You never know what you will find with a keen eye in a good library. While library databases bring the world of academic publications to your fingertips, there’s something about wandering the stacks, leafing through covers, and stumbling across unexpected gems that the library website’s “Browse the Shelf” function just can’t replicate.

With the majority of books at the McLennan Library having been moved off-site for the sake of the Fiat Lux renovation project—which is now indefinitely suspended—it might be time to start finding alternative places to browse. For those who never checked out books in person but are now finding that empty, bereft stacks deepen the despair of a late-night study session, read on for some suggestions of alternative study spaces.

If you’re in search of good books—or just a better studying backdrop—here are some places to check out. 

Quebec Public Interest Research Group McGill (QPIRG McGill) Alternative Library

QPIRG McGill’s library, located on av. du Parc, just 10 minutes from campus, is a great spot if you are looking for politically engaged books that challenge traditional power structures and go beyond the dominant narratives of your textbooks. They have a great selection of activist non-fiction books, zines, and graphic novels. You can browse their catalogue online or check out their cozy physical library space. 

The Union for Gender Empowerment (UGE) Alternative Library

Conveniently located on the top floor of the SSMU building, the UGE offers a curated selection of books with a focus on queerness, gender, sexuality, and feminist studies. The collection includes fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and zines, and the office contains armchairs and a couch if you want to test-drive your selections before checking out. 

Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec (BAnQ) 

The BAnQ’s Grande Bibliothèque, located 15 minutes away from campus on rue Berri, is one of the only libraries in Montreal that can rival McLennan-Redpath in size. Although the English selection is a little thin, it’s worth checking out, and you can easily register for a free library card if you go in person. It’s also a great place to work if you’re getting sick of McGill’s study spaces.

If you’re one of the many McGill students currently trying to learn French, the BAnQ can also be an opportunity to find free reading and listening material. If you go in person, check out their large collection of bandes dessinées (graphic novels) on the second floor. After getting your library card, you can also access their online collection of audio and e-books. 

Concordia’s Webster Library

While you can’t check out books as a McGill student, you can always wander into Concordia’s main library during opening hours, browse the shelves, and pretend you’re a student of a university with a functional library space. The collections at Concordia skew newer than those at McGill as well, so there’s always an interesting find waiting for you in the stacks.

Bonus: There is something left in the McLennan Library

While the books have been removed, the second floor’s microfilm collection remains onsite. While the collection can be hard to engage with at first, if you spend some time exploring, you’ll find some unexpected treasures—from 100-year-old New York Times articles to declassified CIA documents from the 1950s. If something catches your eye, there’s a viewing room on the second floor with machines to enlarge the film.