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. Please let me know what you think of the library's plans, your opinion is important to us. Tess Mayer, Director of Library Services.
Executive Summary of Spring 2019 Community Survey
In spring of 2019, the Library surveyed the community to help identify how the organization could better serve community members. More than 4,000 people responded to the survey. The following executive summary is intended to help the Library use information from the survey to effectively shape its future budget, develop service priorities, and design operational practices and policies.
Central Library Space Improvements
Project Update - January 2020
Project Update - December 2019
Project Update - June 2016
More Information about the Central Library Space Improvements
Annual Report
- 2018 Annual Report
- 2014 Annual Report
- 2013 Annual Report
- 2012 Annual Report
- 2011 Annual Report
- 2010 Annual Report
- 2009 Annual Report
- 2008 Annual Report
2019-2020 Strategic Priorities and Activities
The City of Berkeley's draft Strategic Plan has established nine (9) long-term strategic goals for City services. The Library has identified three (3) key goals from the plan that significantly relate to the Library’s mission:
- Provide state-of the-art, well maintained infrastructure, amenities, and facilities
- Champion and demonstrate social and racial equity
- Provide excellent, timely, easily-accessible service and information to the community
Additionally, the Library identified the goal of supporting community safety and wellness and the need to continue to optimize internal communications.
The Library has identified a number of operational initiatives and activities designed to help meet these goals:
BPL Strategic Plans 2008 - 2017
- Berkeley Public Library 2015 - 2017 Strategic Plan
- Berkeley Public Library Strategic Plan, 2008-2011
- Berkeley Public Library Strategic Plan: 2011-2013 Amendment
- Demographic Profile
- Berkeley Public Library IMPACT Survey Results
Collection Management
The heart and soul of the Library is its collection of books, movies, and music, inlcuding the physical collection (books, CDs, magazines, DVDs, etc.) along with a vast collection of materials accessible via downloading or streaming. The Library's collection management plan is a living document developed to fulfill the Library's Collection Management Policy.
The plan details the role of staff, strategies used, selection guidelines, deselection criteria, and other operational elements, procedures, and practices related to collections.The plan was informed by a community survey of over 4,000 patrons and is used by the Library to perform its everyday collection management work. The Library is dedicated to improving the community's experience of its collections and the plan is updated as needed as community needs change, and as new approaches to fufilling these needs are identified.
Branch Improvement Program
Information about Measure FF and individual branch projects.
Information about Sustainable Spaces.