Libraries
Berkeley campus libraries
The Library at UC Berkeley contains one of the finest research collections in the country. It includes more than 20 campus libraries, serving academic disciplines in the arts, humanities, social sciences, sciences, and international and area studies. In addition to the physical collections, the Library provides a wide array of electronic resources available 24 hours a day from anywhere. (Students not living in residence halls should review the guide to connecting from off-campus, available via the Library website, www.lib.berkeley.edu.) Wireless access is broadly available throughout the Cal library system.
Your Cal 1 Card is your library card. With it, you have access to all the libraries have to offer. To learn more about core services such as borrowing and renewing materials, locating course reserves, copying and printing in the library, off-campus access to electronic resources, finding study areas, and more, check out Information for Students at the Library website (www.lib.berkeley.edu); locate it within the SERVICES tab.
The Library website (www.lib.berkeley.edu) is your gateway to research. It provides information about library hours, services and collections, access to library catalogs, databases, and e-content. For helpful guides on finding specific types of information, locate the FIND INFORMATION tab on the website (follow the “all types” link and select the guide for the specific kind of information sought).
Library staff is available to assist you in finding materials and online resources in support of your academic needs and personal interests. For details about reference desk hours, email, and IM help, locate the HELP tab at the website and link to “research help,” or ask one of the many librarians at reference desks throughout the Cal libraries.
Library Tours and Orientations: Get introduced to specific campus libraries and library research skills by taking a library tour or attending an introductory workshop (for details visit www.lib.berkeley.edu and look under the purple “Help” tab).
The Gardner Main Stacks
Connecting the Doe and Moffitt Libraries is the underground building known as the Main Stacks. Most of the campus humanities, social sciences, and international and area studies materials are located here. This collection contains books and periodicals in languages from all over the globe. Open most weeknights until 2 am, you’ll find plenty of study space, rooms for group study, and more.
Doe and Moffitt Libraries
The Doe Library and the Moffitt Undergraduate Library are the principal libraries for more than 50 academic departments, focusing on the arts, humanities, social sciences, and international and area studies.
Moffitt Undergraduate Library provides a point of entry for new and undergraduate students, and houses a core collection of materials targeted to undergraduates. Moffitt is open more hours than most libraries, and has plenty of space for studying. It is home to the Moffitt Reference Service, the Media Resource Center (the primary collection of audio and visual materials at Cal), and the largest campus Microcomputer Facility. The Free Speech Café is located just outside the Moffitt entrance. Moffitt is open most weeknights until 2am (specific service hours vary), and a Night Safety Shuttle makes regular stops to take you home.
The Doe Library includes the Reference Center (located on the second floor, 642-6657), housed in two of Doe’s three great architectural rooms (the Current Periodicals collection is in the third). As a focal point for research and reference services, the Reference Center provides assistance and instruction with both print and electronic resources. The extensive collections include the humanities and social sciences, and the government documents reference collections. Of particular note to undergraduates is the Research Advisory Service (one-on-one personalized guidance for undergraduates working on research projects). Plenty of quiet study space is available in the grand, historical reading rooms. The Library’s major collection of news and microfiche/microfilm can be found in Doe (40 Doe Library; 510/642-2975).
Moffitt Microcomputer Facility: see here.
The Bancroft Library
Bancroft Library is one of the largest and most heavily used libraries of manuscripts, rare books, and special collections in the United States (see here for more details).
The Morrison Library
An architectural treasure of the UC Berkeley campus, the Morrison Library is a beautiful and tranquil room designed for leisurely reading, browsing, and relaxing from the rigors of academic life. The library contains several distinct collections: current fiction and nonfiction, poetry, and music collections. The Morrison Library also co-sponsors Lunch Poems, a noontime poetry reading series (www.lib.berkeley.edu/doemoff/morrison/; 101 Doe Library; 510/642-3671).
Subject-specialty libraries
The Berkeley library system has many libraries that specialize in a specific subject area. Each library offers unique content and services to the campus student community. To find out more about libraries for your major or area of study, visit the Library website (www.lib.berkeley.edu, in the ABOUT THE LIBRARIES tab link to “libraries & collections A-Z”).
Institute of Governmental Studies (IGS)
IGS operates one of the most active programs of social science seminars on campus. These seminars draw participants from many different departments and schools including public policy, political science, history, statistics, law, sociology, economics, and journalism.
The IGS Library is one of the nation’s premier libraries of nontrade and ephemeral materials on American public affairs and policy. The Library also has a strong core collection of books and journals on American political science and public administration (igs.berkeley.edu; 109 Moses Hall; 510/642-1474).
Other Libraries
The Berkeley Public Library resources include CDs, DVDs, the latest fiction and nonfiction, sheet music, tools (yes, tools!), community information (510/981-6166), and story hours for children—and it’s all free! The Library is close to the west side of campus (www.berkeleypubliclibrary.org; M 12pm-8pm; Tu 10am-8pm; W-Sa 10am-6pm; Su 1pm-5pm; 2090 Kittredge at Shattuck; 510/981-6100).
The Eshleman Library, run by the ASUC, is a quiet place to study with large tables and excellent views. Food, beverages, and sleeping are allowed! Eshleman Library also houses the ASUC archives (often open 24-hours during the last weeks of fall and spring semesters, call for hours; Eshleman Hall, seventh floor; asuc.berkeley.edu/asinside.aspx?uid=38; 510/643-9127).