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History of the Berkeley Public Library

"A public library outranks any other one thing a community can do for its people." 
—Andrew Carnegie, industrialist and library philanthropist

Berkeley's first library, lit with oil lamps and boasting 264 books, opened in 1893 at 2156 Shattuck Avenue. It was replaced in 1905 with a small brick building erected at Shattuck and Kittredge, on land (formerly her rose garden) generously donated by Rosa Shattuck. The well-known Berkeley architect, John Galen Howard, designed the building with construction costs underwritten by a $40,000 gift from philanthropist Andrew Carnegie.

The following year brought an influx of residents from earthquake-shaken San Francisco and the new library immediately and almost literally burst at its seams. To compensate, four branch libraries were built and quickly developed into popular neighborhood resources. In 1934, at the height of the Depression, a proud community flocked to the grand opening of the new Central Library on the original Shattuck and Kittredge site. Designed by architect James Plachek, Central Library was a blend of dazzling materials including Mayan-influenced exterior friezes, dark oak molding and marble trim throughout, and furniture custom-made to match the soaring windows. It was also built to withstand generations of enthusiastic use, with the same linoleum (never replaced until the 1998 reconstruction) used in battleships, and three floors of sturdy stacks. The library was to stand another 71 years before it would be renovated and expanded, reopening in 2002 at twice the size of the previous building, a stunning marriage of its original Art Deco design with current technology to carry it forward to the next millennium.

Berkeley's library system today has grown to over 500,000 books, videos, DVDs, cassettes, CDs, books on tape, phonograph records, and microfilm. It has one of the largest and most diverse art and music collections in California, and the nation's first tool lending library. Serving 2,500 visitors every day, the library is gratefully recognized throughout its community, and well beyond, as a center of learning, information, and cultural exchange.