Our Organization
Director's Message
Annual Report 2007
Branch Facilities Planning
Strategic Plan (2008-2011)
Southwest Berkeley Needs Assessment
Ed Roberts Campus Discussion
Welcome!
Library Staff and the Library’s Trustees are excited to share news of new projects aimed at connecting with you, our community, to improve our Berkeley Public Library buildings, services, and programs. Please check back on this page for updates and new projects.
Donna Corbeil, Director of Library services
director@berkeleypubliclibrary.org
Annual Report 2007
Take a look at Berkeley Public Library's 2007 Annual Report 
(5MB)
Branch Facilities Planning
The Branch Library Facility Master Plan (BLFMP) project is an opportunity to engage the community, staff, local organizations, business leaders, educators and other stakeholders in a discussion of library branch facilities (North, South, Claremont, West and Tool Library) and the services that take place in those buildings. The Board of Library Trustees has approved the hiring of Noll & Tam Architects to work with staff and the community to undertake a collaborative approach with the input of as many people as possible to ensure the Plan meets the community’s needs for Library services in facilities that are safe, modern and can meet the challenges of the future.
The Master Facilities Planning Advisory Committee met with the Noll & Tam Architects, who are doing the Branch Study, and library staff on February 7, 2008. Below are the documents that the Advisory Committee discussed.
Committee Agenda , Branch Background Information , Facilities Master Plan Background Information , Architects Draft Building Evaluation Summary , Architects Building Evaluation Matrix , Patron and Staff Input Summary , Survey Comments
The Berkeley Public Library is focusing on improving buildings and services. Please come to a neighborhood meeting to discuss YOUR Branch Library.
The documents below are items handed out at the March 12, 2008 BOLT meeting:
All Branch Spreadsheet , Branch Estimated Project Costs , North Building Evaluation , North Noll&Tam Draft , West Building Evaluation , West Noll&Tam Draft , South Building Evaluation , South Noll&Tam Draft , Claremont Building Evaluation , Claremont Noll&Tam Draft
Berkeley Public Library Branch Facility Plan Update:
Strategic Plan
In early 2008 the Library is undertaking a strategic planning effort, an important part of which will be a process of seeking input from the community. Please watch this space and visit your local branch to learn more about meeting announcements, surveys, and other ways that the Library is identifying its service priorities.
Your Library, Your Way: Help BPL Establish Priorities for Library Services
The Berkeley Public Library has begun a new strategic planning process, and as part of this has conducted a series of open community meetings at all library locations to seek input from library users on what is most important to them in their public library.
The information gathered from the community throughout this exciting process will be used to help us design library services that best meet the needs of our citizens.
Library Services Survey
As the Library develops its new strategic plan, we ask for your assistance in determining service priorities by filling out this survey, indicating your current use of the library and what materials and services and programs you would like to see in the branches and in the Central Library.
Southwest Berkeley Needs Assessment
Historically Southwest Berkeley has been, in part, an industrial area. With this area rapidly changing and developing – west of Sacramento and south of Dwight Way to the Oakland and Emeryville borders – Berkeley Public Library has decided to do a Community Assessment of Unmet Library Needs to determine how people who live and work in this area use the library and how we might better serve them.
- Berkeley Public Library has launched a Community Survey of Unmet Library Needs in Southwest Berkeley. The survey will be available in both Spanish and English online at this web site as well as at all library locations in written paper format. The Library will also engage in Community Outreach in the Southwest Berkeley area to get survey participation from that area. For more info, call 510-981-6107.
Press release,
Survey Summary , Survey in English , Survey in Spanish
Library at ERC (Ed Roberts Campus) Discussion
Since being invited to join the proposed Ed Roberts Campus (ERC) project, the Board of Library Trustees has been discussing the possibility of Berkeley Public Library's participation. The project, which will be located at the east side of the Ashby BART station parking lot, is scheduled to break ground in 2008. To ensure all aspects of the opportunity were fully considered the Board appointed two Trustees to continue to study, along with library staff, the library service needs of the South and Southwest Berkeley communities and the opportunities and the issues associated with a move of the South Branch Library to ERC.
- Library Service Needs Update (7/07)
- South Berkeley Community Assessment of Library Needs, October 2006
Prepared By Hatchuel Tabernik & Associates (HTA) - Space Planning & Cost Analysis Report by Noll & Tam Architects
Berkeley Public Library - Branch at Ed Roberts Campus
Presented to the Berkeley Public Library Board of Trustees on August 1, 2007