5 Best Libraries in Johannesburg (2026)

UJ Library is the University of Johannesburg's main academic library at the Auckland Park campus, holding the general collection alongside subject-specific sections and an auditorium used for campus events. It runs some of the longest hours of any library on this list, open past 10pm most weekdays. Reviewers describe well-arranged shelves and enough plug points to work through an evening, with a small shop at the entrance for a quick bite between study sessions.

Wartenweiler Library is the main library of the University of the Witwatersrand's Braamfontein campus, spread across several floors with distinct zones for group discussion, silent study, and reference material. Its own guide describes discussion rooms bookable in advance, a PC pool, and a writing center alongside the usual lending desk. Weekday hours run to 11pm, among the latest on this list.

Johannesburg City Library is the city's public central library on Pixley ka Isaka Seme Street, a building dating back to 1935 that reopened in recent years after refurbishment. Unlike the university libraries on this page, it is open to the general public without needing student credentials, and reviewers describe a dedicated music library section alongside the standard lending collection. Staff are frequently praised for friendliness.

UJ APB Library serves the University of Johannesburg's Auckland Park Bunting Road campus, home to the Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture. It keeps unusually flexible hours, staying open into the early morning on weekends, and reviewers point to private study spaces and bookable meeting rooms for group work.

William Cullen Library is Wits University's home for archival material, named after chemist and metallurgist William Cullen, with a Historical Papers Research Archive that draws researchers looking for material not held elsewhere on campus. Its own guide describes an Africana collection and a Dias Cross special collection alongside standard library services.