I got my library card and the benefits are great. I love books. The library itself is big and has many services. For instance, free-internet, books, magazines, tool-borrowing and more. I like the library because I can read books on the local history of the East Bay. The library is quiet and I can find a seat easily. The library is a few blocks from Downtown Berkeley, so it is bicycle friendly, BART and bus accessible. read more

I can't begin to add up the cost of what I save by borrowing books from the library instead of buying them! It's also the purest form of social mobility and personal growth in action: public access to knowledge. It is empowering. And powerful. Why is this building such a hideous shade of green? Don't know, don't care. It's still a wonderous place brimming with secrets and treasures, despite the paint job. I usually put little pieces of scrap paper in pages of the books I want/need for future research/study and photocopy out of them at Krishna's nearby. You've taught me a lot through the years, Berkeley Public Library- and you have educated so many people pro bono publico! Cheers & Continued Success! The Good: Libraries are nothing but good ideas filled with good ideas The Not-So-Good: Can be a mixed-lot here. Lots of homeless biding time. High school kids. It's RIGHT there in the mix. Don't try to shoot for parking if you drive a car The Price: Free- the best price of all! Two Words: Knowledge Conquers read more

Five stars for Isabel on the Reference Desk, who helped me this morning when I called on a hunt for a reverse directory. I was trying to track down the architect of a house my mother used to own, which recently went up for sale. The story is too long and unimportant to go into, but Isabel looked for the reverse directory, called Oakland Public Library, called me back to tell me theirs went back only to 1980 (I was looking for 1956/7) and gave me good information about where to call next. I love libraries and librarians and Isabel embodied the reasons for that. read more

I've been here exactly once. When I arrived on the second floor, I got to the bank of 6 or 8 computers and at literally every single one of them, there was a homeless man watching porn and masturbating. It was like some sort of synchronized performance art, they were even going at the same rhythm. I noped out of there and haven't been back since. read more

I love this library! It has just about everything...a floor dedicated to each type of book/media, just about. And if it doesn't have it, I'm sure there's a library location in the system that does and you can request to have items transferred here for pickup. I love the old feeling of the building, and it's huge...it's easy to lose yourself among the sea of books just waiting to be read. Lot's of seating areas for studying/reading, it's well lit, clean, and so far, I've found the staff to be helpful and friendly. Self checkout is a breeze! I also love that this location is super accessible by bike with plenty of bike parking to go around, so I get to work out my mind and body when I pedal myself here. A great place for a book lover to visit. read more

Unfortunately Berkeley's Public Library online catalog is very poorly updated. Too often the website indicates that the item is available when it has been missing for weeks and months. Especially "in library use only" items such as reference books. You get to the library and the item is missing. What a waste of time! What is worse the staff does not seem initiative or pro-active. They do not seem to report missing items and update the system. They really do not seem to care nor respect other people's time! They took my name and telephone number AND NO ONE ever called. And they just prove my point: they do not care and do not do their jobs. read more

I came here a couple of weeks ago looking for a place to study. First of all, parking is expensive and time-limited in this area. More importantly, there were ZERO empty seats at study tables. Something like 60% of the chairs were occupied by daydreaming or sleeping homeless people. An other 10% of the seats were occupied by garbage bags full of dirty clothes owned by the homeless people. Worse, people were talking loudly, and voices echoed throughout the library. I won't be back. read more

-This is a public health advisory from Joe citizen- This branch has over 50 or more toxic low watt UV lights in the library and thats just on one floor. Uv lights contain a small amount of mercury fillament. A simple search on the inet can find articles on the hazards of uv low watt lights. With lcd and led technologies being around for so long uv lights really dont have a place in society as they also pollute land fills if not disposed of properly. The energy output feels to some as mildy irritating, cooking and or debilitating over a period of time. If you must visit this branch , short visits are reccomended. The uv manfacturer isnt telling you this, the state or library branch will not, so joe citizen will. read more

Please believe I am quite aware how much off an asshole I sound putting down a library, of all places. Maybe it'll go over better if I throw in a cute literary-flavored adage to cushion the blow, something to the tune of not judging a book by its cover: Though the Berkeley library is beautiful on the outside, and spacious and marble-y on the inside as well, I mainly go to a library for one reason -- books. And personally, I've found Berkeley's selection to be pretty disappointing. Whenever I peruse the selection of new fiction, all I seem to see are random, not particularly interesting novels. And then there'll be an insane 50 person waitlist for a book that I do want, and only one or two copies of it to go around. This is sad to me, because A. obviously books are my only friends, and my life is painfully lacking in excitement (see my previous library review. oh yes, there's more than one.) and B. i refuse to believe that there are fewer literate, library going people in berkeley than westwood, ca, (LA, that is), yet the westwood library selection is remarkably superior to berkeley's. what up? read more

I agree with other reviewers. The shouting kids, and no rule enforcement by staff is no exaggeration. What ever happened to gently teaching kids about using their "library voices" out of respect for others? Reading here is often a real challenge. read more

When I lived in Oakland, I always looked forward to coming into Berkeley on Saturdays, for a day of fun and leisure. It was always my refuge, from the squalor of Oakland. Though Berkeley does have it's problems, it's still leaps and bounds ahead of Oakland, regarding quality-of-life issues. The Berkeley Central library, is one of the best things about their downtown area. It's located in close proximity to all of the stores, shops, and eateries in the area. It's also a short walk from the library, to the wonderful Berkeley Saturday Farmer's Market. The inside of the Berkeley library is clean, with a curious mix of old and new decor. I love the fact that patrons can purchase used books, for only a quarter on the second floor. Can't beat that price! The Friends of the Library store on the first floor, also has great bargains on used books, tapes, DVDs, CDS, etc. This library also has plenty of interesting events, including free movies every week. Access to computers, is a boon to patrons who come here. You can reserve their computers, for an hour a day. If you have your own laptop, you can bring it with you, and access the Berkeley library's free wireless network. The wireless reception there is great. There are some drawbacks to this library, which is why I gave it four stars instead of five. For one thing, they frequently make mistakes with regards to patrons records. I've had to pay fines on books that I knew I'd returned on time, but were shown as being overdue, because of errors in their tracking system. They have a large selection of CDs. But most of the ones I wanted, always seemed to be checked-out, or missing. And, there are occassions when you might get hassled by weirdos, who hang-out at this library. Unfortunately, the library security guards can't, or won't, control their behavior. Overall though, the Berkeley library does have much to offer their patrons, and I'd recommend it. read more

Pretty great library, I especially like the staff picks, new books section and all of the different places to hide, sit and read. This is my kids' favorite branch. read more

If I didn't have such a sensitive nose, I would give four stars. This city should invest in public showers. read more

Could have been 4 stars, but because the workers here were terrible, terrible, terrible, and they deserve 2 stars at most for their poor so-called efforts, I will settle with 3 stars. The 2nd floor staffs were great, particularly this elderly woman. I don't remember her name, but she was such a sweetheart in her ways of helping people. She really alleviated my frustration from the staffs of the first floor. Now the first floor staffs. Ugh. Wasted my time and energy. Made me do extra extra extra work when they could have done their job in the very beginning and quickened the process for everybody, including the nice woman on floor 2. Instead, they chose to be lazy as hell and incompetent as fudge. Really. I cold have done the damn job myself had they let me instead of telling me to go here and there and back and forth when in the end, the one thing that needed to be done was that exact thing I had asked them to do in the beginning. The problem was that they didn't want to be the ones to do it. So they thought they could lead me off somewhere, have me go in circles, so that when the second floor staff called down to the first floor to ask them to do that particular task that they should have done in the first place, the task would land on another person and not on them -- which it did because another staff ended up completing the task. Oh, and "they" were these two lazy guys. Wish I knew their names. I really dislike lazy workers. If you're there to work, do your job. Otherwise, go home. Anyways, it's an organized and quiet place. Saw a couple of homeless people. Scared me a bit by surprise, but it was no harm. However, I definitely see how it could be an issue or a concern to the other visitors, especially those with children. The library itself is worth a visit. Its antiquity is certainly appealing! read more

I'm so lucky to live just blocks from this amazing resource. I love ordering books online and being able to bike up to get them when they come in. And now they have wifi! Not to mention the library staff -- I've never seen anyone working here who has failed to be polite, kind and helpful. Berkeley, you do your library right! read more

Love this library. From its location, its architecture, its DVD collection and its awesome 5th floor, the Public Library is one of my favorite places in Berkeley. Sure, sometimes it smells like urine - but that's to be expected of a public arena located on Shattuck. You get a great sense of Berkeley in this library, as so many of its interesting locals are loyal patrons. Also, the online system is super easy to use and incredibly convenient. Miss you, Public Library! read more

I come here a lot but I don't read here. I read on my bed. And in cafés. But I love this place - it's spacious, quiet (well, most of the time), has lots of natural light, provides fast wireless connection, and BORROWING books here rocks! You can borrow up to FIFTY items each time - YES, 50 - from their VAST collection (half a million items in this branch alone) using their convenient, speedy, very user-friendly self check-out kiosks. How amazing is that! Up to 50 free and awesome books to be brought home, read leisurely, in the comfort of my bed! (I never actually borrowed so many books at a time, but, wow, the thought of that! Okay I'm being greedy here.) What else?! If the book you want is not available here, you can request it from dozens of other libraries that the Berkeley Public Library is "linked" to. You can also request to reserve and hold a book. All these can be done online - their whole online catalogue system and search engine are extremely user-friendly; all the details you need are just clicks away! They also have an amazing music and DVD section. And the PEOPLE - all the librarians here are really nice and knowledgeable. Downtown Berkeley is full of weirdos - some visibly confused, some demanding, some have funny odors, some are just attention-seeking babbling away - but the staff here are forever patient, forever helpful, forever efficient. Thank you librarians! You guys are really wonderful people. RENEWING: A week before your items are due, they actually bother to send you courtesy notice by email to remind you of the due date - that's really helpful. They really make things easy for you. Renewing items online is convenient and easy too. And finally, they (okay, not the people, but the system) remembers me! :) I thought that was really cool. I became their member some time towards the end of the last century when I first came to this amazing town as an undergrad. Then I left in 2001, then I left again, this time leaving the US completely, for six long years. Then I came back this year - and was surprised to discover that my BPL library card still works! ELEVEN long years after I stopped using it! That is so cool. Now I just love getting lost in their aisles browsing dusty old books after dusty old books on the shelves, like I used to do years ago, and then carry a whole stack home. Berkeley Public Library, you guys totally deserve 5 lovely stars plus my heartfelt hugs! You are a great example of where the tax money ought to be spent on. read more

Super good Library. I get loads of DVDs and books and the online ordering is great; staff is wonderful.

Well, first of all, let me just state that I am a huge fan of public libraries and this one is exceptional! The building itself has been well designed with many nods to the former structure & some amazing architectural nuances in this modern iteration. I especially like the way the different floors have very specific types of information. The Children's floor has an outstanding amount of books, magazine, videos, DVDs. The librarians are unfailingly helpful. I wish they would enforce a quieter atmosphere (you know, for kids who like to read or do homework...). This seems to have gone the way of the Dodo...(for the full tirade on this particular issue, please see my other library reviews!)... I really want to commend the staff who put together the historical & photographic displays. My favorite exhibition so far has been seeing what sort of crafty business the library staff gets up to in non-work hours! Just the cool knitting projects alone certainly inspired me! I like the magazine room with rows of tables and incredible natural light filtering in. The guards on the main floor seem a bit over the top...but, I guess in this time we live in & with the volatile nature of some of Berkeley's dispossessed, this is probably necessary. I really try not to come to this branch much tho' since the parking is miserable nearby, the ticket metering is Nazi-like, and the gauntlet of homeless with shopping carts, smelly dogs, and general funk make this less than my number one choice. I might also add that the very loud teenagers from Berkeley High who do not seem to have any structure on any given afternoon have made this place a morning-only stop for me. Did I mention how much I wish librarians had the authority to tell loud-mouth individuals to either "Be Quiet" or "Please Leave"??? For these reasons I really cannot give 5 stars, and honestly, if it were not for the stellar librarians themselves, I could easily drop this down another star. In a time when schools, health care & every other service that helps to foster a sense of humanity, are on the financial chopping block, I have to be as generous as possible to our public libraries. In this case, I truly believe we must "use them or lose them", and I would kindly ask that those who choose to frequent them? Please be courteous to others and realize we are there to read or do something quietly, not hear your cell-phone chatter, your I-pod business or your day-to-day minutiae at a stage whisper! Thanks, and keep reading! read more

A FANTASTIC library. 5 floors of books, decent section of DVD's and CD's, and the architecture is beautiful. I think the best part of the library is that it captures the unique diversity of Berkeley's character without the grunginess. It's easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy to set up an account and get a card. Centered right on Shattuck in the midst of all the shops and dinners (right near the Farmer's market if it's Saturday!), this place has a wonderful ambiance. There are people of all kinds here doing all sorts of things (I was having trouble at the printer station and an older gentlemen approached me and helped me while he was in the middle of browsing some ... smut that might have been frowned upon by the library staff). But he was very helpful and nice, and no one is really doing anything shady inside. It's clean, well lit, and a great way to spend a day browsing and reading. read more

First, I don't want this update to reflect on my original review of the library as I sit here trying use the woefully inconsistent wifi signal. Unless you are able to secure a spot on the 3rd or 5th floors, unless clearly dissimilar to mine, your device will lag all over the place. I cant help but recall how much stronger the signal was at Sacramento Public Library. But I guess this proves that you cant have everything. read more

I love this library. It's gigantic, clean, and well-lit. It's a great place to hide for hours and pore over cookbooks, language tapes, study, or search for your newest bibliophilic obssession. And, you can scan your own books out... Wait, there's this machine that seems to be *under* the marble tabletops... You just set your books on top of it and it just .... reads them, magically... no barcode, no scanner... you can even do three at a time. Ooooh, technology. I always wonder if my boss would find it funny if I dragged her here and set my head down on the countertop, waited for the beep, and then said, "See? I'm checked out until Aug 10. Not available for patron use." Probably not. read more

I came back the next day! And lucky me, they were having a 50 CENTS FOR ALL BOOKS sale! I realized just how expansive this property is as I wondered through the various halls in search of the aforementioned sale. And paying 2 bucks for 4 pretty much unread books was pretty sweet. read more

I am so happy they have wireless internet now. I love what everyone else has written about them, the staff truly are great and the main library is beautiful. read more

I would give the berkeley public library six stars or even seven stars if I could. This library is a book lover's dream! They have all different kinds of books and if they don't have the book you are looking for, but a different branch has it, you can have it sent to the library of your choice to pick it up in as little as four days! They have magazines, newspapers, cds and a great selection of movies. The only downside is ocasionally a movie will have scratches on it, but some dvd players can play right through them. Unfortunatley, some cannot. I love this place and I think it's one of the best libraries I have ever been to. The staff is always helpful and friendly so even that is a plus! read more

I just moved to Berkeley last summer and rather disappointed this is the best they can do for a public library.

I love this place. The selection is wonderful and extensive. They always have what I want--from Harry Potter audio recordings, to the latest knitting book. Plus, I just found the DVD collection. Free DVD rentals? For a week? I don't know any video store that does that. You just can't get any better than the public library, period. read more

Am I the only one who fondly remembers and frankly prefered the old Central Branch building? Talk about fantastic! Full of dark, polished wood, a grand entryway with the stacks soaring overhead... people bustling about, the central tables on the Shattuck side... It was marvelous. I am not a fan of the 1 bookdrop and the practically underground entrance of the newer redesign. That said, I do adore the public library system, particularly the Hold feature, and my personal favorite branch, North. The North Branch is pretty small (I'd read all the YA books by the time I was about 14), but it's beautiful. Though the selection could definitely be better, the library system is pretty good about purchasing suggested books, and keeping even the most requested ones in good reading order. read more

My first impression was from the outside staring at the building. I couldn't help thinking "wow" over and over again. A graceful art-deco building built when people felt that public buildings should be attractive and something worth looking at. The insides is modern and efficient with 5 stories of books, music, and movies on it. One small thing I enjoyed was the comment wall where patrons could ask questions or make comments on what they liked or disliked about the library. Some of the comments were funny but what was even better was some of the responses from the staff! Easily worth a few chuckles. read more

Quiet, clean, air-conditioned building with 50ft ceiling art deco style-ish reading room accessible to everyone. Need I say more? And if you're a master of languages or you just came back from that trip to France and would like to keep "parler français", then they also have walls covered with books in French, Chinese, Japanese, Spanish and Russian, among other languages, in the main reading room. It costs $2 to get a library card and you even get to pick the design of the card. While I was a student at UC Berkeley, I never stepped a foot into this public library, always being surrounded by the boisterous life of academia and its BO in the main stacks. Not even on the weekends. Now I don't know why. This place is a serene haven in the middle of the chaos, that is Berkeley downtown. read more

I love the modern libraries. Each floor has its own ambience. I think my favorite is the top floor where all the CDs and art books and folios are stored. Very cool! read more

This review is meant for the branch on Benvenue, not the main branch. I love the small branch libraries. This one is a nice walking distance from my old cottage on Benvenue. I spent many hours there reading the newspaper, or magazines of some sort, after enjoying a burrito at Gordo's or a latte at Espresso Roma. Unfortunately, public libraries attract mentally ill homeless people -- nothing against them, but who wants to hear someone yelling incoherently in the bathroom when one is trying to concentrate on the New York Times Review of Books? read more

Great work / study spaces. Great location a few steps from BART and the farmer's market. Beautiful building. Friendly and helpful staff. Amazing that you can access their free WiFi even outside, even when the library is closed. read more

Thank god for the existence of public libraries. I like this one particularly because of its multi-floor collections and the self checkout kiosks. I can also request and hold books online. They will email me when my book has arrived. I'm having my fingers crossed that the recession won't force the library close more days. read more

Great library. Coming from the East Coast, this library puts not only the public, but also the school library I frequented to shame. Where else can you check out records? 1974? read more

I love this place. Great selection of books and music. The movie selection could be better, but hey, I don't come here for the movies. The librarians are SUPER helpful and knowledgeable as well, even if you have rather eccentric requests. The website is great, too. You can put books on hold, reserve a computer, or even renew things after their past due date! That last one's saved my butt a few times. I wish the hours were better, but alas, what can you do? Budget cuts. read more

Started going here in an attempt to curb my book-buying habits and save money. It's a really great space to just chill out and read, and I've discovered some really great books here. They may not always have exactly the novel I'm trying to track down, but they always have something that I end up loving. Their personal book check out system is awesome and so easy, as is being able to renew books and pay fines online, huge pluses for me in terms of local libraries. read more

The Berkeley central library is really good for families. They have a whole floor dedicated to children, so the kids can lose themselves in the stacks while the parents get some very important work done (like, say, yelping). Also they have free wifi, although it can bog down occasionally. Last but not least, props to the entire Berkeley library system for maintaining a great set of libraries in this age of manufactured austerity. read more

The staff has always been helpful here --sometimes giving me more info than I need, but that's a plus. While this isn't the biggest library around, they have a good selection of contemporary lit and DVD movies. I would appreciate a better selection on art history. I couldn't find some of Gombrich's most essential works. Other than that, it's tops with me. read more

I really like this library. The selection is expansive, and they have an entire floor dedicated to children. It is so nice to have a comfortable space where the kids can look for books and not worry about being too loud. The children's librarians are helpful and offer good suggestions when the kids have a topic but not a specific book in mind. Also, I once returned a book here that belonged to the Marin County Libraries, and the people at the circulation desk were friendly and prompt in finding it and returning it to me. read more