Workers put finishing touches on the new West Branch Library this week, getting the building ready for the grand opening celebration on Saturday. Photo: Frances Dinkelspiel
When the new West Branch of the Berkeley Public Library opens on Saturday Dec. 14, officials hope that it not only becomes a place for people to take out books, but a community center that allows people to collaborate and build their businesses.
The new 9,300 square foot, $7.5 million structure at 1125 University Ave. (at San Pablo) — first net-zero library in California – will have the largest community meeting room in the branch system. It can hold up to 100 people and it can be configured for video conferences and computer coding, as well as for meetings. There are numerous electrical outlets near the tables to accommodate laptops (which are also available for use) and a long counter that faces out onto the small garden holding a newly planted cork oak tree.
“It’s really not a traditional community reading room but an extension of the library,” said Library Director Donna Corbeil as she pointed to the glass wall that separates the meeting room from the rest of the building.(...)
Read the rest of New $7.5M Berkeley West Branch library to open Saturday (1,239 words)
By Frances Dinkelspiel. |
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Post tags: Amanda Myers, Berkeley Public Library Branch Improvement Program, Berkeley West Branch library, Donna Corbeil, Ene Osterass-Constable, Octopretzel, West Branch, Wowhaus