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McMaster Libraries and Study Spaces: Mills, Thode, Innis, HSL
McMaster has four campus libraries. Mills covers humanities and social sciences, Thode covers science and engineering, and Innis is the business library. The Health Sciences Library sits inside the Health Sciences Centre. None of them is open 24 hours, so check the hours page before a late-night plan.
Sources checked September 29, 2026. View sources
Compare the four libraries
Subject labels describe each library's collections. You can study in any of them.
| Library | Subject focus | Study space McMaster lists | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mills Memorial Library | Humanities and social sciences | The whole 6th floor is silent study, with 244 carrels. Five bookable group rooms (L310A to L310E) are on the 3rd floor. The Learning Commons is on the 2nd floor. | Also home to the Sherman Centre for Digital Scholarship, the Lyons New Media Centre and the archives |
| H.G. Thode Library of Science and Engineering | Science and engineering | Around 600 seats for collaborative work on the 1st floor, quiet study for about 400 on the 2nd, and a basement silent area for 148. Group study rooms 1 to 10 are in the basement and seat 4 to 8. | Home to the Thode Makerspace. Group rooms aren't soundproof. |
| Innis Library | Business | Individual and group study space on the 3rd floor of the new McLean Centre for Collaborative Discovery, next to the DeGroote School of Business | Reopened after several years of closure for construction; check its hours before you go |
| Health Sciences Library (HSL) | Health sciences | Zoned for group, quiet and silent study, including 72 silent carrels and the Wong Learning Commons on the upper level | Located at HSC 2B in the Health Sciences Centre. Room 1B21 is limited to FHS graduate and postgraduate medical students. |
Silent, quiet or group study?
If you need true silence, go to the Mills 6th floor, the Thode basement silent area or the HSL silent carrels. HSL doesn't allow conversation or phones in its silent zones.
For group work, book a room or use the collaborative floors: Thode's 1st floor, the Mills Learning Commons and the HSL group zones. Thode's group rooms each have a whiteboard and chalkboard. You can borrow markers at the 1st-floor service desk.
Booking a group study room
Mills, Thode and Innis group rooms are booked through LibCal, the library's booking system. You'll sign in with your MacID. The Health Sciences Library also takes bookings through LibCal.
- Book with at least three people in the group.
- Each group can book up to two hours a day, with one booking a week.
- If nobody arrives in the first 15 minutes, the room is released for others.
- Rooms aren't soundproof, so keep noise down near silent areas.
Makerspace, media and digital tools
The Thode Makerspace has 3D printers, a laser cutter and soldering equipment. Some equipment requires training first, so check the makerspace page before you plan a project.
The Lyons New Media Centre, on the 4th floor of Mills, has a bookable audio recording booth and media equipment. Mills also houses the Sherman Centre for Digital Scholarship. Both keep shorter hours than the library itself.
Accessible study space
Library Accessibility Services runs the Campus Accessible Tech Space (CATS), a noise-controlled study space in Mills. It's open to students registered with Student Accessibility Services (SAS) during the library's regular hours.
After you register online, you'll get a keycard for CATS. If you need help with the form, visit the Library Accessibility Services office at L212/C in Mills.
Check hours before you go
Mills was listed as open 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. on most weekdays when we checked, with shorter Friday and weekend hours. Hours change across terms and exam periods, and Innis runs its own schedule. Use the library hours page for the day you plan to visit.
Keep exploring
Sources and updates
This independent guide summarizes the official information linked below. Availability, access rules and application cycles can change; check the relevant university page before making a decision.
- McMaster University Library: Mills Library and hours
- McMaster University Library: Thode Library
- McMaster University Library: Innis Library
- McMaster University Library: group study rooms and booking rules
- McMaster University Library: Thode Makerspace
- McMaster University Library: Lyons New Media Centre
- McMaster University Library: Library Accessibility Services and CATS
- Health Sciences Library
- Health Sciences Library: study spaces