UC Berkeley Library
History Room

Finding the most deluxe studying accommodations on campus, students flock to the Morrison Library, to write their essays while curled up in a period armchair. Students may be tempted though to browse the Morrison’s current fiction, travel guides, magazines, and newspapers, or listen to CDs on the upper balcony.

The James K. Moffitt Undergraduate Library opened in 1970 to better serve the needs of Cal’s undergraduate population. Today Moffitt Library’s collections not only support UC Berkeley’s undergraduate curriculum, but also encourage students to educate themselves about the world outside the classroom and beyond the scope of their disciplines.

Computers with access to library resources and the internet are available to students in all libraries on campus.

Sit down on a bench anywhere in the Library for some of the best natural-light quiet studying around.

Students closely examine rare books and artifacts from The Bancroft Library collections, and handset and print a small publication on the library's 1850 Albion Press as part of the course "The Hand-Printed Book in Its Historical Context,” offered under the aegis of the History Department. The course emphasizes practical experience in the printing of the hand-made book.

In 1946, returning GIs doubled Berkeley’s enrollment to more than 25,000 students, severely straining facilities. A temporary building was erected across the street to the north of Doe Library to be used for overflow study hall space.

During finals, the Library is open 24 hours a day to satisfy every student’s need for a safe and quiet place to cram for exams.

Cal students have access to library materials in a variety of formats: music recordings and conductor’s scores; newsreels, documentaries, and dramatic performances; and newspapers on microfilm, among others.