With combined holdings of more than 3.5 million volumes and extensive collections of online databases, electronic journals, rare books, and musical scores, Rochester's libraries rank among the top academic research libraries in the United States and Canada.

River Campus Libraries consists of Rush Rhees Library, Carlson Science & Engineering Library, and the Physics-Optics-Astronomy Library (POA). Standing 186 feet high, the tower of Rush Rhees Library has been a symbol of the University since the building opened in 1930.