The Berkeley Public Library is the

public library A public library is a library, most often a lending library, that is accessible by the general public and is usually funded from public sources, such as taxes. It is operated by librarians and library paraprofessionals, who are also Civil servic ...

system for

Berkeley, California Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Anglo-Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland, Cali ...

. It consists of the Central Library, Claremont Branch, North Branch, West Branch, Tarea Hall Pittman South Branch, and the Tool Lending Library, which is one of the nation's first such libraries.

History

The Berkeley Public Library opened in 1893 on Shattuck Avenue with 264 books. In 1905, the library moved to a new brick building on Shattuck Avenue at 2090 Kittredge Street. The new library was funded by

Andrew Carnegie Andrew Carnegie ( , ; November 25, 1835August 11, 1919) was a Scottish-American industrialist and philanthropist. Carnegie led the expansion of the History of the iron and steel industry in the United States, American steel industry in the late ...

and built on land donated by Rosa M. Shattuck, the widow of Francis K. Shattuck. Immediately following the

1906 San Francisco earthquake At 05:12 AM Pacific Time Zone, Pacific Standard Time on Wednesday, April 18, 1906, the coast of Northern California was struck by a major earthquake with an estimated Moment magnitude scale, moment magnitude of 7.9 and a maximum Mercalli inte ...

and the resulting population surge from across the

San Francisco Bay San Francisco Bay (Chochenyo language, Chochenyo: 'ommu) is a large tidal estuary in the United States, U.S. state of California, and gives its name to the San Francisco Bay Area. It is dominated by the cities of San Francisco, California, San ...

, the library opened four other branches around Berkeley. In 1930, the library was demolished and a new design from architect James W. Plachek was approved. Construction of the new building began in 1930. The new central library opened in 1931, where it remains. It was renovated and reopened in 2002. In 2011, the Berkeley Public Library began a series of renovations and expansions of its four neighborhood branches. It completed renovation of the Claremont and North Branches in 2012, the South Branch and Tool Lending Library in May 2013, and the West Branch library in December 2013. During construction, a bookmobile called the Branch Van parked near each location to conduct basic transactions and provide access to library collections in the local neighborhoods. On July 1, 2018, the Berkeley Public Library eliminated overdue fines for non-children's media; children's books were already fine-free. The Tool Lending Library followed suit on October 3, 2022. Also in 2018, Berkeley Public Library instituted the Easy Access Card, a library card available to persons without a fixed address.

Technology

All Berkeley Public Library branches have self-checkout machines. Patrons can use these to check out materials themselves by scanning the items and their library card. This checkout method works for all media—books, CDs, DVDs, etc.—and provides the patron with a receipt for the items. All branches still also offer checkout from library staff at circulation desks. Patrons can also request and renew books over the Internet from their homes, or over the telephone.

Tool Lending Library

The Tool Lending Library opened in 1979 and is one of the nation's first such libraries. It is located at the South Branch. To borrow tools, patrons must be over the age of 18 and be residents or property owners of the city of Berkeley. Tool Lending Library offerings include basic hand tools, light power tools, and equipment: screwdrivers, various

hammer A hammer is a tool, most often a hand tool, consisting of a weighted "head" fixed to a long handle that is swung to deliver an impact to a small area of an object. This can be, for example, to drive nail (fastener), nails into wood, to sh ...

s, drills, biscuit jointers, string trimmers ("weed wackers") shovels, ladders,

concrete mixer A concrete mixer (also cement mixer) is a device that homogeneously combines cement, Construction aggregate, aggregate (e.g. sand or gravel), and water to form concrete. A typical concrete mixer uses a revolving drum to mix the components. For ...

s—and free advice. Lending times are seven days for manual items, and two days for power tools.

Significance

The primary Berkeley Public Library stands as the architectural creation o
James W. Plachek
(c.1885-1948), a locally renowned and versatile architect who played a pivotal role in shaping downtown Berkeley and its civic center between the two

World War A world war is an international War, conflict that involves most or all of the world's major powers. Conventionally, the term is reserved for two major international conflicts that occurred during the first half of the 20th century, World War I ...

s. A prominent example of Zig Zag Moderne, the library showcases the style's distinctive features, including modern materials, construction efficiency, and artistic excellence. Its significance extends beyond architectural merit, encompassing its harmonious integration with stylistically similar structures, exceptional state of preservation, and the groundbreaking 1973 restoration. Constructed during the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

, the library's realization was made possible through community support, drawing widespread attention and reflecting Berkeley's longstanding tradition of backing libraries. This tradition dates back to the Shattuck family donations of 1893 and 1903 and culminated in the overwhelming voter approval of a special post-Prop.13 library tax in 1980. Berkeley's initial public library building, funded by a Carnegie grant in 1903, was designed by John Galen Howard, the Beaux Arts architect of the

University of California The University of California (UC) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university, research university system in the U.S. state of California. Headquartered in Oakland, California, Oakland, the system is co ...

. The library's expansion requests in 1913 and the subsequent voter-approved library building tax in 1921 and 1925 foreshadowed its need for growth. Despite the challenges posed by the Depression, Berkeley remained committed to the construction of a new library. In 1930, work commenced with the demolition of the 25-year-old Howard building, perceived as too small and stylistically outdated by progressive Berkeleyans. James Plachek, a local

civic Civic is something related to a city or municipality. It also can refer to multiple other things: Civic or CIVIC can also refer to: General *Honda Civic, a car produced by the Honda Motor Co. *Civics, the science of comparative government * Civic ...

and professional leader, emerged as the chosen architect for the project. His extensive involvement in Berkeley's civic affairs, coupled with his experience as an architect, made him a natural fit for the role. Plachek had previously designed branch libraries, including

Tudor Revival Tudor Revival architecture, also known as mock Tudor in the UK, first manifested in domestic architecture in the United Kingdom in the latter half of the 19th century. Based on revival of aspects that were perceived as Tudor architecture, in rea ...

and Spanish Colonial styles, as well as various city buildings such as schools, firehouses, and police stations. Notably, he was one of the few architects of his time to transition from period revival designs to the modern style. The library's opening in 1931 garnered attention, with a 10-page lead article in the January 1931 Architect & Engineer praising its responsiveness to community needs, modernity, meaningful artistry, and structural simplicity. Plachek's comprehensive approach extended to the design of light fixtures,

furniture Furniture refers to objects intended to support various human activities such as seating (e.g., Stool (seat), stools, chairs, and sofas), eating (table (furniture), tables), storing items, working, and sleeping (e.g., beds and hammocks). Furnitur ...

, and hardware, all locally constructed. Beyond its architectural significance, the library played a key role in the development of downtown Berkeley. In 1932, two adjacent structures, the U.A. Theater and a tiled store building were added, enhancing its integration into the Main Street setting. Today, the library anchors a de facto civic center, aligned with other prominent structures such as the post office, municipal offices, Veterans' Memorial, City Hall, and Plachek's police station, creating a cohesive urban ensemble.

Gallery

Image:Berkeley Public Library corner pylon detail.jpg, Incised lettering above a fanciful Mayan rosette Image:Berkeley Public Library side view.jpg, The Central Branch of Berkeley Public Library, renovated and reopened in 2002 Image:Berkeley Public Library South Branch, 2013.jpg, The South Branch, renovated in 2013 Image:BPL Tool Lending Library.jpg, The tool lending library at the South Branch

References

External links

*
History of the Berkeley Public Library
* by William Porter, 27 data pages by Page & Turnbull, 1998 {{Authority control Library buildings completed in 1930 Education in Berkeley, California Libraries in Alameda County, California Public libraries in California Libraries on the National Register of Historic Places in California National Register of Historic Places in Berkeley, California 1930 in California Link+ libraries Art Deco architecture in California Government of Berkeley, California Historic American Buildings Survey in California Berkeley landmarks in Berkeley, California