UCL Library of the Month: Pop-Up Libraries

myUCL Student Journalist Robert Vilkelis explores UCL's Library of the Month It's exam season.

All students know that trek to the library. That meandering orbit around study spaces. That deft dive into the first recently-freed spot. That bunkering down for hours of work. One way or another, we've all been there.

Now, picture a fresh, cool, modern space: an oasis from the busy, packed-to-capacity-ness of our usual, treasured UCL library spaces. Does it sound too good to be true? Then you haven't heard about our new Pop-Up Library spaces in the Main Quad and in the South Quad.

Study space with room to breathe

For some of us, exam study season can really feel like shutting ourselves away from the outside world. We all need to bring in concentration and focus - and what would it be like for you to have that and also be able to say, "I can step out for a breath of fresh air" or "I can have a conversation break without disturbing people"?

You can be in the Main Quad pop-up in less than a minute when you breeze in from Gower Street, and nab a desk in roughly no time. Not only do you get to study in silence, convenience and in natural light - it's also air conditioned.

Want some variety? The South Quad pop-up is just another minute or two away - and you can grab a coffee or sandwich on the way there if you're feeling peckish.

Whether you're eyeing up the Main Quad pop-up or the one overlooking the bustling Print Room Café, you're in a contemplative space - yet all you need to do is look up to feel yourself in the presence of people.

Your study oasis

A quick touch of your UCL card, and you're in.

What will immediately strike you - and perhaps surprise you - is just how spacious the pop-ups are. Whether you have books, laptops, phones, papers, pens, pencils, calculators, highlighters, unanticipated head-down napping, wide desks have got you covered.

While you're studying, you can enjoy the sun through the windows and the fresh potted plants sprucing up the already vibrant colours around the place. 

Each pop-up has its own water cooler with a stockade of refills. Forgetting to top up your water bottle or surviving on a litre of lukewarm water isn't gonna be a problem for you here!

Whichever seat you choose, you've got a space that's really conducive to helping the ideas flow and knowledge sink in. 

250 seats, 12 hours a day

The pop-up libraries bring 250 places for reading, revising and reviewing - that makes it over 1,500 spaces on Main Campus alone!

You're free to pop in at any time and enjoy the pop-ups between 9am and 9pm, but sometimes that just doesn't cut it, does it?

If you're looking to cram that extra chapter into your night or do that final run-through before heading home, the Lower Refectory is open over night for you to enjoy.

Come and stop by!

Whether you've got an exam to prepare for or a deadline coming up, and whether you're a campus native or occasional visitor, there's never been a better time to come investigate UCL's newest and most inviting pair of modern study spaces.