The Berkeley Public Library is the public library 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 Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland and E ...

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

History

Berkeley Public Library opened in 1893 on

Shattuck Avenue Shattuck Avenue is a major city street running north–south through Berkeley, California, and Oakland, California. At its southern end, the street branches from Telegraph Avenue in Oakland's Temescal district, then ends at Indian Rock Park ...

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 American steel industry in the late 19th century and became one of the richest Americans i ...

and built on land donated by Rosa M. Shattuck, the widow of

Francis K. Shattuck Francis Kittredge Shattuck (March 6, 1824 – September 9, 1898) was the most prominent civic leader in the early history of Berkeley, California, and played an important role in the creation and government of Alameda County as well. He also ...

. Immediately following the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and the resulting population surge from across the Bay, 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 1931. The new central library opened in 1934, where it remains. It was renovated and reopened in 2002. In 2011, 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, and the South Branch and Tool Lending Library in May 2013. On December 14, 2013, the West Branch library reopened, revealing the $7.5 million project. 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, Berkeley Public Library eliminated overdue fines for teen and adult books, CDs, DVDs, and magazines returned past their due date (children's materials were already fine-free). Also in 2018, Berkeley Public Library instituted the Easy Access Card, a library card available to persons without a fixed address. The Easy Access card offers access to the Library's electronic resources as well as limited checkouts of books and other materials.

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.One in Ohio opened in 1976. 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 hammers, drills, biscuit jointers, string trimmers ("weed wackers") shovels, ladders,

concrete mixer A concrete mixer (often colloquially called a cement mixer) is a device that homogeneously combines cement, aggregate such as sand or gravel, and water to form concrete. A typical concrete mixer uses a revolving drum to mix the components. F ...

s—and free advice. Late fees are $1, $5 or $10 per day, depending on the item. Lending times are seven days for manual items, and two days for power tools.

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