The Geisel Library is located in the center of the UCSD campus , directly north of the Price Center. In this location the building is visible to motorists traveling south from the Sorrento Valley area on Interstate 5. The building's widest point is 248 feet at ground level. The widest floor above the ground is the sixth level which is 210 feet. These figures are for the original tower.
Construction is reinforced concrete and glass.
Overall finish is rough form board exposed concrete in a horizontal pattern with anodized aluminum window walls containing 38,000 square feet of plate glass. The building contains 17,000 cubic yards of concrete. The existing building had not been renovated since it was built in the 1960s. During 1992 the building was functionally updated and the tower , as it is called, was restored to a floorplan similar to the one originally designed by Pereira which allows for more reader stations. A new heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system was installed, the elevators were renovated and a third public elevator was added.