Visiting Scholars: Local Travel Information: Welcome

Materials from Murray-Hong Special Collections, the University Archives, and non-circulating items from the Turfgrass Information Center are all available for use in the Reading Room on the first floor of the Main Library.

As of June 2021, the Reading Room (along with the rest of the MSU library system) is still on a reduced schedule due to the pandemic. The Reading Room is open by appointment only, 10 am - 2 pm, Monday to Friday. Researchers must make appointments 5 days in advance, and request their materials 5 days in advance.

See full information about appointments here.

Clicking MAKE AN APPOINTMENT on that page will take you to bookings.lib.msu.edu.

• Click NEXT AVAILABLE to go to the earliest day we can have you visit.
• You may need to use the slider bar to bring the open times (shown in green) into view.
• Click the box for the hour you want to arrive.
• Then use the drop-down menu to indicate how long you want to stay. You're welcome to stay the entire 4 hours we are open.

MSU Campus Maps

Use the interactive map for walking directions

The Main Campus version of the printable map is all you need, unless you plan to rent a bike and explore. The Full Campus version includes the university farms south of Mount Hope Road. The area covered by the main campus plus the university farms area is more than 8 square miles!

The MSU Main Library is at 366 West Circle Drive, East Lansing, MI  48824 USA.

Phone: 517-355-8700

The Reading Room is located on the first floor of the Main Library, easily visible from both north and south entrances to the building.

Main Library floor plan - first floor

MSU is a big campus! You can rent a bike for $40 a week (plus a refundable deposit of $200) from the MSU Bikes Service Center.

Pick up and return your bike from their location (a former canoe shelter) on the bank of the Red Cedar River, a 5-7 minute walk from the Main Library.

Note that you can return your bike after hours, but you must visit during their open hours to have your refund processed.

International visiting scholars are responsible for obtaining the appropriate visa, which may have travel limits.

Michigan is in the U.S. Eastern time zone (UTC -4) but we are on Daylight Savings Time until Sunday, November 7, 2021.

The time zone map at timeanddate.com does adjust for Daylight Savings. Use the search box to find Detroit, the nearest major city, and hover your cursor there to find our correct current time.

M.A.C. = Michigan Agricultural College, MSU's name during most of its first 100 years.