About Morrison Library events
Morrison Library may be reserved by groups directly affiliated with UC Berkeley for evening and public events that support the Library’s mission and initiatives. Requests must be submitted via the Morrison Reservation Request Form at least one month ahead of your requested date.
Event size
Morrison Library can accommodate events with:
- Up to 200 people for a reception
- Up to 150 people for a lecture
Note: While there are currently no state guidelines limiting capacity due to COVID-19, hosts are encouraged to limit attendance and to keep in mind this could change based on time-sensitive health and safety considerations.
Event specifications
- Preference is given to events open to the campus community and the public, and that fit within the mission of the Library.
- Requests may be denied for a number of reasons, such as timing in the academic year, availability of staff, scope of event, security concerns, and facility limitations.
- Events may take place 5-8:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. Morrison Library can be closed at 4 p.m. for events starting at 5 p.m. and all events must finish by 8:30 p.m. (to allow time for clean up).
- Respecting Morrison Library’s primary role as a library space and collection, requests to schedule the library during its regular public service hours (10 a.m.-5 p.m. during the academic year) will not be considered. Requests will not be considered for days the Morrison Library is closed (weekends/holidays).
- A room rental fee of $1,000 is charged for rental of this space. The rental fee will cover the use of the room, set up, and use of additional equipment items (folding chairs, microphone, moving furniture, etc.) and resetting the room to its original layout. These fees are subject to change and will be confirmed before final agreement with both parties.
- If an event is canceled within two (2) weeks of the event date, the host will be charged a fee of $300. All cancellations must be confirmed in writing or via email.
- The event host must be present throughout the entire rental.
- Please note the Morrison Library is not equipped for hybrid events.
Event equipment
Equipment available for use with the rental includes:
- 75 folding chairs
- 1 folding table (4’x2’)
- Podium with microphone (cannot be moved)
- Projector (cannot be moved)
- Projection screen (cannot be moved)
Audio/visual support
If you need additional audio/visual support, please contact Berkeley Audio Visual (BAV) for quotes and rental equipment available through that department. They can provide video recording and webcasting services as well as rent additional microphones and speakers.
Catering
You may only use Berkeley Catering — Cal Dining or I-House Catering for full service events where food preparation and/or labor services (such as pouring wine, serving or preparing plates for guests, setup or cleanup) are provided by catering staff on site. You may not use another caterer to provide these services, even if Berkeley Catering and I-House Catering are not able to provide onsite catering services.
These restrictions do not apply to drop-off catering of pre-prepared or packaged food delivered to the libraries from other caterers, restaurants or approved campus vendors. You may also pick up prepared food for your event. Event hosts are responsible for clean up and trash removal.
Policy: Article 5/Regents Policy 5402 and AFSCME collective bargaining agreements (Service — SX & Patient Care Technical — EX) impose limitations on the use of third-party suppliers to perform “covered services” work. “Covered services” are broadly defined as work traditionally performed by AFSCME-represented University employees. CA Senate Bill SB 820 prohibits the contracting out of any and all “covered services” in University buildings that receive capital state funding. Doe (where Morrison Library is located) and Moffitt libraries are UCB state-funded buildings.
Alcohol permit
If you plan to host an event that will include alcohol, please refer to the campus alcohol policy and submit the alcohol permit request form for approval to libraryevents@berkeley.edu. You must submit the alcohol request form at least two (2) weeks prior to the event date as UCPD needs at least seven (7) business days to process.
The University’s Major Events Policy, authored by the VC of Student Affairs, provides all campus users direction for planning special events, including events serving alcohol. If you want to host a special event with alcohol and/or you need a security assessment, you’ll need to follow the Special Event and Security Assessments policy.
If you are a department, questions about the policy should be directed to Risk Services, 510-642-5171.
If you are a non-department user, call the LEAD Center at 510-642-5141 and view the Major Events Hosted by Non-Departmental Users policy.
Health and safety protocols: COVID-19
The sponsoring unit is responsible for maintaining all health and safety protocols. For the most up-to-date campus guidance, please refer to the campus events and coronavirus page.