Editor’s note (March 7, 2024): Moffitt Library’s renovation is now scheduled to begin after fall finals this year. The library will remain open during the summer and fall of 2024.
What’s in store for 2024?
At the UC Berkeley Library, a few changes are on tap this year.
Here’s what you need to know.
1. Collections are coming together at the newly renamed Chemistry, Astronomy & Physics Library.
This year, the Physics-Astronomy Library is combining with the Chemistry & Chemical Engineering Library. The resulting library — at 100 Hildebrand Hall, the location of Chemistry & Chemical Engineering — has been dubbed the Chemistry, Astronomy & Physics Library. The library specializes in serving students and scholars in the disciplines of astronomy, chemistry, chemical engineering, and physics, but everyone is welcome.
Materials from the Physics-Astronomy Library will be moved to the Chemistry, Astronomy & Physics Library as they are processed. This work is expected to wrap up by the summertime. In the meantime, those items can be requested for pickup at any campus library through UC Library Search. The move is part of UC Berkeley’s long-term space plan for the Library, announced last year.
2. Moffitt Library will close temporarily for renovations.
After finals this spring, student hot spot Moffitt Library will temporarily close its doors — but when it reopens, it will be better than ever.
During the closure, the library’s lower three floors will undergo a bold renovation, opening up hundreds of spaces where students can work, learn, and connect with one another.
Services usually offered at Moffitt, such as equipment lending, will temporarily move to Doe Library.
Moffitt will reopen in the fall of 2025.
3. The Library is refreshing its approach to media services.
To support students and scholars, the Library has assembled an array of streaming offerings that is unmatched in the world of academic libraries. Given the reduced reliance on physical media these days, the Media Resources Center — which most recently was located in Doe — will no longer operate as a service point that is open to the public. Instead, staff will focus on providing reference support and digitizing audiovisual materials to maximize their use, ensuring students and instructors have what they need for their courses and research.
When audiovisual materials are not available via streaming but are available in physical form, they can be requested for on-site viewing or instruction by appointment.
4. The Kresge Engineering Library will remain temporarily closed.
The Kresge Engineering Library will remain closed in 2024.
The library temporarily shuttered after spring finals last year to allow for an expansion and transformation of its home, UC Berkeley’s Engineering Student Center.
Construction is expected to finish in early 2025, at which time the library will reopen.
5. We’re here for you — always.
What is not changing? Our commitment to serving the diverse community of students and scholars at UC Berkeley, and information-seekers everywhere.
Have a reference question or need help with your research? Use our 24/7 chat service, reach out via email, or make a 30-minute in-person or virtual appointment with a librarian. You can also schedule a consultation with a subject librarian (see a list here) by email or through the “Book appointment” button.
New to the Library? Check out our primer for first-timers and those who just need a refresher on the Library and all it has to offer.
Here’s to an exciting new year of learning!