MSU Main Library

So many places to study in this building! It is usually open 24 hours a day through the week, with Sparty’s staying open, too. Free wifi to MSU students. So many books. So many outlets for me to charge my laptop. A great place to study, especially at 2am.

Great location. The center of the school. But how can u get here from far away?
Car of course. But where is the parking? It’s about a mile walk from IM west.
But how much does it cost? It’s about 0.8 per hour.
Sounds awful. How about bus? Sure. Take 33 at bus transit and wait half an hour.

A part of my soul remains forever trapped inside this building. This place and the Engineering Building were my 2^nd and 3^rd homes while at MSU.
The MSU main library has everything you need for research and study. It contains the vast majority of the University’s library collection. It also has tons of study locations from loud to quiet, comfy or torturous. The Sparty’s café stays open late, and open 24 hours during finals.
The computers here stink. MSU computers take FOREVER to log in. I have no idea why. There always seems to be a large amount that are not functioning properly. Compared to those available for Engineering students in the Engineering Building, they’re flat out awful.
The place is over 50 years old and it’s really starting to show in some areas. Regardless, they keep it in pretty good shape and it serves its purpose well.
As with all university libraries, they need to keep transitioning from being a place for research to a place to study. Hardly anyone goes to the library anymore to search for a book they need. The stacks should be condensed to free up more space for study nooks. They also need to put more electrical outlets in to account for the fact that everyone has a computer now.
Piece of advice: Bring a power strip and extension cord with you if the Library is busy. This way you can make a table far from an outlet work and make an outlet that someone else was already using help out multiple people.

Nice place to study, work on a business plan, or escape for some personal reading.

Like most university libraries, the MSU library is well-​staffed, well-​stocked, and offers lots of extra services. The hours are great, plus extensions with different hours and services add to the benefits available (e.g., business and law libraries). I believe the café is open the same hours, too — not common at many libraries! As might be expected, there is no parking (at least close by).
For students and faculty, one nice feature of using a campus computer is that Google Scholar links directly to the research available through journal subscriptions (and it usually works seamlessly). There are frequent workshops on using the services and research tools which can be particularly helpful for new collections.
My only other issue is with the library’s recall policy (which seems to be commonplace nowadays). That is, even if faculty or a graduate student can check out a book for 180 days, if someone requests it while checked out, the original borrower has 14 days to return it. I understand the intent, but it does not make practical research sense. For instance, I have seen books held by one student, relevant to classes and research projects, be recalled by their classmates. Instead of sharing any needed material, it becomes a game of «well, then I’ll just recall it and get it back in 14 days.» Unless the other one pays the fine or loses it — then no one wins. Electronic availability such as Google Books is helping alleviate this problem, yet a longer reading period (or staged according to how long it has already been checked out) would be far more useful.