Perkins and its neighbors, Bostock and Rubenstein, are nice libraries (one of many on Duke campus). It is centrally located on campus which makes it an easy meeting place for groups around campus.
There are many desks and chairs to work out throughout the floors which, during the school year's exams, tend to be filled up. During these occasions, the place can actually be a bit loud, but on other occasions this is not a problem. You can reserve rooms for group work, you can use The Link for mostly computer-related stuff (such as renting computers, headsets, etc), attend seminars in some of the larger group rooms, study at the many desks and chairs, print off papers, or check out books (obviously).
The book selection is mostly tailored to the courses offered on Duke campus but the online interface for searching books and articles is pretty easy. If you want a book from another one of the University libraries, you can get it transferred to another library that is more convenient for you. I often have books transferred here and the staff are friendly with getting me the books I need. Sometimes they have been really quick with getting the books, and other times, they are a bit slow.
There are some IT people to help with internet connection and such. For the most part they have been knowledgeable and helpful. read more