Suzzallo and Allen Libraries

Suzzallo and Allen Libraries, the largest in the UW Libraries system, are where you can find millions of books, maps, movies, government documents, and the main humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences collections.

Suzzallo Library, facing Red Square, opened in 1926 and is a gorgeous example of Collegiate Gothic architecture. The Allen Library wing was constructed as an extension of the building in 1990.

Suzzallo and Allen Libraries have group study rooms, many quiet places for individual study, Zoom pods for private calls and online classes, computers, printers, scanners, and knowledgeable librarians who are happy to help you with your research.

At the main entrance, look up and you’ll see three carved stone figures. They are “Thought,” “Inspiration,” and “Mastery.” Just something to think about as you pass through the doors.

Once inside, take the Grand Staircase (yes, it’s really called the “Grand Staircase”) or the elevator up to the third floor. At the top of the stairs is the Suzzallo Reading Room. Shhh… this is one of the few places you have to be absolutely quiet in the libraries!

Just outside of the Reading Room is one of the world’s largest books, the Bhutan Book, which resides in its own custom-made case.

The third floor also has a Family Study Room for parents and caregivers of small children.

From the Reading Room, take the stairs or elevator back down to the first floor.

On the first floor, you’ll find several Zoom pods for private calls and online classes. Next to the pods is the Open Scholarship Commons (OSC), a collaboration hub that hosts workshops on working with data, digital storytelling, publishing and sharing research, and more. This is where you can find the OSC’s recording studio.

Keep going down the hall to find the main Circulation Desk, where you can pick up items placed on hold and check out books with your Husky Card, and the media collection which contains hundreds of DVDs of movies and TV series.

Continue down the hall, and you’ll enter Allen Library, which was added in 1990.

Take the stairs or elevator down to the ground floor. In the light-filled Allen Library lobby, you’ll see ravens flying overhead, part of an art installation called “Raven Brings Light to this House of Stories,” based on a Native American Pacific Northwest Coast story. The title in Lushootseed is:

There is an Information Desk at the bottom of the stairs where you can check out books and get help with research.

Go out the glass doors, across the Allen Library breezeway, and into Allen Library South. Here you’ll find the Research Commons.

The Research Commons is a great place to collaborate and features a variety of study, presentation, and collaboration spaces with large display monitors and whiteboards.

The Consultation Studio offers in-person consultations about citation management tools and visual presentation design and hosts the Graduate Funding Information Service.

Suzzallo and Allen Libraries also includes Government Publications, Maps, Microforms & Newspapers, located on Suzzallo’s ground floor, and Special Collections, located in the basement.

This concludes the Suzzallo and Allen Libraries stop on our tour.

Have a question or need help? Contact uwlib-ussteam@uw.edu.