Berkeley Public Library
Encyclopedia
The Berkeley Public Library is the public library
system for Berkeley, California
. It consists of the Central Branch, the North Branch, Claremont Branch, South Branch, and West Branch.
onto land donated by Rosa Shattuck. Immediately following the 1906 San Francisco earthquake
and the population surge that resulted, the library opened four other branches throughout Berkeley. A new central library opened in 1934 at its current site and remained the central branch until it was renovated and reopened in 2002.
In addition to this system, patrons can request and renew books over the Internet, allowing them to do so without leaving their homes. This option is also available over the telephone.
Some of the offerings of the Tool Lending Library are as follows: screwdrivers, a variety of hammer
s, drills, biscuit jointers, shovels, ladders, concrete mixer
s, and free advice. Late fees are $2 per day for small items, and $5 per day for power tools. Lending times are seven days for manual items, and two days for power tools.
Public library
A public library is a library that is accessible by the public and is generally funded from public sources and operated by civil servants. There are five fundamental characteristics shared by public libraries...
system for Berkeley, California
Berkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
. It consists of the Central Branch, the North Branch, Claremont Branch, South Branch, and West Branch.
History
The Berkeley Public Library opened in 1893 on Shattuck Avenue with 264 books. In 1905 the library moved to another location on Shattuck Avenue at Kittridge Street, into a new brick building funded by Andrew CarnegieAndrew Carnegie
Andrew Carnegie was a Scottish-American industrialist, businessman, and entrepreneur who led the enormous expansion of the American steel industry in the late 19th century...
onto land donated by Rosa Shattuck. Immediately following the 1906 San Francisco earthquake
1906 San Francisco earthquake
The San Francisco earthquake of 1906 was a major earthquake that struck San Francisco, California, and the coast of Northern California at 5:12 a.m. on Wednesday, April 18, 1906. The most widely accepted estimate for the magnitude of the earthquake is a moment magnitude of 7.9; however, other...
and the population surge that resulted, the library opened four other branches throughout Berkeley. A new central library opened in 1934 at its current site and remained the central branch until it was renovated and reopened in 2002.
Technology
The Berkeley Public Library has available a number of self-checkout machines at all branches. Self-checkout machines are placed inside the library in circulation areas and allow patrons to check out the books themselves by scanning their card and placing the books on the scanning pad. This form of checkout allows for all types of media, from books to CDs to DVDs, and provides the patron with a receipt of the items checked out. CDs and DVDs must be unlocked once checked out, using the unlocking device next to the self-checkout machine. Checkout is still available with library staff at circulation desks at all branches.In addition to this system, patrons can request and renew books over the Internet, allowing them to do so without leaving their homes. This option is also available over the telephone.
Tool lending library
The Tool Lending Library, one of the nation's first few such libraries, is located at South Branch. To borrow tools, patrons must be over the age of 18 and be residents or property owners of the city of Berkeley.Some of the offerings of the Tool Lending Library are as follows: screwdrivers, a variety of hammer
Hammer
A hammer is a tool meant to deliver an impact to an object. The most common uses are for driving nails, fitting parts, forging metal and breaking up objects. Hammers are often designed for a specific purpose, and vary widely in their shape and structure. The usual features are a handle and a head,...
s, drills, biscuit jointers, shovels, ladders, concrete mixer
Concrete mixer
A concrete 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...
s, and free advice. Late fees are $2 per day for small items, and $5 per day for power tools. Lending times are seven days for manual items, and two days for power tools.
External links
- Berkeley Public Library's Website
- History of the Berkeley Public Library
- http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/ampage?collId=hhphoto&fileName=ca/ca2500/ca2559/photos/browse.db&action=browse&recNum=0&title2=Berkeley%20Public%20Library,%202090%20Kittredge%20Street,%20Berkeley,%20Alameda%20County,%20CA&displayType=1&itemLink=r?ammem/hh:@FIELD(DOCID+@BAND(@lit(CA2559)))Historic American Building Survey taken in 1998. Photos by William Porter. Description and historical data by Page & Turnbull]