University guides
On this page
Guelph McLaughlin Library: Hours, Study Rooms and Spaces
McLaughlin Library is the University of Guelph's central library and its main study building. During the fall 2026 term it's open until midnight Monday to Thursday. You can book a study room up to two days ahead, for up to four hours a day. Drop-in seats run from the lower level to the sixth floor, and the library added more than 200 seats in summer 2026.
Sources checked September 30, 2026. View sources
Fall 2026 and exam hours
Guelph publishes McLaughlin's building hours in its library calendar. Service desks such as Ask Us keep shorter hours. Always check the calendar before holidays.
| Period | Hours |
|---|---|
| Regular fall term | Monday to Thursday 8 a.m. to midnight; Friday 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Saturday 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Sunday 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. |
| Thanksgiving, October 10 to 12, 2026 | Closed |
| Exam period, December 6 to 19, 2026 | Sunday 10 a.m. to midnight; Monday to Friday 8 a.m. to midnight; Saturday 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. |
| December 20 to 23, 2026 | Open until midnight on December 20 and 21, until 9 p.m. on December 22, and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on December 23 |
| December 24, 2026 to January 3, 2027 | Closed |
| January 4 to 8, 2027 | Weekdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. |
Where to study, floor by floor
The library's space finder sorts seats by bookable, drop-in, quiet and group. This table summarizes what it lists for undergraduates.
| Space | Where | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Individual study rooms | 3rd floor | Bookable, quiet, one person |
| Group study rooms (2, 4 and 5+ people) | Lower level and floors 1 to 6 | Bookable; most 5+ rooms have a whiteboard and HDMI monitor |
| Science Commons | 3rd floor | Drop-in group study, with a whiteboard and HDMI monitor |
| Scholars Studio | 2nd floor | Drop-in study, with a whiteboard and HDMI monitor |
| Study carrels | Lower level and floors 2, 3, 5 and 6 | Drop-in quiet study |
| Window seating | Lower level and floors 2 to 6 | Drop-in quiet study |
| High-tops and standing desks | Lower level and floors 1, 3 and 4 | Drop-in quiet study |
| Group study tables | Scholars Studio, Science Commons, 2nd and 4th floors | Drop-in group work |
| Public computers | Lower level and Room 032 | Desktop computers and laptop docking stations |
| Starbucks | 1st floor | Drop-in seating near coffee |
.jpg){kind=link}
Study room booking rules
Book rooms through the library's online room booking pages. The same rules apply to individual and group rooms.
- Book up to two days ahead: today, tomorrow or the day after.
- Hold one booking at a time. You can book again once it's passed or you cancel it.
- Use rooms for up to four hours a day, in half-hour blocks.
- Keep your confirmation email. You can show it if someone's in your room.
- Rooms don't lock, so don't leave valuables behind.
- Graduate study rooms on the 2nd and 6th floors are for graduate students only.
- Students registered with Student Accessibility Services can book accessible rooms on the 6th floor, 48 hours ahead, for up to four hours a day.
What changed for fall 2026
The library added more than 200 seats over summer 2026. A former staff area is now the Academic Support Hub, where in-person appointments for writing, studying, time management, presentations and English language support take place. When appointments finish for the day, the hub becomes open study space.
The old computer pool on the east side of the second floor is becoming a group study area with whiteboard pavilions and soft seating. Desktop computers and laptop docking stations moved to the lower level. The Gryph Reads leisure collection moved near the entrance to free up first-floor seats.
Getting help with science and math courses
The Science Commons on the third floor is a large group study space with three enclosed areas for Chemistry, Physics, and Mathematics and Statistics. From September to April, staffed TA support runs in Room 300A for Math and Stats and Room 360 for Chemistry. If your course has TA support, you'll find it through CourseLink.
Supported Learning Groups are free study sessions led by upper-year students for selected courses. You can go every week or drop in when you need it.
Borrowing and printing
Your student card is your library card, and you use your central U of G login for online resources. Most users can borrow books for 120 days and hold up to 500 items. If your card hasn't arrived yet, staff can set up a temporary account. The book return is inside the main entrance.
Printing, photocopying and scanning run through PaperCut on the first-floor printers. Black-and-white and colour both cost $0.15 a side. You add money to your PaperCut account online, since the library doesn't take cash or cards on site. Print jobs are deleted after 90 minutes in the queue.
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.
- University of Guelph Library: opening hours calendar
- University of Guelph Library: spaces
- University of Guelph Library: group study room booking
- University of Guelph Library: individual study room booking
- University of Guelph Library: new study spaces for fall 2026 (September 29, 2026)
- University of Guelph Library: Academic Support Hub
- University of Guelph Library: Science Commons
- University of Guelph Library: guide for undergraduate students
- University of Guelph Library: frequently asked questions
- University of Guelph Library: printing and computing