The UIUC Rare Book Library is on a central position on the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign campus. It is monumental in form, location, and material. A band of light wraps around the building below where the books are kept as if they are being exalted on a pedestal of light. Inside the library, the user is surrounded by the books, and can view them only through a glass case similar to museum exhibits. Various exterior landscaping allows for gathering around the building in both sun and shade. The structure is made of a two-way concrete slab construction due to the weight of the books on the upper floors.
