Burling Library

Burling Library: slowly sinking into the ground.

Burling Library is the main library on campus. Built in 1959, Burling underwent a major renovation project in 1982, during which the top two floors were added. It is home to the Print Room, the Listening Room, the Archives, and the Iowa Room. Burling is known for its bathroom graffiti and the jungle gym study structures on the lower floors. During finals week, Burling has a number of study breaks including cookies and milk daily at 9pm.

While Burling is near and dear to many Grinnellians' hearts, the College's collection has quickly grown beyond the means of the current facility. In addition, an earlier renovation to the building, adding its top two floors, has called the structure's foundation into question. College President Russell K. Osgood has said that early plans to replace Burling are moving forward.

Building Features

Listening Room

The Listening Room is a media library located in the basement level of Burling. Among the vast 19,000+ collection of CD's, VHS tapes, and DVD's available for loan, there are listening and video stations available for use. Randye Jones is the Listening Room supervisor.

Jungle Gyms

Unconventional study spaces can be found in Burling's "jungle gyms."

Varying Study Conditions

The study environment varies on each floor with noise level dropping as one goes higher in the building. Amoeba tables are locating on the first floor and are great for study groups or more social studiers. On the other hand, the fourth floor has only carrel desks for silent individuals.