Honnold Mudd Library

Good place to study
No free wifi

This is a great place to study, except wifi is only available for their students and there is no guest Internet access.

First, I think it’s ridiculous that a reviewer on here dinged the library because of the «spoiled students.» That’s a pretty obnoxious comment and shows that she knows nothing about the Claremont Colleges. While they’re expensive, they are extremely demanding on their students and the statement that the students there are not doing «real research» is ludicrous. Such bitter comments smack of someone who is still miffed about not being able to get in. As for the library itself, it’s very modern and the staff is extremely helpful. As for it being crowded — yeah, it can be. It services 6 different schools. So if you want a good spot, head in early and claim your space. There’s also a café in the basement.

Nice library, good holdings, competent staff. The building is maybe a little more labyrinthine than it needs to be and has dumpy/​unattractive areas, but whatever. The spoiled, underclothed students sprawled everywhere are annoying, but that is an issue separate from the quality of the library itself and so is not part of the criteria employed for this review. But, I just thought that you should know about them. Maybe you like spoiled, underclothed students. You wouldn’t be the first.
The library does get dinged a star because I think it’s rude that they made the computer catalog only accessible to students, faculty and staff. I have a fac/​staff card but was told that they had purposely made it harder for ‘just anybody’ to use their computers, and that the untouchables had to use their two designated riff-​raff computers (okay they didn’t use that exact terminology although they did say «just anybody»). If Claremont residents pay $ 100 for their resident card, they should be able to use the computers anywhere in the library like everybody else. And god forbid some non-​resident wander in there and want to look something up on the computer! Snobs.
Also, the librarians are a little deer-​in-​the-​headlights sometimes about direct requests. They are always competent but I get the feeling that none of the students really ask them for anything and so the librarians are surprised by questions.
Also, supposedly there is a 14^th century Italian manuscript here, along with lots of other rare and interesting books in the rare book holdings. Probably none of the students even go to look at these. I recently checked out a Stravinsky score that hadn’t been checked out in 26 years. I don’t think the students are doing much real research.

Great library! What I love is the little café where you can get bagels and lattes and hang out with books/​mags and munchies.

I’m in love with this place!
I am not an expert on libraries; however, I have spent a good portion of my life inside libraries. I’ve been to the noisy ones, ones with no services, or the ones that are freezing cold.
Go to the 4^th floor. It’s quiet and has a lot of ambient light, which makes studying so much nicer. Who likes those florescent lights, anyway?
They have brand new seating upstairs and super comfortable chairs. Downstairs there is a café that has pretty good freshly made sandwiches and coffee. Pro tip: Bring your own K-​cups and regular coffee mug. They have the machine there free to use. Score!
The temperature is also reasonable and the people are friendly. The only thing keeping this from being a five star review is the fact they DO NOT offer free Wifi. You have to be a student, alumni or teacher in order to access. I understand they do not want people hacking the system, but it’s not fun to not have Wifi. They do offer free standing computers that you can stand at to browse the internet.
Also, parking isn’t too bad especially during winter break. This place is excellent if you are looking for an über quiet, chill place to study with services. When I say services, I mean they have dry cleaning, a bookstore, vending machines, etc.

#37. This library is a bit old, but the interior is fairly clean and organized. There are a limited number of carrels, many of which are reserved, but a lot of them aren’t occupied during the semester, so it’s not a problem if you want to take over one of them. Some of the carrels aren’t near an outlet though, which can be an issue if you need to charge your laptop.
My main issue is the parking. In the summer, it’s not a problem, but finding a spot during the academic year can be a hassle. There is a new parking lot on the south side of the library, but it’s really small, so you end up scavenging on the streets.
I like the snack policy they have. If you have a dry snack (trail mix, granola bar), you can eat it in the library, but if it can cause a mess, you have to eat it in the café. This was instituted recently, and it looks like it’s working out since I don’t see grease all over the tables.
The fourth floor is designated as a quiet area so you can get your serious studying done. But this library is pretty quiet in general, so it doesn’t really matter where you study.

This traditional style library sits on a very nice scenic property. It reminds me of a library you might find on an East Coast campus.
The inside is older and the seating can get limited. Some of the areas, if not the whole library, is in need of a remodel. However, it is very quite and there is free wifi. Parking is free on the street, if you can find it, with few restrictions. The ground floor also has a café (Hannold Café) with tables, wifi, food, coffee and drinks.
This is a great escape if you need to study and seclude yourself.