Hammer Health Science Library

¹⁰⁄₁₀ would spend the night here crying about how expensive Columbia tuition is

The library staff and security are always kind and courteous. 24hr rooms allow for silent study at all hours of the day, even if the main library is closed. The reserved books are on the smaller side, but that is professor defendant. However, the electronic reserved section online is quite extensive. Any of the circulation librarians have always been willing to help with research or technical problems. Very personable.

I’ve had some excellent memories of this place.
Group studying in one of the booked rooms 2 hours before the test. Not studying the day before the test in one of group study rooms while talking shop. Filming videos in the closed door rooms for group projects. Rushing up to the over priced kiosk for a quick bite before rushing to the next class. Or running out to the halal cart for a greasy quick bite, while the man calls you sweetie and quickly delivers your grilled peppers and sweet-​italian-​sausage.
Studying in the quiet room on LL2 while the sun streams in, lighting up your vitamin D-​eficient body.
Figuring out which printer will produce the most pristine ink filled notes for you to save on your precious printing quota. Where the best hole puncher and stapler was hiding that day. Talking to the friendly young man or young lady behind the reference desk. (They always are so helpful and bring the references quickly.) Avoiding the middle aged burnt out lady who scolds you and looks at you like you are an overindulged overprivileged kid when your overstudied addled brain meshed two titles together.
And although I know this is not the library: studying/​eating lunch/​chatting with friends at the tables on the 3^rd floor. Another way to get sweet sweet vitamin D.

None of the classrooms is particularly comfy. I had/​have at least half of my classes in this building. From LL2-​to 401. Tons and tons of memories associated to this place.
Love the view in the Riverview Lounge — used to bring my laptop and camp out in the quiet study area. Anatomy + view of the hudson, what more can I ask for? haha. It was also where my dance team had rehearsal during my first year… and where all the fancy post seminar luncheons were held.
My only complaint to this place is the spotty reception on the second floor computer lab. Maybe I should blame t-​mobile but I can never receive any calls or texts whenever I’m up there.
Will continue to study/​work on whatever project i have here. until i graduate. 1.5 years in counting!

This library is the sh*t, seriously. I’ve never actually borrowed a book from here or gone into the main library area which looks like a zoo at times, so I have no idea how they are in those respects, but for studying you won’t find a better place in a 20 block radius. First of all Washington Heights is obviously sketchy as hell, especially the further east of Broadway you go. Understandably, there is a shortage of cafes that are willing to open late. Hammer is open 24 hours and the security is tight – there’s at least one guard on duty 24 hours and you have to tap your ID to get into the library, the study areas and the labs. If your card doesn’t work they make sure you’re in the system before they let you in and they do a 3am ID check, a little bit of hassle but I appreciate it, especially on the many nights I was there basically overnight, you don’t really want to be down in the lower levels alone with randoms. To access the individual study rooms, which have individual desks, lights, outlets and sliding glass doors, you have to take your SECOND right down the winding stairs, then head to the left of the giant room behind the glass panel. During heavy exam times it’s can be hard to get a room, in which case you can use the computer room directly to the left of the communal study area, no one ever goes in there unless there’s a class in session. I’ve studied for two major tests here and what I really like is that they let you bring (not sure if this is official policy but I’ve never been stopped) electric kettles with you into the study rooms, so you can make tea while you’re studying around the clock. Also, the halal chicken and rice stand right outside the library, which happens to be the best halal stand in the city in my humble opinion, serves chicken and rice, hot dogs, soda and other food items 24 hours too, so you got your food covered.
I frequently found eraser shavings all over desks so you may have to wipe them down sometimes. When it’s 5am and you’ve nearly gone postal from studying so much, you can go outside, walk a few blocks southwest and see the sun rise along Riverside Drive. Ah, this review is making me miss New York too much so I’ll just stop here. TL;DR summary: perfect round-​the-​clock study area with steady access to food.

This library is on the Columbia University Medical campus. And for an Ivy League institution, you would expect more. But ever since I have been introduced to this world, I can’t help but feel like an outcast.
In any case, this is a review about the library and not about the wonderful world of Ivy League (read: pretentious, over-​priced, privileged delusions). Here are some reasons why this library totally blows:
1. Why are the bathrooms in such disrepair? For Buddha’s sake, the public health school is housed here, can we at least get some decent sanitation?
2. Why are the printers, copiers, staplers always broken or jammed?
3. I def do not like this one dude that works the evening desk, he always has some sort of attitude when I ask for a reference book. Look, there are plenty of unemployed people who could gladly and willingly take your job.
4. The people working the help desk usually don’t want to help you.
5. Poorly constructed building with confusing elevators and terrible signs.
So, for 50K, you buy the name of this institution and you get to hang out in this crappy library for most of your days. Maybe that online degree from Phoenix wasn’t such a bad idea after all.

This library serves the Columbia Medical School Campus and Columbia Mailman School of Public Health. The building is a combination of a library (although there aren’t that many books here), study space, computer labs (open 24 hrs), classrooms, and lecture halls.
There’s also a café on the first floor that’s every convenient if you’re falling asleep in class and need some coffee or to grab a quick snack/​meal. But it’s cash only.
The building itself is quite confusing. The elevators to the right of the building will take you to the third floor and above. The elevators to the left will take you the the 2^nd floor (computer lab) and lower levels. There is also a reading room on the lower level that you can only access through the library on the main floor. Yea, no idea why it’s like that.
Make sure you have your CU ID card. There are a couple of security guards that INSIST that you show them your card even though you already need to swipe it to get into the building. This always seems to happen to me when I’m late to class.