expect some level of background noise; some people find this helps them concentrate better than complete silence.

Cold food, and hot and cold drinks, are allowed in Quiet Zones.

Floors 0 (the Ground floor), 1 and 2 of the Morrell are all Quiet Zones.

Studious Buzz Zones

Our loudest areas are our Studious Buzz Zones, where there are group study areas and much more chatter.

You can also eat hot-food in Studious Buzz Zones, bought from the library cafe or heated up in the Fairhurst Kitchen (however there are no take-aways allowed anywhere in the library).

All three floors of the Fairhurst are Studious Buzz Zones.

How to book your study space

Some floors of the library contain bookable spaces and study rooms, and some don't. You can watch our video on how the system works and why we introduced it for more information.

Use the Filter on the Room Bookings page to select the kind of booking you’d like. For Location choose 'University Library' Study Spaces or Study Rooms, then choose your preferred building from the Zone drop-down menu. Using Category you can choose Single Study, Group Study (please only use this when studying with other people!), an Accessible space, or you can choose spaces with a Mac or a PC.

We appreciate some people will feel more comfortable in socially distanced study spaces. Both the Morrell and the Burton allow you to choose Socially Distanced Study Space from the Capacity drop down menu.

Spaces for postgraduate students (taught and research)

We have dedicated spaces for all York postgraduate students at:

LMO/111 (JB Morrell Library)

Postgraduate Lounge (Floor 2, Harry Fairhurst Building)

Before using these spaces for the first time, you will need to visit the Library Help Desk to get your student card activated.

The Postgraduate Lounge in Fairhurst has locker facilities. 1 week locker keys are available for loan at the Library Help Desk.

Other locations to study

King’s Manor

King’s Manor Library offers non-bookable single study spaces.

The Piazza Building

There are several single-study spaces in the Library@Piazza on Campus East. These are available seven days a week and don't require booking in advance.

Study spaces across campus

University study spaces

If you can’t currently study in the Library…

We’ve had a lot of feedback from students that our two-hour Study With Me video, capturing the sounds of the Morrell top floor, has helped them concentrate when they can’t visit the Library. If you miss the Library, or just need some background noise to help you study, try putting this on and see if it works for you.

https://youtu.be/CpY0ARTiuRw

If you’d like images of the Library through the ages to use as Zoom backgrounds, or to leave us feedback on our virtual feedback wall, head to our Library Home From Home page.