Anne T. and Robert M. Bass Library
Find us in the heart of Cross Campus, with comfortable, flexible study spaces, media equipment, and more.
Bass Library is connected to Sterling Memorial Library via a tunnel from the Wright Reading Room, below the Sterling Library nave. Natural light flows in from two sunken courtyards, perfect for outdoor studying. Explore Bass to pick up your course reserves, check out media equipment, browse the Graphic Novel Collection, and much more.
Visiting
A valid Yale ID with swipe access is required for entry after 6 pm.
The building is wheelchair-accessible. An outside elevator (located in the pavilion entrance to the Thain Cafe and the Bass Library) will take the reader directly to the Bass Library.
To get to the Sterling Memorial Library from the Bass Library, readers with wheelchairs should take the elevator one level up to the tunnel connecting Bass Library and Sterling Memorial Library. Once through the tunnel, in the Wright Reading Room, turn left to the elevator and proceed up to the main level and the Sterling Memorial Library nave.
Inside Bass Library, there are two reservable, ADA-compliant individual study rooms, located on the courtyard level by Thain Cafe. Patrons can reserve these rooms for up to 4 hours, once per day.
Bass holds a wide range of titles in the humanities, social sciences, sciences, arts, law and medicine. Selected titles in Bass may be duplicated in other Yale Library collections or available as e-books. The collection also includes books recommended by students through engagement programs like the Reading Resilience Project, which aims to highlight underrepresented voices.
In addition, several smaller collections on the Courtyard Level are designed to foster student engagement with print books. The Graphic Novel Collection is an actively developed collection of primarily English-language graphic novels including classics of the genre. Additional graphic novel collections are shelved in Sterling Memorial Library.
From the New Haven Green or Phelps Gate on Old Campus, take College Street north to Elm Street. Make a left onto Elm Street. Go past Hopper College and Berkeley College (on your right). At High Street, turn right and follow the cement pathway. Sterling Memorial Library will be to the left; and the Women's Table sculpture on your right. Turn right and walk down the stairs. Enter the Bass Library from the pavilion on your left.
- Faculty and teaching assistants may request library instruction for their class. Place an instruction request.
- We offer online and in-person workshops on how to use find materials, organize citations, and create bibliographies. View workshop schedule and register.
- To talk with library staff, visit the service desk on the courtyard level or reach out online via Ask Yale Library.
- Students are also invited to request a personal librarian for one-on-one research assistance.
Classrooms and Teaching Spaces
L01 (A and/or B) and L06 (A and/or B) may be reserved by library staff in two-hour increments until 5 p.m, Monday through Friday. After 5 p.m. and on weekends, students may reserve these rooms for study or meetings. Please reserve through schedule.yale.edu.
L70, L71, L72, and L73 are seminar type classroom spaces with seating for 12-18 people. Reserve classrooms L70-L73 through the University Registrar.
- Printers, copiers and scanners are available on both levels. Workstations equipped with specialty software are available for use by Yale community members on both levels.
- Yale ITS offers Yale community members software and hardware support for personal computers and Yale-owned computers. Visit the Technology Support Center on the Courtyard Level in Thain Café (just outside the library doors).
- Current Yale students, staff and faculty may reserve and check out media equipment, including cameras and camera lenses, video cameras, digital recorders, and microphones.
Today’s Hours
- Bass
- 8:30am – 12:00am
- Library Services Desk
- 8:30am – 8:00pm
Services
Study Spaces
Bass Courtyard Level
This often-busy open study space offers natural light and varied seating options, including long tables, soft seating, individual study rooms, carrels, and seasonal access to the courtyards. It's also close to reservable lockers and the Library Services Desk.
Bass Lower Level
With less activity and pass-through traffic than the courtyard level, this area of Bass Library offers a variety of seating configurations including individual study rooms, soft seating, and high top seating.
Individual Study Rooms
Individual study rooms with a door are available on both levels. Two ADA-accessible individual study rooms (C10F and C12A) on the courtyard level may be reserved. All others are available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Group Study Rooms
Groups of 2-8 may reserve these spaces. Configurations vary including soft seating, long tables for meetings, and LCD screens with connections for laptops. A Yale ID is needed for reservations and swipe access.
Instruction Rooms
Only library staff may reserve these rooms during business hours. Oher Yale staff, students, and faculty may book them for meetings or group work after 5 pm and on weekends. Room capacity and technology details are on the reservation page. A Yale ID is needed for reservations and swipe access.
