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Services and Resources

Search Online Resources

Ever wanted to learn a language, download and listen to an audiobook, or listen to classical, early american folk, or world music, online for free? Do this and more with the Library's Online Resources--reference, research and learning resources purchased for use by members of the Berkeley Public Library community. Most resources can be accessed from home by library card holders.

Reading Suggestions

Looking for a new author in a favorite genre? Eager to share your opinions about the books you read? Need help compiling a reading list as your prepare for a trip or a research project? Check out our Reading Suggestions page for services and resources to help you find just the right book.

Literacy Program

Berkeley Reads is the adult literacy program of the Berkeley Public Library. We offer a variety of services to English-speaking adults who want to improve their basic reading and writing skills. Most adult literacy students participate in one-to-one tutoring with trained volunteers; we also offer family literacy programming for students with small children, computer-assisted learning, small group instruction, periodic workshops and student leadership opportunities.

Disability Resources

Extended services are available to persons with disabilities including extended periods for borrowing materials; home delivery; dedicated computer workstations equipped with adaptive technology; extended time at adaptive computers; and a variety other assisted technologies and accomodations. Visit our Disability Resources page for information about these services.

Multilingual Resources

The Library has books, magazines, newspapers, and music in several languages. The Central Library has books for adults in Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Urdu, and Vietnamese. The Children's Library has books in some of these languages, too. The Branch libraries have small collections of books in Spanish and Chinese. You can look in the Library's Catalog for books, magazines, newspapers in these languages. The catalog uses Roman script only. Languages that do not use Roman script are shown there in transliteration.