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    Berkeley Public Library

    3.9 (132 reviews)
    Open 10:00 am - 6:00 pm

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    Isaiah G.

    I was in the area and decided this check this library out. First there's seating outside and cactus flower beds. The place is massive with 4 stories. I went to the fourth floor the kids section. It's pretty big in my opinion. There was two tables with coloring pages and color crayons. There's two big play areas with toys. There was an activity area where my son made a bar. There's computers and a ton of books. This place has their own bathrooms that were very clean. We spent over an hour here. My son absolutely loved it.

    2.14.2024 getting taxes done by AARP! Sweetest lady joy! They have where you can check out a laptop!
    Yvette F.

    Came to get our axes done. My daughter and I. Very friendly people. I had Joy she was wonderful. You make an appointment. Drop paperwork off. In an hour they have your taxes ready! Quick and easy. I never been to this library. But, if I could move in and live there. It has five floors! I mean it is so Lovely. I respect the house less. They can come sleep eat and stay warm. Much respect on this wonderful library! Happy Black History month all! Happy Valentine's Day. Headed toEndless Summer treats!

    Got my library card!
    Cari A.

    I came across the Berkeley Public Library today after parking in the nearby parking structure. Decided to take a peak inside. The library itself is pretty spacious. There are multiple floors that are accessible by stairs or elevators. I asked the staff member at the front desk if he could direct me to some qualitative research books. Unfortunately he said they didn't have any physical copies, but that I could access them online. He asked if I had a card yet (I didn't) and he said I could sign up and get one. Sweet. The process to get a library card is fairly simple. You use their computers to put in information like your name, address and phone number. Once that is done, you go back to see them and show them proof of your address. I had a shopping purchase on my phone that had my shipping address and that worked! You then get to choose your type of library card design. I opted for the tie dye because when you're in Berkeley, it only seems fitting. Although I probably wouldn't come back here for physical books, I'll definitely use their online materials and would probably come back to use some of their quiet spaces. Pros: -helpful staff -lots on online materials to access (books, journals, movies, etc.) -easy system to get a library card Cons: -not much physical books. They had zero books on qualitative research.

    Ann L.

    I like libraries, free books to borrow and place to rest or read is a good thing. This library is in Downtown Berkeley close to Bart only a few blocks away. My friend told me about the FREE solar eclipse viewing glasses you can get FREE from this library so I had to go get them. They are on the 4th Fl Info Desk, ask if they have anymore. I got mine. There are 5 floors. I took the stairs to all of them and didn't walk around every floor but I did get a peak of all the floors. First floor - No Bathrooms, they are on the 2nd, 3rd, 5th Floors There's Friends' Bookstore where you can buy used books for cheap. You can also get some current popular & new books to check out. 2nd Fl has computers and non-fiction. I used the women's bathroom here, 2 stalls, sinks, and I had to wait a bit. When I was standing around we all heard some lady crying loudly so one of the workers called Security and it got quiet real quick! 3rd Fl lots of magazines & newspapers. I finally can read the old Lucky Peach magazines here!! I was sitting minding my own business when some guy just sits down right next to me! There is lots of other places to sit, but No, right next to me! Auugghh. Has bathroom this floor. 4th Fl is Children's Books - looks cute in there. 5th Fl has Art & Music Books, Vinyl and CDs! Wow! Has bathroom this floor. Why it took me so long to visit I don't know. It's a good library! Hrs: M 12-8 T 10-8 W 10-6 Th 10-6 Fri 10-6 Sat 10-6 Sun 1-5

    Meeting rooms
    Spencer Y.

    An impressive multi-level library with a whole floor dedicated to children's books, meeting rooms for guest speakers, and even laptops available for borrowing. They seem to have a great deal of resources available as even the kids level had rows of computers. They invite some very notable guest speakers as I was here for a an informative lecture and Q&A from a guest speaker on representation of Asian Americans in media. Was very impressed by Berkeley Public Library's willingness to bring out such high quality speakers particularly on topics that are important to people of color. A great library!

    Shane S.

    The Berkeley library is vast & takes up five floors. On the 1st Floor is new books, Audio Books, DVDs, & fiction. On the 2nd Floor is computers for internet, reference books, & non-fiction. On the 3rd Floor is an extensive collection of magazines & newspapers. On the 4th Floor is Children's Books. On the 5th Floor is Art & Music Books. Also on the 5th Floor are Music CDs & vinyl along w/ lyric booklets available for check out. On the 1st floor is the Friends Store that serves as a used bookstore where proceeds go to the library. The Berkeley library really shines for the 5th Floor music collection which has a great collection. On the 5th floor they also put out staff recommendations for CDs which I appreciate. They even will occasionally put displays up of musicians & their lives for example when Phife Dawg of the hip hop group "A Tribe Called Quest" died I found out about his death through a display put up in the library honoring the late rapper's life. There are many great events at this library from talks to computer skills workshops to movie nights to programs & classes such as figure drawing. A few months ago I saw a great poetry performance here where Beat Poet Michael McClure headlined along w/ several other great poets some of which were former Poet Laureates of San Francisco. The poets read accompanied with jazz from world class musicians. Another interesting aspect of this library is an entire shelf for "lucky day" items. These are popular items of books, CDs, & DVDs made available for check out. The selection always varies.

    Family place area, loads of fun!

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    5 months ago

    Beautiful building, helpful staff, I use now via Libby (remotely). a WONDERFUL Berkeley (and Bay Area) resource!

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    2 years ago

    Extensive book selection for kids, along with puzzles and play book area. Toddler story time is a hit with book and music, too!

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    One of the best libraries I've ever used. They have selections like Japanese books, Japanese kids books etc.

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    Review Highlights - Berkeley Public Library

    the earnest nerdy librarians, a solid fiction room, dvds, cds, even a respectable foreign language books section.

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    Berkeley Public Library

    Berkeley Public Library

    (57 reviews)

    South Berkeley

    Renewing my library card was quick and easy here! The staff was very nice…read more There's apparently a tool lending library. I have yet to try it, but it's so great when a library can offer tools to borrow! Short and easy walk from Ashby Bart.

    Small, serviceable library with children, teen, and adult sections to serve its community…read more As part of the Berkeley Public Library, the services offered here are separate from the Alameda County Library system. Be sure to register membership in this local library system to take advantage of the resources available from one of the foundational landmarks in the city of Berkeley. With mainly street parking that is scarcely available due to popular hotspots for locals and visitors during the weekends (public park across the street and a popular Buddhist temple next door), it's probably best to walk or bike if you live nearby or be prepared to park further away. They do have plenty of bike racks in case you're coming from a bit further out. The individual sections don't seem too big but do pack a good amount of books and DVDs to be borrowed. If you need help finding something, the staff members at the front desk are helpful and friendly. The rooms are well ventilated and lit by natural sunlight, quiet, clean, and has enough space for individuals and small to medium sized study groups. As with many libraries, with WiFi access, this location makes a great place to harness your focus and be productive and imaginative. Overall, while this location may be rather small, the Berkeley Public Library system has a few sites within the city and can certainly accommodate your resource needs. The bulletin boards often are plastered with flyers for community events and opportunities so even if you're not in need of the library services, it's a nice spot to stop by for a quick glance at what's happening around the city.

    Albany Library - Many work tables like these

    Albany Library

    (47 reviews)

    Located after the main drag, which makes parking easier and they do have parking in the back offers…read morewhat most libraries do and then some. It has an interesting history. It used to be a hospital back in the day, so it's space was planned out perfectly. The city and people of Albany are able to use the rooms within there to do a lot of different activities not just as a library, but as a service to the community itself. The last time I went in for one of these, not looking for a book was when we had the Medicare. Meeting where they explained how Medicare works and all the different parts of it to anybody who's headed to that age that needs to be educated on how it works. People hung onto every word of it right there. They usually side rooms for wonderful things like that it's very informative. The library itself isn't huge like some public libraries in big cities, but it offers everything that everyone would need for a small community surrounding it. And I like the people that work there they're very courteous and helpful. It's always clean and there's plenty of space and I see all the tables are occupied by kids students and adults all working side-by-side together going through their books writing their papers all the different activities that are found in the library. It's a very modern design of a building and it offers so much to anybody that comes in there. Check their schedule of events there might be something for you.

    Great staff, interesting collection. They have been very helpful in finding interesting series on…read moreDVDs for adults. Hopefully they will add to their collection.

    Berkeley Public Library - libraries - Updated May 2026

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