Drove all the way over to La Jolla because of this library. I have a soft spot for libraries and an even soter spot for libraries with unique architecture. My coworker mentioned that there was a library in San Diego that was like an inverted pyramid --- say no more! I am in! It looks a lot like a rose to me -- which made it even better. Turns out, the "Geisel" part of the "Geisel Library" is actually Dr. Seuss Geisel! Which is why they have a multi-level Dr. Seuss exhibit. Library has a great view of the Quad. Has tons and tons of study rooms and study areas, each with charging ports. Glass walls everywhere with an awesome view of Do Ho Suh's Falling Star. THIS was a very pleasant surprise! read more

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Love UCSD's Geisel Library! Iconic building packed with great study spaces (quiet & group), amazing views, and all the resources you need. Highly recommend it read more

Geisel Library - Libraries Near Me - La Jolla, California

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An Alien-Concrete-Ziggurat-Flower grows out of the ground at UCSD. By Architect William Pereira who also designed the Transamerica Pyramid building in SF, I love this building as an expertly blended combination of Brutalism and Futurism style architecture. It's not my personal taste but feels otherworldly, its strange forms guided by some sci-fi fractal mathematics. Review is for outside only unfortunately, I would love to visit again when the inside is open. The Geisel Library is named in honor of Dr. Seuss and his wife Audrey for the generous contributions to the library. The Geisel's were long-time residents of La Jolla, where UC San Diego is located. There's a deceptively simple focus on Concrete and Glass, a logical sort of utilitarianism in its chaotic shape, and a grand scale. I really liked walking around this building and enjoying architecture which is the only one like it on this planet. read more

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The Geisel Library is the main library building of the UCSD campus. It was named in honor of Audrey and Theodor Seuss Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss, who donated more than $20 million dollars to the university through his philanthropic efforts both before and after his death. His estate dedicated more than $3 million to the renovation of this structure alone. The building's distinctive architecture has resulted in its being featured as the UC San Diego logo and is the most recognizable buildings on campus. Situated in the center of the UC San Diego, it houses over 7 million volumes to support the educational and research objectives of the university. It also contains the Mandeville Special Collections and Archives, which houses the priceless original works of Theodor Geisel. Also known as the Dr. Seuss Collection, it houses original drawings, sketches, proofs, notebooks, manuscript drafts, books, audio and videotapes, photographs, and memorabilia. The approximately 8,500 items in the collection document the full range of Dr. Seuss's creative achievements, beginning in 1919 with his high school activities and ending with his death in 1991. Every March, in celebration of his birthday, portions of this private collection are open to the public, but sadly as I found out today, due to Covid the library is still closed to the public and only available to the student population on a daily reservation basis. The Geisel Library itself was designed in the 1960s by Brutalistic architect William Leonard Pereira, famous for its futuristic designs associated with the space age, including the Trans-American Pyramid in San Francisco. It opened in 1970 as the Central Library, and was renovated in 1993, then rededicated as the University Library Building and thus renamed the Geisel Library in 1995. The east side of the Geisel forum is literally and symbolically connected to campus by the Stuart Collection work Snake Path, a 560-foot-long slate tile saw that winds towards the library. Its route passes a giant granite Paradise Lost and a small garden of fruit trees (Eden). The granite book is engraved with the excerpt "Then Wilt Thou Not Be Loth To Leave This Paradise, But Shall Possess A Paradise Within Thee, Happier Far." Someone recently left a red carnation to celebrate the Birthday of Dr. Seuss yesterday. With recent controversy I felt compelled to support with a visit. My children grew up reading the children's books and I'm not ashamed to admit it. I would love to come back once open to the public. read more

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This review is made from a point of view of an unaffiliated visitor like me. This is one of the places providing access to the great UCSD library, the one reasonably conveniently located for the said visitor (just a third of a mile away from the Hopkins Parking Structure. Clean, well-lit, with lots of space to read the book and few "infostations" to browse the online collections. By the way, if someone form the library is reading this: please-please-please allow outsiders access to the digital collections from home (like students) or at least from their personal computers brought in, or invent a way to relocate the homeless. An infostation shared with homeless is not my idea of a place for reading (thus minus one star). Otherwise, everything is great, staff at the front desk is cheerful and helpful. read more

Today was good. Today was fun. Tomorrow's another one. Say what you mean, and mean what you say. I will eat them in a car, I will eat them in a bar,... What do the above writings all have in common? The Geisel Library of course! More importantly, the library was named in honor of Audrey and Theodor Seuss Geisel. Dr. Seuss will live on until eternity. This beautiful library seems to be the main focal point within the university of California San Diego. It is the colleges library for students to study, research, and from where the building sits, students can look out over a great portion of San Diego County. The library has been open since 1970 with the renovation in 1993. The actual naming of the library did not take place until 1995. What fascinates me is at the library itself houses over 7 million volumes of educational and research objectives that university students have access to. It also houses of course the Dr. Seuss collection, original drawings, sketches, notebooks, photographs and other memorabilia. There are 8500 items in the full collection. As a Dr. Seuss fan I was absolutely thrilled, and blown away by not only the architectural beauty of this building but the interior as well. It is a masterpiece and a total creation all of which honors two wonderful people that have contributed so much to our world. read more

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The building is very pretty with brutalism. Some engineering students I met joked that one day they dreamed of it becoming magnetically levitated like you see in sci-fi movies of futuristic cities. Really fascinating the views at the highest floor. However, sitting in one of the seats at the top floor gave me a bad impression of sanitation of the work space, perhaps having cleaners to wipe the seats every once in a while would improve a lot! read more

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Well Date of Visit : December 20 , 2020 and it was a Beautiful day in Sunny San Diego . The thing about how it is here . First I decided on coming to this Library because of how beautiful it is and it is an great Library for everyone !! The Beautiful Building is something special and it's Designed is pretty amazing !! The Area Surrounding the building is UCSD Campus and it has lots of other buildings around it !! It's just an amazing Building and Beautiful too !! I suggest you come to this Library and take a look for yourself !! It's got hills that go up and down for you to take a walk and I also suggest you bring your camera here !! It's an beautiful place to take photos !! Especially if it's Sunny !! The Statue outside of the Building is cool also !! It's of Dr Seuss and of course he was following all guidelines and had his mask on !! But of course the library was closed because of the situation going on !! But even closed it's still worth checking out !! There is also benches for you to sit and enjoy the beautiful surroundings that surround the building also !!! It's an amazing Library and I do suggest you put this on your Bucket List and check it out !! As for Parking no permit is required at this time because of the situation going on !! Overall Satisfaction: Cleanliness: 4 out of 5 Stars well kept and of course it was closed at the time but looks beautiful !! Fun Factor: 4 out of 5 Stars !! It's an amazing Building and lots of space for you to hangout and enjoy the Views !! Parking: No Permit is required at this time because of Situation going on but just a few spaces on the side of Building for you to Park . Overall Grade : It still gets 5 Stars out of 5 for how it is so Beautiful and the Design of it is amazing !! I can see myself coming back here again !! read more

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the only reason, I came here was the architectural building of this library. you have to see it, to be amazed. Bummer, I couldn't go inside because it was summer break for ucsd and I think it was only for students only read more

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The Geisel Library is the heart of UCSD IMHO. In fact, its image is the symbol of UCSD. First, it's the best example of brutalist architecture in the United States. [Brutalist buildings are characterised by minimalist constructions that showcase the bare building materials and structural elements over decorative design.] The Library itself has an excellent collection, the highlight of which is the Theodor Geisel ("Dr. Seuss") collection. And the grounds are well kept. read more

It is the main library building of the UCSD, which is named in honor of Audrey and Theodor Seuss Geisel. The building's distinctive architecture, described as occupying a fascinating nexus between brutalism and futurism, has resulted in its being featured in the university logo and becoming the most recognizable building on campus. read more

Have you ever seen Inception? Not only was the snow scene filmed using Geisel Library, but the building itself is an inception. It has stacks inside and it's stacked on the outside. Also was named after Dr. Seuss and has Dr. Seuss books inside. The very top floor is silent, below is quiet, and the bottom two are loud. They have bathrooms and outlets and everything one needs in a library, plus it looks super cool from the outside. "Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened." - Dr. Seuss read more

Geisel Library - ucla graduates at ucsd - Libraries Near Me - La Jolla, California

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Fantastic college library on the campus of UCSD. Amazing architecture and wonderful layout on the inside. Lots of collaboration rooms for group study. Well lit and a ton of charging areas. Everyone welcome and accepted. Large collection of research papers and documents. Big area for computer use with board that shows areas with availability. Very clean and organized. In the heart of campus. Theodore Seuss Geisel and his wife Audrey left huge collections to the library named after him. Viewing Dr. Seuss' original manuscripts and illustrations was a true pleasure. I learned about many of his works such as propaganda campaigns and political ads that I had never seen or heard of. Collections on display are rotated so you always find something new to discover. Remember this is a college library so not appropriate for small children that cannot be managed. Lots of inspiration is found in this establishment. Also, take a stroll through campus to view the interesting art installations. read more

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This review is for the forest across the street from the pretty library.. what a gem! Visited this morning and what a fun tim! Beautiful grounds across from library and fields, lots of nature trails and scenery.. a must visit if you are at UCSD! read more

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8th floor is just a perfect study place or work! Honestly it's so quite in there you could focus on anything you want! I love how there are super comfy chairs next to the windows with breathtaking views. Like seriously? A college offers 5 star views. The best part is it's open super late. So whenever you have exams you can come by and study all day and night. If you need coffee, Audrey's is right down on the 1st floor. Try their turkey avocado sandwiches. read more

Positives: Great place to study Audrey's has great coffee and friendly staff 6th floor allows to the best view of the UCSD Library Walk 8th floor is perfect with couches that allow you to study with a nearby outlet, cubicles that give you your own set of outlets Negatives: Gets busy near exam weeks read more

Geisel. The mothership of knowledge. The building that inspired the infamous building collapse in the snow scene in Inception. The mirrors that attract your eyes like magnets because you cant help but check yourself out, but in the most discreet way possible because people inside are probably watching you check yourself out. This building is located at the end of library walk next to the silent tree of solidarity. As you move from the first and second floor up, each floor gets quieter and quieter. So judging on what type of study environment you prefer and how long you have to study, you can customize your library environment by floor. The first and second floor of geisel are open to talking, so when midterms or finals week hits, its not even a library anymore. There is no point in getting legit studying on these floors during these times because it just becomes a social scene. People are literally just talking or laughing or going crazy on that finals high. 6th floor is also pretty noisy at times. This is where all the greek people converge. I avoid this area at all costs. 7th floor is my favorite. Im studying here in the summer in the 7th floor study rooms to take practice mcat exams. Its quiet, the view is pretty amazing, and the room has the perfect amount of air conditioning. Im not freezing, nor am I suffocating. During school I recommend to reserve rooms because there's nothing worse than being all settled in a study room and you get kicked out by someone who reserved it. You can reserve only once a day for a max of three hours. Team up with a couple friends to book the same room for the whole day. 8th floor is where all the hardcore premeds and silent studiers convene. There are no group study rooms and they have more cubby like desks. If you talk or even sneeze, people will give you the stink eye. So if you're a loud person in general, dont come here. Go to the first floor homie. read more

Geisel Library - View from the six floor study room - Libraries Near Me - La Jolla, California

The library, designed in the late 1960's by William Pereira, is an eight story, concrete and glass structure near the center of UCSD. It was named Geisel Library in honor of Audrey and Theodor Geisel (Dr. Seuss) for the generous contributions they have made to the library and their devotion to improving literacy. The lower two stories form a pedestal for the multi story structure that rises 110 feet above the ground in addition to two subterranean levels. The best part (or most entertaining part to me) is that the entrance is a canyon of one way mirrors leading to the second floor. People inside the library can see people on the outside checking themselves out in the mirror as they walk in. I would be too much of a voyeur to get much studying done. read more

Geisel Library - Libraries Near Me - La Jolla, California

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What keeps me coming back, you ask, Yelp? Well, maybe because I have some reading to do and I procrastinated... Anyhow, Geisel has expanded in many ways over the 4 years of my experience at this University. There is always an issue of "not enough seats" during finals week, but they are doing everything they can from buying more furniture to accommodate the ever growing class size! As of 2016, they are currently building an indoor cafe area so that students don't need to venture too far from their seats or purchase off campus (or mediocre PC) food! I also recently discovered that the West Wing 1st floor has amazing conference rooms (reserve for group projects!) and also foam rollers?! Wow. And walking treadmills, puzzle assortments, Dr. Seuss display when you need inspiration... The only thing I would complain about is the lack of cables they have here for the conference rooms. Definitely not Apple friendly and who brings around their own VGA cable to connect to the monitors?! Anyhow, a must visit when you come to UCSD. The higher you go, the more quiet it gets! read more

Practically lived here my undergraduate career. Even though this place may smell like people who haven't showered in days, I still consider this place home haha. As you progress through undergrad you will constantly change places to live. However, 24/7 geisel will always stay and be there. Even if the toilets are sometimes clogged, food sometimes spilled, people pretty much shouting in there, geisel will always get 5 stars from me :p Also it's model was used in the inception movie. read more

One of the most beautiful libraries to be found, thanks to the same architect who brought San Francisco the TransAmerica pyramid. The archives include artifacts from the library's namesake, the original Dr. Seuss, who in life and death is a benefactor. Random House has partnered with the Library to bring an unpublished new book to the public soon: "What Pet can I Get?" Children, and people who love children, and anyone who loves being like a child, anticipate its release. One needs an advanced degree to figure out the campus parking system. It's a hierarchy out there, with faculty, students, and visitors clutching passes and circling for their approved and coded parking areas. There is an easy approach however for John Q Public. Use the high rise parking garage and feed the kiosk at the elevator. Plastic only/no cash. A printed day pass for your dashboard is $8. Free WiFi is available. The Silent mode for study on the upper floors is strictly observed. There are Quiet floors that tolerate subtle noise, but don't push it. There's serious work being done here. I tried to sit at an 8th floor window and l'il old me soon felt like an autumn leaf under a magnifying glass waiting to combust. The 6th floor was busier but a table set back from the glass - without sacrificing the panoramic view - was more hospitable for a long stay. O that view. About 2 years ago, the Natl Endowment for the Arts assisted Korean installation artist Do Suh in his project to build "Fallen Star." He created a blue house, and with engineering muscle, appropriately perched it precipitously atop the Engineering building. It can be seen from the Library, and is reportedly a tribute to the feelings of foreign students who have come so far from home to pursue their education. read more

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I love it here! I wouldn't have graduated from UCSD if this didn't exist. The 8th floor is perfect for those anal with quietness when studying. I was there my first year, but then the quietness and emptiness got to me. The engineering library was a perfect place for a balance between talk and study. There were some pretty nice places in the basement where my classmates and I camped out at during the weekends. read more

Quality: 3 I go to Berkeley, and I sometimes go to Geisel to get some work done when I'm visiting UCSD. The library is pretty nice, although there didn't seem to be enough quiet study areas, at least on the first floor. Also, I couldn't access the internet using their computers, but I'm not sure if that's my mistake. read more

It's a nice large library with many places to nap and study. I couldn't figure out where the entrance was the first time I got there and all I could do was trust the sprayed on sign that said "entrance" with an arrow that it wasn't pointing me to anywhere weird and hope that going down would lead me to an entrance. Another nice thing is you can eat at the library. There are a lot of signs saying what you can and cannot have but they don't have narcs walking around or anything to check on you. read more

One of the only places on campus that you will actually see people. No joke. For a campus that is pretty isolated and pretty barren, it was always nice to see people studying, socializing, sleeping here. I will say it gets extremely packed during the day with commuters and off-campus people dilly-dallying between classes on the 2nd and 1st floor, but going on any of the higher floors will always have desks/tables. One great perk about Geisel is their overnight hours, which is 24 hours on weekdays on 2nd floor East. They also open it up 24 hr on the west side as well for finals weeks. Also, this library is great for people who don't want to buy textbooks because you can borrow almost any textbook required for 3 hours (or overnight after 9 pm) to get your work done. read more

My bf lives within walking distance to UCSD. We needed to get some stuff done over the weekend, but staying home to work/study wasn't ideal as there were way too many distractions, e.g., TV, the Internet (angry birds, anyone?), and bf's cute Lab. I'm not really into studying at coffee shops so a library is always great. Why didn't we come here sooner?! It is fantastic! From the other reviews floors 1-3 are a bit more laid back in terms of noise, but floors 4-8 are for those who are serious about gettin' their s*** done. During this visit, we stayed on the 6th floor. There were some textbooks my bf wanted to check out on this floor. Well, It was super quiet and the views were great. I love that they are open on Sundays 'til 8pm, even during the summer months. There are windows that basically go all around the building, from floor to ceiling so it's really nice and bright. read more

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WTF people! Did NO ONE see the blazing memos all over that there is NO TALKING OR CELL PHONES on the 4th through the 8th floor?! Why is this SUCH a hard concept to grasp?! YES, whispering counts as talking. YES, your quiet little cell phone conversation is ANNOYING YES, group work counts as talking and it is distracting! I cannot even keep track of how many times a day I have to move because a group of people suddenly decides the 6th floor is their new hangout. Why can't you people stay on the first 2 floors? Why can't you go to a group room? Some of us cannot study unless it is absolutely SILENT. I meant, so silent that you can hear a pin drop. Any break in that silence is valuable time wasted on a super fast paced quarter system. Is there no silence left in this world? If I can't get in quality study time on the supposedly SILENT floors of the Geisel Library, then where the heck can I? Please respect the library and your fellow students! I seriously would not be opposed to an actual library monitor who goes around hushing blabbering people who don't respect rules. Hey UCSD, hire me! I'll do it for free! ************************** Okay, my rant is over. The only other thing the library needs to work is perhaps the lighting and cleanliness. One more thing: The upper floors are absolute ice boxes! The temperature is kept no higher than 65 degrees i'm sure. Everything else about this library is A-OK. When people are quiet, it is a GREAT place to study. Also the view from the upper floors is great. Studying with a pretty view is always a plus. The book selection is really extensive. This is a library after all, and the Geisel definitely lives up to its hype when it comes to selection of books. read more

Oh Geisel. This $5 million library is a constant reminder to me that I don't study enough for a science major. It's quite depressing. I get sad when I'm here and seen many days slip fly by while I'm stuck behind two-inch glass wasting away my youth. The people here can be more strict than the staff at enforcing noise policy. I've been told to quiet down while studying on the first floor. I can understand if it were on the 8th, hell, even the 4th floor, but really?! The first floor? This place is filled with kids who've had more experience popping Adderall than they've had sex. It's scary. If you need to get hooked up with candy, or if you're looking to cut yourself off from humanity for a few hours than this is the place to be. read more

eeks, I have a love/hate relationship with this library. I think it was called "The Hive" back in the 90s since it looks like a UFO only the likes of ET could admire. Ok, I'm dating myself here... anyways, what I do like about this place is that you can get a lot of work done on the weekends and there's almost always a big table available as long as it's not around finals time. Parking on the weekend is free, so that's an added bonus. In fact, the parking isn't THAT bad on the weekdays but most of the meters are limited to 2 hours. what I don't like is the lack of public wi-fi available. I mean, isn't this place publicly owned? Oh wait, my bad, it's The Regent's property, huh? Shoot, I gave my 50K back in the day to the Regents, now give me some wi-fis! LOL. read more

Let's see.....reasons to love Geisel 1. You can eat in here. Seriously, is it raining outside and none of your friends are available for lunch? Grab yo' food from Price Center and chill in here, no judgment 2. Different floor=different noise acceptability. Need some quiet from the voices in your head? Just go to the 8th floor, find a cubicle and feel the quiet overwhelm your senses (or underwhelm) 3. Lots of dark corners for a quickie. Just kidding, this place is overflowing with nerds so you can't expect any privacy. 4. The staff is not only helpful but attractive ;) (haha JK) Negatives? 1. Some creepers (who aren't students) come in and look at porn or preach inside. Beware of the porn guy on 1st floor S&E wing by the computers. read more

If i could I would give Geisel 3.5 stars, BML is by far my favorite library on campus or was my fave library to study on campus, but Geisel is so much more convenient to get to... The upper level floors are okay, I know they are super quiet, but for some reason the quiet here doesn't work for me as it does for BML. Perhaps it's the fact that the windows are distracting or the fact that people walking around is distracting or when people pack their stuff to leave or unpack their things it's really loud and echoes. Oddly enough, my favorite area to study in Geisel was the lower floor, by the visual arts area? I can explain how to get there, but am not sure what it's called. You walk in through the main doors, turn to the left until you get to the social sciences part of the library, then walk down the stairs, and turn to the right and voila, computers and bathrooms and tables with outlets. LOVED that area. WATCH OUT DURING MIDTERM AND FINALS, GEISEL SMELLS LIKE DEATH and I used to avoid like the plague. (I blame the fact that CLICS is gone and closed). People sleep there and it smells like old panda and god knows what else...study at home, hide your stuff, and go elsewhere. You'll thank me later. read more

It's getting old and dingy, but the memorable architecture is a definite must-visit for any UCSD visitor. It was featured in the movie "Attack of the Killer Tomatoes" - http://www.ucsdmag.ucsd.edu/magazine/vol4no2/features/killer.htm The 8th floor has a nice 360 view of the campus (lots of trees) and is known as the super quiet zone. I studied here for a few finals...it's so quiet you get deathly stares if you even just unzipper your backpack. =P Ok, slight exaggeration. read more

I spend over 20+ hours a week here both for work and to study. I think that Geisel is a great facility, they have a wide range of books and lots of computers to use. I like how the higher up you go, the quieter it is. Hours are pretty good, at least one part of the library is open 24 hours except Friday and Saturday nights. My only problem is that the bathrooms can be dirty sometimes. They are also relatively small in the tower. Other than that, I love coming here to study! read more

This is the most beautiful library I have ever seen in my life! I am so privileged to be able to study here. I really can't review the whole library because I haven't even explored all of the floors yet, it's so big, but all of the staff I have encountered have been really helpful. The undie run crowd runs through the first floor every Wednesday night of finals so get your cameras ready! read more

My requirements for productive studying: - Fluorescent lights - /Some/ solitude - Dead quiet Geisel has all of these! Mainly, when I study, I can't be too comfortable. Thus, the need for fluorescent lights. I don't know what it is about fluorescent lights that make me want to study but all I know is, it never fails! (There should be a social experiment on this...) If I want to do some light studying, but be able to talk and eat without judgment, I stay on the second floor Arts/Social Sciences library. If I need to get down to business and really get work done, I always go to the seventh floor. I have this theory that the higher up you go, the quieter and more studious people get. Anyway, I snag a seat at the "study lounges" with the communal tables because I realized that although I need some solitude when I study, I am more productive if I have some strangers around me. Because then I feel like if I stray, they will judge me, nawmean?? Oh, but one thing I never do is go to ANY campus library during FInal's Week. It gets to be a jungle then! read more

I come here on the days that I REALLY have to study! The top 2 floors, 6 and 8, are the most quiet, so if you have serious studying to do, go there ! I've never been on the 5th or 4th to study, but I know the 5th is meant for quiet study as well. On those days that I can study, but don't have to get super serious, I go to 2nd floor. I'm one of those people that can't really study in the complete eerie silence of the 8th floor and the second floor is perfect for those couple of hours in between classes that I want to use just to catch up on a few things. But sometimes, it's hard to get much done when I go to the 2nd floor just cause it can get really loud- especially in the areas around the computers, it can get really loud as a lot of fraternity/ sorority people congregate there. *tip: reserve a study room if you like to study in groups or just want a room to yourself, you just need a min. of 2 people. It's fast and easy to do online. This is what I have been doing to study for LSAT's and it's been working out great! read more

Beautiful on the outside, eh in the inside. This is my first time visiting UCSD and Geisel Library was just a beauty. The inside of the library definitely could use some remodeling, but I was only disappointed because the exterior of the library is "Wow"... Other than that, I am glad this building is here for students to study in! read more

Geisel Library - Libraries Near Me - La Jolla, California

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Most libraries smell like books. This one? Smells like orange chicken from Panda Express. read more

Pretty busy library, more like a social hang out until you get to the higher floors. The views from the upper floors are also amazing. Aubrey's coffee is on the second floor and serve Bread and Cie pastries. Plenty of books for paper writing. First floor (basement) is the music section, favorite of mine. Sometimes they have events. Attended a toy piano concert once, pretty unusal and fun! read more

Geisel Library - looking east. - Libraries Near Me - La Jolla, California

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How do you rate a beautiful landmark riddled with memories of panic and anxiety? A 3 seems fine. read more