1. Champaign Public Library/The Urbana Free Library
During finals week, the UGL and Grainger Engineering Library are always packed with students. It is hard to find an open spot to study and if you are not able to study in a non-quiet area, these places will not be the best study areas for you. Not many people think about studying at the Champaign or Urbana libraries. To be honest many people do not know they actually do exist. Even though these libraries are not in the middle of campus, it may be worth the bus ride or Uber ride to go study there. The Urbana Free Library gives you the ability to reserve study rooms that can accommodate up to eight people and reservations can be made up to one week in advance. The Champaign Public Library even has a Café at the library! Perfect for sipping down cups of coffee and cramming for finals either on the patio or in the glass-walled indoor space.
2. ACES Library
The ACES Library tends to be the one library that is the hidden gem. It seems students tend to gravitate towards the UGL, Grainger, or Main Library. In the ACES Library you can make room reservations that can be made up to 14 days in advance. This library has a lot of study spaces and large tables/cubicles. The ACES Library has massive windows all around the building so this library will provide a well-lit study space. This library is not as conversation-friendly as other libraries on campus such as the upper level of the UGL, so if you study better in quiet atmospheres this library will be perfect for you.
3. Illini Union
The Illini Union has a lot of spaces to study inside the building. You can study at the Illini Union Courtyard Café if noise level does not bother you or you can study down at the Illini Union dining area. The Illini Union dining area is great because you have lots of food options available when you start to get hungry while studying. The Illini Union offers the Pine Lounge, President’s Lounge, and South Lounge available to students as study spaces. The Pine Lounge tends to be the most quietest place to study in the Illini Union, but the other lounges are quiet as well. These are greats spots to study in between classes since the Illini Union is right on the quad, so if you have a break between classes you have a lot of areas to choose from.
4. Other Mentions
Some other places that can be great to study during finals are empty classrooms in academic buildings. This is a great space because you can talk as loud or be as quiet as you want with your friends. There are a plethora of coffee shops on and off campus that can be a great space to study, you have endless amounts of coffee at your service and a relaxing atmosphere. Academic buildings sometimes have their own libraries which are a quiet space to study such as the Communications Library in Gregory Hall. A helpful place to check out to see different spaces available is https://illinispaces.illinois.edu/uiuc.