How to Check Library Hours and Reserve a Space or Equipment at Virginia Tech

Updated

You can check today's hours and full location hours, and start a space or equipment reservation, from the University Libraries homepage at lib.vt.edu. The homepage shows a Today's Hours panel listing each library location, plus View all Library Hours for the full schedule. For reservations, use the Reserve a Space and Reserve Equipment links in the Quicklinks section. Both are entry points into separate booking systems, so you'll complete the actual reservation after clicking through. Holiday closures are posted as notices on the homepage — for example, the site displays a notice that the libraries will be closed on Monday, September 2nd for Labor Day.

Check today's hours and full schedules

  1. Go to lib.vt.edu.
  2. Find the Today's Hours panel. It lists each location with its hours for the current day, including:
    • Carol M. Newman Library
    • Art & Architecture Library
    • Fralin Biomedical Research Institute
    • Health Sciences & Technology Library
    • Academic Building One, Alexandria
    • Special Collections
    • Veterinary Medicine Library
    • Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine Library
  3. Select View all Library Hours to see schedules beyond today — useful for planning a visit later in the week or checking a branch library's hours before you travel.

Verify before you go: check the notices at the top of the homepage for closures or special hours. Holiday and break schedules are announced there rather than only inside the hours panel.

Reserve a space

  1. From the homepage Quicklinks area, select Reserve a Space.
  2. You'll be taken to the reservation system, where you choose a location, date, and time and confirm the booking.

The homepage doesn't specify which rooms or how far in advance you can book — those details live inside the reservation system itself, so check availability and any booking limits there.

Reserve equipment

  1. From the homepage Quicklinks area, select Reserve Equipment.
  2. Complete the request in the equipment booking system, selecting the item and pickup details.

Equipment reservations run through a separate system from room bookings, so a space reservation doesn't cover equipment, and vice versa.

Related services worth knowing

The same Quicklinks section links to services you may need alongside a reservation:

Link Use it for
Interlibrary Loan Requesting materials the libraries don't hold
Off Campus Access Using licensed resources from off campus
My Library Account Renewals, requests, and account status
Research Guides Subject-specific help from librarians
Course Reserves Materials set aside for a specific course
Ebooks Accessing the ebook collection

Common snags

  • Holiday closures: the homepage notice is the authoritative signal. A location may show regular hours in the panel while a closure notice applies.
  • Branch vs. main library: hours differ by location. If you're heading to a branch such as the Art & Architecture Library or the Health Sciences & Technology Library, confirm that specific location's hours rather than assuming Newman Library's schedule applies.
  • Two separate systems: space and equipment reservations don't share a cart or confirmation, so plan to complete each separately.

For questions the site doesn't answer — eligibility for a particular room, loan periods for equipment, or access rules — contact the library directly through the links on lib.vt.edu.