What a great monument of history at UC Berkeley. With more than 900,000 volumes of literature in East Asian languages and priceless pieces of art and scriptures to view. The media room holds a collection from reels, cassettes, vhs, dvd, etc. The books really catch your eyes with the colors to each collection. As soon as I walked through the doors, I felt an automatic sense of peace. It's free to the public to visit, you'll need to look for parking off campus because there's no driving up to it. I highly recommend stopping by if you're in the area. read more

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One of my favorite libraries on the UC Berkeley campus. The architecture is gorgeous, and there's expansive, vast collections dedicated to Chinese, Japanese, and Korean books. As an alumni with alum access to the libraries, the staff is still very helpful and responsive when I need to do research for writing. I could lose myself here for HOURS read more

This is probably my favorite library on the UC Berkeley campus because it is the perfect balance of relaxing (specifically the desks on the main floor next to the giant windows that you can gaze out of) and quiet if you're trying to be productive! If you want to feel like you are studying in a dungeon i recommend the bottom floor, but it's not for me because i get really sleepy since it's so dark there. I love how open the space is on the main floor, although the desks can get crowded during the school year. Another detail that makes this library my favorite is the outlets on the desks + lamps. I just wished the hours were longer (usually only open 9 am - 5 pm weekdays) :,( Another thing is that food/drink are not allowed here. read more

C.V. Starr East Asian Library - window view - Libraries Near Me - Berkeley, California

The East Asian Library is my favorite library on campus. It offers individual enclosed single-person desk spaces, larger desks to study amongst the company of others, comfortable sofas, and a plethora of outlets to charge my devices. Wifi in the library is reliable in my experience (with the exception of the campus wifi as a whole being incredibly unreliable). Sadly, no food or drinks are allowed inside and the restrooms are mediocre. However, I would take these modern and moderately clean restrooms over moffit's smelly ones any day. Another reason this library is my favorite is due to the natural lighting from the floor to ceiling windows-for-walls that gives you the feeling you're still in touch with nature, rather than wasting away in a concrete dungeon such as main stacks. My urge to gate-keep this library was overturn by my personal feelings of obligation to share such a wonderful library for more students to experience on campus. read more

C.V. Starr East Asian Library - Libraries Near Me - Berkeley, California

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Never would I have thought that I'd review a library, but here goes. The East Asian library is one of the best places for me to focus, but not so much as I find myself distracted by what a beautiful library this is. Everything is very modern and study-friendly. There's even a "lounge' area for me to take my naps/breaks, shhh! The atmosphere is definitely welcome to those who want absolute quiet/focus on their work. And if you don't think that that would be enough for you, on the very bottom floor, it is DEAD quiet, and the lights are a little dim (but they do have desk lamps!), which, in my opinion, if you can't study there, you can't study anywhere! I think the atmosphere of the library makes those around you want to study and in turn, turn you into a studying robot as well, which I definitely need to be at the moment... The staff here take great pride in their workplace, and I definitely appreciate seeing people doing what they love and showing it, please push in your chairs and try not to eat and drink in the library! =] read more

170. One of the better libraries on campus. If you need a quiet, clean place to study, this is it. I wish there were more seats available. Come earlier so you don't have to look around for an open spot. read more

One of the nicest and newer libraries on campus, C.V. Starr makes you feel as though you're in the lobby of a large, five star Asian hotel. There's plenty of natural lighting, breathtaking corridors, and beautiful views of Memorial Glade. It's a great place to study at a carrel, but there isn't much meeting space as another reviewer pointed out. My biggest complaint is that the library isn't very inviting: You need to ascend a large staircase on the east side of the building and enter from an upper world. To this day, I'm still not even sure if there's a ground floor entrance that's not an emergency exit. It's really no wonder that this place is quiet and not that busy. Give C.V. Starr 5 large ground level doors right on Memorial Glade and you'll have yourself another Moffit. read more

Ooh, what a quiet library, and so new. The lounge area upstairs has leather seats that face into a hillside, so no grand views, but plenty of natural light up there. However, if you go toward the inside, the natural light becomes less and less. Since I don't actually do anything related to East Asian studies, I just use this place if I have time to kill ahead of a class on the Berkeley campus. Anyone can make use of the library, but of course you must be a Berkeley faculty/staff or have some other arrangement with the University to actually check out materials. Footsie opportunities: The lounge is leather chairs, no desks to hide feet. However, the study tables seem to be a pretty good bet, if East Asians are your cup of tea. read more

This is truly one of the most gorgeous libraries on campus. Its modern architecture announces that the future of the world is in East Asia -- but no need to fear the imminent conquest by the Yellow Hordes. If architecture projects ideology, we can look forward to a tranquil, sun-bathed, streamlined, comfortable, and highly functional future. Heh. My field of study often takes me to this library, so I've made ample use of it since its opening in 2008. You enter on the third floor, and unlike the Doe or Moffitt Main Libraries, you don't need an ID to enter (keep this in mind for the sake of personal security, as well). Upon entrance, the checkout desk is to your left, browseable media room at the end of the hall, non-circulating reference books to your front and right, as well as several long study tables and individual carrels in a hall streaming with natural light through full-length panoramic windows. The fourth floor (upstairs), housing current periodicals, is just as sunny, with a row of sofa chairs against the window. This is prime territory during naptimes. [Expert tip: there's a hidden study nook built into a window on this floor -- can you find it?] The amount of natural light decreases as you go further down, with the first floor at the bottom being the most cave-like. By the way, be careful what you whisper down there at the cluster of carrels against the east wall. There's an acoustic tunnel that basically carries everything you say up to anyone who might be eavesdropping, all the way up to the second floor. My favorite and most frequented floor is the second floor. One thing that most people don't know is that the row of carrels on the second floor, against the north window, are all reserved for East Asian graduate students, professors, and researchers. For aesthetic and logistical reasons, there are no signs posted. However, be aware that if you choose to sit in one of those carrels, 1) DO NOT remove the books checked out to and placed in those carrels, and 2) you may be asked to give up the carrel if the "owner" comes along. Carrel holders have a reservation card that they can show you as proof of their right to kick you out; I've had to evacuate many a disgruntled student who was parked at my spot during some of the most heavily-trafficked library hours. No, it's not your fault that there are no signs... but it's also not my fault that there are no other open carrels. My work takes priority, so scram. Cons: Group study rooms are very limited. I would hate to get caught here in the event of an emergency, as there is only one narrow lobster trap of a stairwell to get up or down each floor (also, two elevators which would be disabled in such a situation). Also, the shared iTunes libraries accessible on the [powerful and well-distributed] Airbears network tend to be less diverse and interesting than libraries at Moffitt, Doe, or Hargrove. Nevertheless, I love this library. The librarians are all very proud to work here and will go off with little provocation in their attempts to assist you. It's definitely one of many reasons that UC Berkeley is a center for East Asian Studies of all stripes. Want to make full use of the resources within? Consider enrolling in one of the many East Asian language courses offered on campus, invest a few years of work into gaining fluency -- then grab one of the books off the shelf, marvel at your expanded horizons, and then pursue them as far as you can. read more

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The best place for me to stay focused to my homework, reading, etc. The only thing keeping me away from a 5 star review is that it closes at 9 p.m. on most days. Aside from that, this relatively new facility embraces modern architecture that I've come to respect, unlike the other libraries. There are 4 floors of books and desks/cubicles. The lowest floor has no natural light. The top floor has plenty of sunlight. The staff seem really friendly here. During the hour before closing, there are constant reminders that the circulation desk is closing and last minute calls for service. They do close promptly so don't fall asleep. The restrooms are located on floors 1, 3, and 4. The times that I had to use the restroom, I had to travel to at least 2 restrooms before I could find a stall that wasn't occupied. However, there are only two stalls in the mens rooms and a tiny sink. These are pretty darn clean so I won't complain too much. read more

My favorite place on campus to read. The library makes it feel like I'm in a Mandarin Oriental hotel! A+ on whoever designed the floor to ceiling windows that sets the tranquil ambiance and lets in natural lighting! read more

Great place to study, helpful and kind staff, good printers, and close to caffeinated choices galore. The Chinese language stacks are matched only by Stanfurd, um, you know - Stanford. Other East Asian language collections are also unparalleled. read more

I used to love this library, but after a vaguely racist and clearly idiotic encounter with the front desk workers, I can't say that I'll be studying here again. When I tried to bring in hot water in a Peet's cup (which I needed for a pretty intense sinus infection I've been fighting), the workers stopped me, ignored my explanations, and demanded that I keep my drink on the floor of the library near the desk. First of all, why can't drinks (which, to be fair, are technically banned from libraries) be kept on desks, or some elevated surface? All other libraries provide this option for students, and there was ample space on the front desk. Secondly, as soon as I got back to my spot, I saw three out of five people in my immediate vicinity with drinks. All of these people seemed to be caucasian, and definitely had lighter skin than me. Although correlation does not equal causation, I have to wonder why I was singled out. Finally, after I tried to explain that I just had water, a liquid which, crazily enough, **doesn't stain**, the concerns of "spilling and causing a mess" would seem moot. But of course, this was simply met with confrontation and a complete lack of understanding. tl;dr Rules exist for a reason, but sometimes, we should use our brains. read more

Some overly dramatic students equate studying with dying. After seeing this library, you'll be dying...to study! This library, on the North Side of the UC Berkeley campus, is one of the best libraries I have ever been to. The interior of the library is amazing. With all of the East Asian artifacts, paintings, and models, the dread of studying disappears.There are multiple levels with plenty of seats so it rarely gets full(other than finals week). The temperature is always optimal, desks and seats are comfortable, the amount of light is acceptable, and the staff are friendly. The main pro of the East Asian Library is the noise level. Most of the seats are far away from the main door(biggest noise source) which enables a quieter, therefore, better studying experience. read more

This library is an amazing study area. It's equiped with booth-like wooden desks with individual lighting and power outlets, accessible and clean bathrooms, and aesthetically pleasing architecture. You also have to love the absolute silence. Study for midterms, write an essay, read a book- you can really get stuff done. read more