J. Willard Marriott Library is an ARL library with holdings of nearly 3 million volumes, over 60,000 journals in electronic and print formats, and a considerable number of other networked electronic resources. Highlights include Special Collections (with Rare Books, Book Arts Program, Multimedia Archives, and Middle East Library), the Digital Scholarship Lab (offering data analysis and curation, geospatial information support, and multimedia production services), over 100 digital collections (such as Utah Digital Newspapers, Western Waters, and Western Soundscapes), an Espresso Book Machine, a 250-computer Knowledge Commons (which combines reference, technology, and media services), and seating for over 3,000 users. Teaching facilities—used by campus and library instructors—include 20 classrooms, labs and seminar rooms, and a 200 seat auditorium.

The University of Utah is situated on a 1,500 acre campus on the east bench of the Wasatch Mountain Range overlooking Salt Lake City. The Salt Lake valley has a population of over 1 million and offers residents a wide variety of cultural, entertainment, and recreational activities through four distinct seasons.