Photograph: Student walking in Gardner Stacks, Doe Library Menu: Services

Information for Visitors

Welcome to the University of California, Berkeley Library. UC Berkeley's libraries hold over 10 million volumes and 70,000 serial titles. The Association of Research Libraries ranked Berkeley the top public university library, third overall among major research universities in the United States and Canada.

The Library's collections are the oldest on the West Coast and include more than 400 specialized collections, recognized for their rare and unusual content -- including historic Chinese monumental rubbings, thousands of photographs that document the history of California, and the country's largest collection of Egyptian papyri. Of particular interest are the special collections of The Bancroft Library, incorporating unique collections of Western Americana, the Mark Twain Papers, and the Regional Oral History Office.

The University Library includes the Doe/Moffitt Libraries, which include the Undergraduate and Gardner (Main) Stacks collections. Some three dozen subject-specific and affiliated libraries serve schools and programs across campus. This is an intellectual commons for Cal students and faculty in many fields. Nocturnal use is heavy. Today's student comes for the abundant digital resources, of course, but also for what the Washington Post has called "the antique, baby's-breath smell of books and the sense of exploration, spelunking through the stacks."

Thomas C. Leonard, University Librarian

The libraries at UC Berkeley include eighteen subject libraries in many buildings around campus, and ten affiliated libraries. A map and current listing of hours are available at any library location and from the Library’s homepage at: www.lib.berkeley.edu. The phone numbers listed below are all in the 510 area code.

Become a Friend of the Library
The Library Associates are a group of friends, book lovers, alumni and faculty who support the Library. Members enjoy various benefits along with the pleasure of knowing that they are supporting one of the world's great intellectual resources. For more information, please call the Library Development Office at (510) 642-9377, or visit its website.

Library Tours
Many libraries offer tours of their buildings and collections at the beginning of each semester, and some offer tours throughout the year. Tours of the Doe/Moffitt Libraries begin in the north lobby of Doe Library (floor 1) at 10 a.m. on the first Tuesday of each month and at 2 p.m. on other Tuesdays. A comprehensive list of library tours is available on the Library's website. Visitor Services provides information and assistance for your visit to the campus.

The Free Speech Movement Cafe
Located in the southwest corner of the Moffitt Library building, the cafe commemorates the campus Free Speech Movement of the 1960s. The cafe serves salads, sandwiches and snacks along with coffee drinks and other beverages. The FSM Cafe Educational Program Series, administered by the University Library, sponsors speakers, panel discussions and other events focusing on important social and political issues.

Access to Online Collections and Resources
Computers with access to library resources are available in all campus libraries. Priority for use is given to UCB students, faculty, and staff doing research. Information about privileges and responsibilities is available via the Library Computer Use Policy and the UC Berkeley Computer Use Policy. Printing, with use of a copy card, is available in all Library locations.

Visitors may use catalogs, article database and licensed library resources, as well as websites in the .edu, .gov, and .org domains (details | local alternatives for Internet access).

Off-campus access to licensed electronic library resources, such as article databases, is only available to UC Berkeley students, faculty and staff.

Access to the AirBears wireless network for laptop computers is only available to UCB students, faculty, and staff. The Library does not provide AirBears guest accounts.

Access to Print Collections
Many campus libraries have open stacks and visitors can use most collections on site, such as all government depository publications. Individual libraries may place restrictions on the use of some resources in accordance with the Library's priority service commitment to UC Berkeley students, faculty, and staff. Based on a visitor's information need and the Library's ability, arrangements may be made for use of restricted-access collections such as The Bancroft Library and Gardner (Main) Stacks. All Library users may be requested to present current photo identification at all library service points.

Borrowing Materials
UC Berkeley Library material may be borrowed by placing a request for an item through the visitor's local public library. Visitors who are California residents may also borrow directly from the UC Berkeley Library by purchasing a borrowing privilege card, currently priced at $100 for one year. For more details, please see our Borrowing page, or contact the Privileges Desk (Doe Library, floor 1) at (510) 642-3403.

Reference Assistance
For research and reference assistance, visitors are encouraged to start with their public library or academic library to ensure they have utilized the local or regional resources to their maximum benefit. If a research project involves materials available only at the UC Berkeley Library, reference staff are available in most campus libraries to assist in finding information and in locating materials on a topic. Choose the subject library that matches your interest, or start at the reference desk in the Reference Center (Doe Library, floor 2).

Policies for Library Users
The Library Code of Conduct and Library Computer Use Policy, both available from the Library's website, detail standards for Library use intended to create a safe and pleasant research environment for all Library patrons.

The Library is responsible for safeguarding the confidentiality of a borrower's transaction, as mandated by the California Information Practices Act of 1977. Please see the Library's Privacy Policies for more information.

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