North Branch
Tara Rivera, Branch Supervisor
Mon & Tues 10-6; Wed & Thurs 12-8; Fri & Sat 10-6
Closed Sundays HOLIDAYS 
AC Transit 15 - 7 blocks from north and east of North Berkeley BART. No parking lot; unmetered street parking is usually available. Plan your trip >>
Collection Strengths
- Over 50,000 items
- Judaica
- History
- Mystery
- Crafts - especially quilting
- Well-rounded teen and children's collections
- Rich opera and classical CD collection
- Paperbacks, cassettes, CDs, and audiobooks, DVDs and videos
Programs and Services
- Preschool and family storytimes
- Teen services
- Lawyers in the Library
- Magazine exchange
Building Notes
Constructed in the California Spanish style, North Branch Library was designed by renowned Berkeley architect James Placheck. The structure, which opened in September 1936, replaced the old branch library in the Penninman mansion at Live Oak Park. Architect Plachek also designed the Claremont Branch and the Central Library.
North Branch was constructed for a total cost of about $45,000. Of this, $29,000 came from city funds and the remaining $16,000 from the Public Works administration. An additional $2,865.54 was used to furnish the building.
"Large fireplaces of red brick, in contrast against the white plastered walls, grace both the spacious adult and children's reading rooms. The Spanish influence is carried out further in beamed ceilings with hand-wrought supports and gay-colored flowers as decorations."
--Berkeley Gazette, September 1, 1936
Neighborhood
Close to the shops on Solano Avenue and surrounded by lush lawns, beautiful trees climbed by children, North Branch is in the heart of an active residential community.