The Table: The Best Business School Libraries for MBA Study

How many items of consideration are on your list when selecting the perfect business school for your MBA study?

Program length and location, course options and employer reputation are all clearly essential criteria in a decision as important as this. But, have you considered the MBA study resources at your disposal?

University libraries at business schools are a key factor in this respect. Good business libraries don’t just contain a host of accessible resources that can really facilitate a heavy reading list and workload – from traditional textbooks to business case studies. The best examples also create an atmosphere that encourages students to get the most of out its resources and, indeed, its spaces for private and group MBA study.

So, for those schools attached to universities, BusinessResearchGuide.com has formed a list of the 30 leading business school libraries in the US. These university libraries, described as ‘exceptional’, have been selected and ranked across four criteria from the extensiveness of their catalogue and database to their additional services and reputation, and are led by MIT Sloan.

MIT Sloan tops list of university libraries at business school

Although there is room for the likes of Harvard, Stanford and Wharton among the top 30, none of the university libraries at these elite business schools make the top 10. In fact, only three of the schools rated among the top 10 in North America by employers in the latest Global 200 report can also be found in the table above, which is topped by MIT Sloan.

The Dewey Library of Management & Social Science at MIT Sloan may have been constructed in the divisive Brutalist form of architecture, but aims to redefine the role of today’s university libraries with a focus on ease of access from both classrooms and campus dorms, as well as on tech-enabled group study and meeting rooms – something perfectly suited to the needs of MBA study.