Lauinger Library

Washington, D.C., United States

Open to visitors

The interior is normally open, possibly ticketed.

Strollie cannot guarantee access — always check before you travel.

Opening hours: Mo-Th,Su 08:00-24:00; Fr-Sa 08:00-22:00
Phone: +1-202-687-7607

From OpenStreetMap — confirm before travelling

Find out more

The Joseph Mark Lauinger Library, which opened on April 6, 1970, is the main library of Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., and anchor of the university's seven-library system holding 3.5 million volumes. Designed by architect John Carl Warnecke in brutalist style, the building was conceived as a modernist reinterpretation of the Flemish Romanesque vocabulary of the adjacent Healy Hall. Named for a Georgetown alumnus and member of the university chimes who died in the Vietnam War, Lauinger houses 1.7 million volumes across six floors with study spaces throughout, and includes the Woodstock Theological Center Library and the Booth Center for Special Collections on its fifth floor, which preserves rare books, manuscripts, and university archival materials. The library commands views of the Potomac River and Rosslyn's skyline. It replaced Riggs Library, which had served as Georgetown's main library since 1891, though Riggs continues to function for book storage and formal university events.