Explore Bass Library

Hours and Accessibility

Bass Library is located underneath Cross Campus with plentiful natural light provided by two sunken courtyards. Enter by stairs or elevator from Cross Campus or via the tunnel that connects Sterling Memorial Library to Bass.  

Visit the Bass Service Desk on the Courtyard Level to check out collection materials, media equipment, or course reserves. Course reserves, selected by faculty as class readings, can be checked out for designated time periods (2-hours, 24-hours, or 3-days).

Staff at the service desk can answer any questions and assist you with locating collection materials.

Spaces

Choose from a wide variety of work and study spaces, including soft seating, tables, study pods, standing desks, and reservable group workspaces. Outdoor tables are available in both courtyards from opening to dusk, weather permitting. Other options include:

Group Study Rooms

L30 A, B, C and D; L34 A, B, C and D and L03 and L04 are on the Lower Level and may be reserved by groups of two or more people. These spaces offer a variety of soft seating, long tables for meetings, and LCD screens with connections for laptops. Reserve a group study room in Bass. 

Individual Study Carrels

Small study rooms, suitable for one to two people, are available on both the Courtyard Level and Lower Level. These rooms are available on a first-come, first-served basis. On the Courtyard-level two ADA-accessible individual study rooms  (C10F and C12A) may be reserved. Book an ADA-accessible small study room. ADA-accessible study carrels are available on both levels. 

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. 

Technology

• 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.

Collections

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 Model Research Collection is a small-scale research collection that models breadth and depth in a specific subject area and is designed in partnership with faculty or other members of the campus community. 

• 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.

• The Display Collection is a frequently changing collection of 20-30 titles related to a timely topic. It is selected and displayed to catch students’ attention and foster discussion.

Library Instruction & Workshops

• 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. 

• For research assistance on site, the offices of librarians Emily Horning (C80A) and Kelly Blanchat (C81A) are on the Courtyard Level.