Berkeley Public Library
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Berkeley Public Library
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| Location | 2090 Kittredge St., Berkeley, California |
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| Coordinates | 37°52′5.39″N 122°16′7″W / 37.8681639°N 122.26861°WCoordinates: 37°52′5.39″N 122°16′7″W / 37.8681639°N 122.26861°W |
| Built | 1930 |
| Architect | Plachek, James W. |
| Architectural style | Moderne, Zig Zag Moderne |
| NRHP Reference # | |
| BERKL # | 57 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | June 25, 1982 |
| Designated BERKL | April 19, 1982 |
The Berkeley Public Library is the public library system for Berkeley, California. It consists of the Central Library, the Claremont Branch, North Branch, West Branch, South Branch and the Tool Lending Library, one of the nation's first such libraries.
The Berkeley Public Library opened in 1893 on Shattuck Avenue with 264 books. In 1905 the library moved to another location on Shattuck Avenue at Kittredge Street, into a new brick building funded by Andrew Carnegie onto land donated by Rosa M. Shattuck the widow of Francis K. Shattuck. Immediately following the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and the population surge that resulted, the library opened four other branches throughout Berkeley. A new central library opened in 1934 at its current location of 2090 Kittredge St., and remained the central branch until it was renovated and reopened in 2002.
The library is currently engaged in a series of renovations and expansions of its four neighborhood branches. The renovation of the Claremont and North Branches was completed in 2012, and the South Branch/Tool Lending Library in May 2013. On December 14, the West Branch library reopened its doors, revealing the $7.5 M project[1]. During the construction period, a bookmobile known as the Branch Van has parked near each location to conduct basic transactions and to continue to provide access to library collections in the local neighborhoods.
The Berkeley Public Library has made available a number of self-checkout machines at all branches. Self-checkout machines are placed inside the library in circulation areas and allow patrons to check out the books themselves by scanning their card and placing the books on the scanning pad. This form of checkout allows for all types of media, from books to CDs to DVDs, and provides the patron with a receipt of the items checked out. Checkout is still available with library staff at circulation desks at all branches.
In addition to this system, patrons can request and renew books over the Internet, allowing them to do so without leaving their homes. This option is also available over the telephone.
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