14 College Libraries So Stunning You'll Actually Want to Study

6. George Peabody Library – Johns Hopkins University, USA

Nicknamed the “Cathedral of Books,” this 19th-century treasure is a masterpiece of iron, marble, and light. Five stories of cast-iron balconies rise toward a latticed skylight, framing over 300,000 volumes in a hypnotic vertical display. The floor’s black-and-white marble tiling adds a cinematic touch. Though part of a university, the library feels like a public monument to the written word. It’s the kind of place where every whisper sounds sacred and every photograph feels like it’s been taken from a dream. Come for the aesthetics; stay because you suddenly want to read something from 1842.