The University of Rochester River Campus Libraries offers group tours of our libraries on a limited basis, by appointment.
All tours must be scheduled and approved by the staff of the Patron Services Department, who will provide tour information and coordinate arrangements. We offer several options for our building tours, and will work with your group to choose the tour most appropriate to your group’s needs. Accessibility accommodations for guests with mobility impairments will be provided upon request.
Tour requests must be made at least 72 hours in advance of the desired visit. Staff will not provide tours for groups that arrive without making prior arrangements.
See below for our tour offerings.
Rush Rhees Library
Functional Space Tour - takes 45-60 minutes
- Barbara J. Burger iZone
- Gleason Library
- Library Stacks
- Evans Lam Square
- Friedlander Lobby
- Welles-Brown Room
- Second Floor Landing
- Martin E. Messinger Periodical Reading Room
- Great Hall
- Rare Books, Special Collection and Preservation
- Rossell-Hope Robbins Library
Collaborative Space Tour - takes 30 minutes
- Barbara J. Burger iZone
- Gleason Library
- Evans Lam Square
Historic Building Tour - takes 30-45 minutes
- Front of Rush Rhees Library
- Roger B. Friedlander Lobby
- Welles-Brown Room
- Treasure Room
- Blue Stacks and Otis Elevator
- Rare Books, Special Collection and Preservation
- Great Hall
- Second Floor Landing
- Martin E. Messinger Periodical Reading Room
Carlson and POA
Science & Engineering Tour - takes 30-45 minutes
- Carlson Q&i
- Tinkerspace
- Tech Sandbar
- 3rd floor - quiet study and Popular Reading
- 1st floor - VISTA Collaboratory, future Studio X
- All Gender Restroom
- Physics, Optics and Astronomy
Rush Rhees Tower Tours
The River Campus Libraries offer scheduled tours of the Rush Rhees tower as part of the annual Scare Fair event in October, and during Senior Week each May. Additional tours may be granted on rare occasion, and are usually limited to tours related to student scholarship or coursework and must have prior approval from the River Campus Libraries Strategic Leadership Team.
Tower tours are not part of general tours of the Rush Rhees Library, and are not granted to organizations, departments, or student groups for team building exercises, as contest prizes, or for other purposes not directly related to student scholarship.
Children under the age of 18 must be accompanied on tower tours by an adult responsible for their supervision.
Other tours
Looking for tours of the entire campus? University of Rochester offers in-person tours as well as virtual tours.
