Our study spaces
At the Haddon Library, there 50 spaces for you to work in, spread across two floors: 42 in the main Reading Room on our first floor and 8 in the McBurney Room on our second floor. Both of our spaces are listed on SpaceFinder, a handy tool for finding places to work across Cambridge.
Please see our accessibility page for information about step-free access to the building and other aspects of using the library space.
We have a few rules for the library space to give you the best possible experience.
Main Reading Room
This is a bright and airy quiet working space with large windows and lots of study tables tucked away into nooks. You are surrounded by our main book collection so you can have the texts you may need close at hand while also being surrounded by the beautiful and historic oak-carved shelving original to our library.
Each table has plug points and overhead desk lighting, as well as firm-yet-comfortable wooden chairs. If you require an adjustable height chair, please let a member of the team know and we'll fetch one for you. We also have additional items such a book rests and cosy blankets to make your time in our library as comfortable as possible.
In addition to our desks, we have a few soft chairs dotted around the main Reading Room with a few coming with their own small laptop table.
You can also find helpful technology in the Reading Room such as our printer/copier machine and our Electronic Legal Deposit terminal.
Members of the Haddon Library team can be found nearby for help in our entrance lobby which you pass through as you enter the library and head towards the main Reading Room.
Second Floor Landing
New for 2025! We have a comfy sofa and armchair for relaxed working on the Second Floor landing just outside of our McBurney Room.
McBurney Room
Located up a flight of stairs from the main Reading Room, the McBurney Room is on the second floor.
This room is smaller and more compact that our main Reading Room. It is filled with more modern bookcases which hold our journal collection as well as our Ancient Near East collection. You can find individual working spaces dotted around the edges of this room.
Due to the variable height of the ceiling in this room, some tables are underneath windows and so get lots of natural light while others are tucked away in slightly lower lit areas.
We also have our bookable acoustic booth in this room which can be booked for one-hour sessions and is great for attending online lectures and meetings.
The Librarian's Office is located off of the McBurney Room so if you are looking for the Haddon Librarian, this is where you will find them!