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April 2023 by Mikey C.
Yelp tells me it's National Library Week, so here's an updated version of my review of the UCSB Library, a truly wonderful resource. I wrote the original last year when we were still in the midst of a terrible drought. We got a lot of rain this last winter, but nothing like the storm I describe below. Back in the 90s I was a grad student at UCSB and had the privilege of doing research in this library. It's an outstanding resource and staffed with an incredibly knowledgeable and helpful staff. Five stars all damn day! Also back in the 90s here in Southern California we used to have wet winters. Hardly ever rains in these parts anymore. This story took place in 1994, in the middle of an absolutely epic rainstorm. The wind was so strong that huge decades-old eucalyptus trees were blown down all around campus. Roads running through the campus were blocked with these fallen behemoths. The rain was coming down in torrents. It was a full on El Nino type storm event. I had spent the morning doing research and left the Library a little after noon to walk to my apartment about a half mile away I was wearing my trusty REI raincoat. It has a huge hood that completely covers my head and has a bill that extends out to cover the top part of my face. With the hood on and bill pulled down you can keep your face dry but your forward vision is limited to the area just in front of your feet. I was on the path that led back to family student housing, with a backpack loaded with like 15 pounds of books I had just checked out. The wind was blowing so hard it made the rain look like it was falling sideways. I was walking into the wind as fast as I possibly could, staring at the ground and only peeking out from under my hood occasionally to make sure I wasn't about to run into anything. Since it was raining so hard, and had been for hours, the path was virtually deserted. Every time I peeked out from under my hood there wasn't anyone else on the path. I kept my head down and pushed on into the driving rain. Then the damnedest thing happened. I looked up and saw Professor Steven Hawking no more than five feet away, speeding directly toward me in his wheelchair. We were just seconds away from a head on collision. At the absolute last possible moment I jumped to the right, out of his way. He motored full speed right by me. Missed me by mere inches. It happened so fast there wasn't time to process the situation. I stood there in the pouring rain and watched him roll away. I couldn't move my feet. I was shaking with adrenaline. WTF????? I almost collided with Steven Frickin' Hawking. Now, you wouldn't know it from my profile, but I'm actually a pretty big guy. At the time I was 6'2" and weighed 220 pounds. I had a backpack with over 15 pounds of books on my back and I was walking at full speed. Steven Hawking was 5'6" and weighed about 137 pounds. And he had ALS. All the way home this loop played in my head: Oh my god, that was so close! Oh my god, if I would've hit him head on, I might have killed him . Oh my god, I almost killed Steven Hawking! In my mind's eye I could see the headlines, "World's Smartest Man killed by Village Idiot." When I got home I tried to sort it all out. I had so many questions. Like, first of all, what the hell was Steven Hawking doing in Santa Barbara? And what was he doing out in the middle of a torrential downpour with no attendants? I mean, wouldn't you assume he would have at least a caregiver or a gaggle of grad students around him pretty much all the time? Well, he didn't. He didn't even have a damn umbrella. He had to have been soaked. And then I started thinking about the moment I looked up to find him just five feet in front of me. He had to have seen me coming right at him for a long time before I noticed him, but when I looked up he was coming straight for me. The path was eight feet wide. He could have easily steered around me. But he didn't. He was coming straight at me. That was a startling reali
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May 2019 by Nick P.
Great place to study. Power outlets everywhere. Fantastic staff always willing to help. Comfortable environment just to relax. Huge selection of books and other research reassures. They even order books not in the library from other libraries. It also has a cafe and vending machines. Finally, the library offers student support serviced especially as the Transfer Student Center is located within the library. I recommend all students in the Santa Barbara area to stop on by and give this place a try!
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November 2018 by Obey G.
Tried to check out a book and the dumb employees did not understand how to check out a book. They sat there and kept claiming the book must be in the main library and didn't not give me any details on what floor or area the book was in. Terrible service and for being UCSB students terrible training. Idiotic performance by UCSB. Very ashamed and embarrassed that I go to this school that can't even train there staff to find a book. Just embarrassing. For who ever is reading this good luck getting what you need from the front desk. Plain dumb.
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January 2018 by Katy D.
One of the great places to sit and study! Real quiet and brand new remodel. There's a lot of space so you don't have to worry about that. One of the cleanest and neat libraries I have been to. I really enjoy the new look and the many bathrooms! Great place for students.
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October 2017 by Cayla H.
Beautiful, new library. Plenty of study space. Computers to work on. Friendly staff. Obviously, lots of books and resources. Open during convenient hours.
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March 2016 by George L.
The remodeled version looks really modern and sleek. I really like how there are a lot of open windows that allow for sunlight, large hallways that make the place look clean, and bathrooms every 200 or so feet. Study tables are everywhere along with plenty of computers, good lighting, and the place is clean. New Bike parking is on the opposite side of the Arbor. However, the reason why I have issue with giving a perfect review is the amount of study tables in the new Library. In the old "ocean" section of the library, there should be more tables that allow for studying. Simply put, there's just a lot of students and not enough tables during the evening hours. There's plenty of room to add some more places to study. That's my only complaint of this place.
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January 2016 by Harrison J.
Beautiful new facilities, added several computer areas and study tables. I really enjoy the design and features this adds to our school. Course reserve staff are usually very helpful and friendly. Special research collaborations desk is quite rude though, with the exception of their younger staff.
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September 2015 by Marklin M.
Massive multi level library. I was a LAWSO / FILMST Student so my favorite place in this library was the Law Library that is incredibly extensive for a college that does not have an ABA Law School, it's actually quite remarkable in that way. This is where I studied my Princeton Review for the LSAT test that I never took because I started working in TV, but I scored very high on the practice exam! Yay!
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April 2014 by Meghan D.
Special collections is a dream. I relied on them eight years ago for an Independent Study paper on the Isla Vista Riots and murder f Kevin Moran in 1970. They were kind transferring tapes onto CDs upon request with pleasure. Two weeks ago I started my expansion of this paper to book length. Imagine my surprise that these tapes have been transferred to digital medium. Tomorrow I'm going back to finish listening to a CD and attack a box of student reports of police violence. The calming and quiet make it a wonderful place to attack the hard work of researching. After working at Santa Barbara City College's Luria Library I spent last week going through their fantastic SC listings to make the work of the Librarians job easier by knowing exactly what I will need and in which order to pull out the CDs and boxes of documents. Since you are only allowed pencils to write with to prevent damage to the collections I bring my iPad and take my notes on it instead. They even went out of their way to make sure I had an available electric socket to charge my iPad in the Audio/Visual Room. The workers go above the call of duty. With collections to match, you can't go wrong if you take the time to research what you need ahead of time. In fact, I've been asked more than once by people out of state to determine a collection size before they make the trip down. Not once have they decided it wasn't worth the trip. We are very lucky to have such expansive gifts.
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October 2013 by Victoria C.
Awesome place to study. The 1st & 2nd floors are open 24 hrs! You can get in with UCSB ID after hours.
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July 2013 by Stacey D.
This library should only allow students or employees to the university to utilize the resources here on a daily basis. I think that access cards or staff IDs should be required upon entry. Because anyone can walk in and out of this library, homeless people use the furniture here to crash. I have never left the library without feeling dirty or greasy because of the filth left behind from non-students. Sitting in furniture that had previously been used by the homeless is gross and should not be a concern of mine when I just want to study. I have seen people with shit stains on their pants in this place oh MY god! I realize that students have also contributed messes left behind and that we should be grateful for the custodians for sweeping that trash away...but the library would be a cleaner environment if there was restricted access. Students pay a lot of money to attend this university and I feel that the resources included should be well kept.
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July 2013 by Corina S.
Great for research, studying and meeting up. The 24 hour room has been great for group projects and late night studying. Every floor is really unique and has a great view of the ocean so I can't really pick a favorite, but the 4th and 8th floors are both really popular with UCSB students. I love that they've put in a coffee and food store in the front lobby! That was much needed. Can't wait to see what the library looks like after all the improvements:)
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February 2013 by Lawrence R.
I stopped at UCSB on a friday which had a 70 degree weather. The campus is so beautiful and amazing. The students have a vibe that makes you want to go back to school. We visited the library to check it out and spent a whole hour reading and surfing the web. They had a quiet area that is perfect if you like peace and quiet
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January 2013 by Cory T.
A great place to do research! Kudos to the Support staff! esp the PC support team! These guys are spot on with regard to their helpful advise and with keeping these machines and network running and up to date! The Reference staff are always helpful and are happy to assist! The library is going through a long overdue renovation and will soon be rid of the horrible orange interior features! But face it, this place has much to offer anyone who makes the effort to walk through the front door.
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January 2012 by Ellen O.
I mean not the greatest place to study in SB, but I give it 3/5 stars for convenience. Being a top-tier research university, Davidon's library is just way too small. It takes me about an hour to find a place to sit during midterms/finals week ( not to mention finding a plug). Other than that, it's a great place to go and do some quick reading or spend your class breaks ( other than sitting at the Arbor and being unproductive like me). The 4th floor is great ( since its silent) and I really enjoy the 8th floor because you do get the great ocean view. If you are looking for somewhere else to study during finals week, check out the UCEN, its open 24hrs and they serve you free tea, coffee, and snacks!! Gaucho love!
