guide to uc berkeley's libraries

[July 8, 2024] 12/18 libraries visited. my life is so boring lol

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um… why?

One of my favorite aspects about UC Berkeley that I take for granted is the number of libraries on campus. It shocked me when I found out that most colleges have only a couple of libraries. If you met me in college, you probably associate rotting in libraries with me since I probably go to a library at least once a day. Surprisingly enough, I never really went to the library to get work done prior to college (which in hindight also makes sense since the libraries were a bit further away from my house and I had no mode of transportation).

I enjoy working in libraries because I’m able to focus in a location where others are working as well. I call this “peer pressure”, where knowing the presence of others hard at work motivates me to be productive as well. Additionally, my apartment is further away from campus so it’s unideal for me to go back and forth from different locations when working, hence why I just go to a library.

As such, my goal is to work in all of the accessible libraries at UC Berkeley by the time I graduate and to provide my opinion on all of them for anyone interested. The number of libraries vary but according to this article, there are 20 libraries (though not all are accessible for undergraduate students). I’ll be ranking them by the criteria below with a scale from 1 (worst) to 5 (best) with additional comments underneath (ex: needing to show Cal-ID). It’s difficult to rank which libraries I like best so I’ll notate my preferences on which ones to go to for certain needs.

• Ability to eat
• Ability to find an outlet
• Ability to find a seat
• Crowdedness
• Noise level
• Accessibility (duration of being open)

Bancroft Library

• Eat: False
  • If you’re quiet enough and there aren’t as many ppl, yes
• Outlets: 3/5
  • Desks usually have one
• Seating: 3/5
  • Generally spots available
• Crowdedness: 2.5/5
  • Tends to have tourists to view the architecture of this and Doe Library
  • Busy during exam season
• Noise: 3.5/5
  • Large and tall building so it’s kind of echoey but people are quiet
• Accessibility: 4/5
  • Opens early and closes around 9 PM throughout weekdays and weekends
• Comments
  • Don’t need Cal-ID to enter
  • Kind of confusing to first navigate since it’s connected to Doe Library, Main Stacks, and Moffitt
  • Beautiful architecture

Berkeley Law Library

• TBA

Bioscience, Natural Resources & Public Health (VLSB)

🏆 Best substitute for the more popular libraries during exam season

• Eat: False
  • Wouldn’t recommend unless in a cubicle
• Outlets: 2/5
  • Hard to find unless at a cubicle or one of the main desks
• Seating: 4/5
  • Large library, lots of seats
• Crowdedness: 3/5
  • Although large, it’s near one of the edges of campus so less traffic than the libraries at the center
  • Can be busy during exam season
  • One of the bigger libraries so there tends to be people throughout the day and visitors throughout VLSB because of cool science artifacts/posters scattered throughout the building (like a dinosaur skeleton outside the library entrance)
• Noise: 2/5
• Accessibility: 4/5
  • Opens early and closes around 9-10 PM throughout weekdays and weekends
• Comments
  • Don’t need Cal-ID to enter
  • Somewhat difficult to navigate through initially
  • Lots of levels

Business (Haas)

• Eat: False
  • Easy to hide and eat
• Outlets: 3/5
  • Generally available at tables
• Seating: 4/5
  • Large library, lots of seating
• Crowdedness: 2.5/5
  • Haas is at one of the edges/corners of campus that people don’t want to trek to so typically only Haas students use this library
  • Can be busy during exam season
• Noise: 2/5
  • Variable levels of loudness depending on the location
• Accessibility: 4/5
  • Opens early and closes around 10 PM throughout weekdays and weekends
• Comments
  • Don’t need Cal-ID to enter
  • Have seen a couple of unharmful homeless people here throughout the day just sitting there
  • The Haas buildings are more “modern” than the other areas on campus but the library looks kind of old
  • Sometimes it’s a little warm/stuffy in there?
  • Bookable rooms are pretty spacious but there was a really bad ant problem the last time I was there

Chemistry, Astronomy & Physics

• TBA

Doe

🏆 Best architecture

• Eat: False
  • Possible if in a more hidden location
• Outlets: 2/5
  • Personally hard to find if not at the large tables but even then, the outlets are connected to the lamp so larger powerblocks aren’t able to be plugged in
• Seating: 3/5
  • Generally easy to find a seat with so many tables
• Crowdedness: 3/5
  • One of the central libraries so lots of traffic and lots of general visitors because of the architecture
  • Busy during exam season
• Noise: 2.5/5
  • Echoey but quiet
• Accessibility: 4/5
  • Opens early and closes around 9 PM throughout weekdays and weekends
• Comments
  • Don’t need Cal-ID to enter
  • Beautiful architecture
  • Connected with Bancroft, Moffitt, and Main Stacks

Earth Sciences & Map

• Eat: False
  • Not recommended
• Outlets: 3.5/5
  • I think there were some next to the desks
• Seating: 1/5
  • Only saw like 1-3 tables
• Crowdedness: 4/5
  • Nobody goes here
• Noise: 5/5
  • Almost no noise
• Accessibility: 2/5
  • Closes at 5 PM and not open on weekends
• Comments
  • Don’t need Cal-ID to enter
  • Located in one of the buildings near North Gate and is kind of hard to find
  • Very old library containing lots of maps
  • Closes early, wouldn’t recommend coming here to work for a long time
  • I think only the people who work at the library go there

East Asian

🏆 Best views

• Eat: False
  • Only possible if in a cubicle
• Outlets: 2/5
  • Difficult to find unless at table
• Seating: 3/5
  • Personally thought it is difficult to find since the library isn’t too large
• Crowdedness: 1.5/5
  • Lots of traffic after noon
  • Very busy during exam season
• Noise: 4/5
  • Very quiet
• Accessibility: 2/5
  • Closes at 5 PM and not open on weekends
• Comments
  • Don’t need Cal-ID to enter
  • Probably the most beautiful library on campus with great views and natural sunlight
  • Bookable rooms are available but can be difficult to find

Engineering (Kresge)

🏆 Best for guaranteed seating to do short-term work

NOTE: Review based on before renovation

• Eat: False
  • Easy to do so
• Outlets: 4/5
  • Extremely easy to find throughout the library but kind of hard of cubicles ironically
• Seating: 4/5
  • Lots of seating throughout the library, especially couch areas
• Crowdedness: 2/5
  • Very crowded since all of the engineering kids come here
  • Very busy during exam season
• Noise: 2/5
  • Talking is allowed so wouldn’t recommend coming here if you need to focus
• Accessibility: 4.5/5
  • Closes late (I think midnight?) and open on weekends
• Comments
  • Don’t need Cal-ID to enter
  • Lots of bookable rooms - typically by CSM mentors
  • Kind of musty
  • Cool architecture, bunker style with an upper and lower floor
  • Some unharmful homeless people

Environmental Design (Wurster)

🏆 Best for vibes

• Eat: False
  • Wouldn’t recommend unless at the seating near the very edges of the library
• Outlets: 3.5/5
  • Generally available at the ends of the large tables
• Seating: 4/5
  • Lots of tables so should be relatively easy to find
• Crowdedness: 2.5/5
  • Moderately filled throughout the day
  • Surprisingly very busy during exam season
• Noise: 4/5
  • For a large library, very quiet
• Accessibility: 4.5/5
  • Closes late at 10 PM and open on weekends
• Comments
  • Don’t need Cal-ID to enter
  • I love this library for some reason, I think it’s very spacious, clean, and quiet
  • Only two bookable rooms - one is very large while the other is small
  • Sometimes unharmful homeless people but not too often
  • Two levels but I’ve never been/don’t know how to get to the second level (seems like a studio?)

Ethnic Studies

• TBA

Institute of Governmental Studies

• TBA

Main (Gardner) Stacks

🏆 Best for grinding

• Eat: False
  • Easy to do so if in a cubicle and really quiet
• Outlets: 4.5/5
  • Almost guaranteed to have an outlet anywhere you decide to sit (excluding couches)
• Seating: 4/5
  • Lots of seating whether it be at the large tables, cubicles, “peer pressure” desks, or couches
• Crowdedness: 3/5
  • Moderately filled throughout the day but traffic comes in and out
  • Extremely packed during exam season, do not recommend
• Noise: 5/5
  • Dead silent
• Accessibility: 4.5/5
  • Closes late (I think midnight or 2 AM) and open on weekends
• Comments
  • Need Cal-ID to enter
  • Very hard to navigate when coming for the first time
  • Underground library with five floors
  • Meeting rooms are generally easy to book and not too popular but most come with chalk boards
  • Wi-Fi can be spotty at different levels of the library and generally no data down there
  • Recommend coming here for long study sessions, feels great to leave afterwards to feel the fresh air
  • Can be cold or stuffy temperature-wise

Mathematics Statistics

• Eat: False
  • Easy to do so if at the upper floor cubicles
• Outlets: 2/5
  • Cubicles on top floor don’t have outlets except for a few
  • Public computer area has seating and outlets on the ground
• Seating: 3.5/5
  • Cubicles, tables, couches, desks
• Crowdedness: 2/5
  • Traffic comes in and out throughout the day but generally should be able to find a seat
  • One of the “lesser known” libraries on campus since it’s located on the first floor of Evans Hall
  • More busy during exam season but still less compared to other libraries
• Noise: 4/5
  • Surprisingly quiet
• Accessibility: 3/5
  • Closes at 8 PM and not open on weekends
• Comments
  • Don’t need Cal-ID to enter
  • Can be difficult to find initially
  • Very old, musty and small library
  • Good place to pop in and do some work for a short amount of time

Moffitt

🏆 Best for eating

• Eat: True
• Outlets: 2/5
  • Usually available at the desks and cubicles (if you’re able to get a seat…)
  • Love the outlets at 4th floor couch areas
• Seating: 2/5
  • Extremely difficult to find seating with desks at popular floors (4 and 5) but easier to find seating at Floors 1, 3 and 5
• Crowdedness: 1/5
  • Most popular library on campus since it’s in the middle and eating is allowed
  • Very busy during exam season, DO NOT recommend
• Accessibility: 5/5
  • Used to be 24 hour library but now closes at midnight and is open on weekends
• Noise: 1/5
  • Depends on floor
    • 1: Chatter (not too loud)
    • 3: Chatter (not too loud)
    • 4: Loud
    • 5: Generally quiet but occasional murmuring
• Comments
  • Need Cal-ID to enter
  • Lots of bookable rooms on Floors 4 and 5 with whiteboards

Morrison

• TBA

Music

• Eat: False
  • Doable depending on location (yes for cubicles)
• Outlets: 2/5
  • Available at desks and cubicles
• Seating: 3/5
  • 3 floors but varying amounts of seating per floor (less on the top and basement floors)
  • I love the cubicle area on the middle floor, lots of desks with outlets and is very private + quiet
• Crowdedness: 3.5/5
  • Not as popular library
  • More busy during exam season
• Noise: 4/5
  • Quiet throughout
• Accessibility: 3/5
  • Closes semi-early (8 PM) and open on weekends until 5 PM
• Comments
  • Don’t need Cal-ID to enter
  • Beautiful library on the outside, kind of looks like Soda Hall (especially top floor)
  • Ground to ceiling windows near some desks with views of Hearst Annex Field and walkways which can be distracting

Social Research

• TBA