An immense building with soaring ceilings, abundant natural light, and expansive views of campus and downtown Lexington, William T. Young Library is the central library in the University of Kentucky library system.
With a seating capacity of 4,000, and zones designated for quiet, conversational, or collaborative study, it is the preeminent campus location to gather with friends or find a cozy, sun-lit corner in which to work. The library houses 17 reservable study rooms, a large multipurpose room, an auditorium, and several other spaces for study, meetings, and events.
Young Library is home to UK's general undergraduate collection and holds materials and information resources in agriculture, biology, business, humanities, and the social sciences.
In addition to the Dean's Office, you can find centralized student support services; dining and wellness options; computers running both Windows and Mac operating systems; printing and scanning services; and audio and video recording studios and editing equipment.
The Basement of Young Library provides a relaxed and energetic atmosphere ideal for group work and socializing. Find open seating around the Hub for conversational and collaborative study. For a quiet study space, make your way to the Student Memorial Reading Room.
Grab a snack from the vending machines in Core 2 and find cell phone charging stations in each core. The Student Computer Lab offers Windows and Mac computers along with printing and scanning services.
Get help with a paper at the Robert E. Hemenway Writing Center, record and edit high quality video and audio in the Student Media Depot, or polish your presentation skills at Presentation U!.
Other Basement highlights:
Group work is a breeze in the Basement at Young Library.
Pete Comparoni
On the First Floor of Young Library, head to the Ask Us desk for Research Help or with questions about any of our library services. You can also get help locating library materials; checking out and returning books, whiteboard markers, board games, and other items.
Grab a coffee and snack at Kentucky's largest Starbucks; find printing and finishing solutions at the Ricoh Document Center; and connect with UK Libraries administrators in the Dean's Office.
Open seating is available throughout the First Floor and is perfect for conversational study. You can also find meeting rooms, event spaces, and public computers.
Other First Floor Highlights:
Cell phone charging stations and filtered bottled water stations
Hernmarck Tapestry featuring William T. Young and his horse, Storm Cat
Check out materials or get research help at the Ask Us desk.
The Second Floor of Young Library makes group studying a breeze. Reserve a study room, make use of the collaborative whiteboards on the South Wing, or work at one of the long tables along the West Wing. For quieter study, curl up with a book in one of three dedicated reading rooms, or take a break in a comfy chair in the Atrium.
Visit the Newspaper Reading Room in the South Wing to explore print copies of every Kentucky newspaper. The Scott Greenslade Soviet Military Collection is also available on the Second Floor, located in the Rotunda Reading Room.
Other Second Floor highlights:
Starting Spring 2023 semester, this classroom will be unlocked and available for anyone to use without a reservation.
Draw, diagram, and write on the white board walls on the Second Floor.
The Third Floor of Young Library offers open seating for both quiet and group study. Find sunlit Reading Rooms with high ceilings and tall windows dedicated to quiet study outside of the stacks in the North, West, and East Wings. Long tables in the seating areas facing onto the atrium are ideal for low-volume collaborative work.
Young Library book stacks begin on the North and East Wings of the Third Floor. Bound Periodical collections are located on the North, South, and West Wings.
Study outside on one of the Young Library balconies, accessible from the Third Floor's South, West, and East Wings.
Other Third Floor highlights:
Bound Periodical collections are located on the North, South, and West Wings.
UKPR
The Fourth Floor is one of the quieter areas of Young Library, featuring cozy cubbies that overlook the Third Floor, perfect for personal or small group study.
Seminar and group study rooms, ideal for conversational and collaborative study, are available on a first come, first served basis.
Faculty study spaces, including individual carrels on the North and East Wings and group study rooms on the South and West Wings, furnish quiet study spaces to faculty in convenient proximity to research materials.
Looking for a book for a class? The Fourth floor is also home to the largest portion of the Young Library book stacks.
The study carrells on the Fourth Floor are perfect for quiet, individual study.
The Fifth Floor is the quietest area of Young Library, with the entire floor designated for quiet study. Find group study rooms, quiet and silent Reading Rooms, group study tables, and the beautiful Charles T. Wethington Jr. Reading Room in the Rotunda. Fifth Floor stacks include Young Library's Oversize Collection and a portion of the Government Documents collection.
Graduate students can take advantage of their own, customized study space in the Thomas D. Clark Graduate Study.
The Fifth Floor is a great place to take a break and unwind, with beautiful views of campus and downtown Lexington. Stroll through the seating areas to find 64 late 19th and early 20th century quilts from the Wade Hall Quilt Collection, or watch the sun play off the Young Library Chandelier hanging in the center of the Wethington Reading Room. Completed in April 2019, the Chandelier is a replica of the original installed when the library first opened in 1998.
Graduate students can enjoy the Thomas D. Clark Graduate Study on the Fifth Floor of Young Library.
