Doe Memorial Library, main library of the UC Berkeley Library System
Doe Memorial Library is the main library of the University of California, Berkeley, a Classical Revival building with columns and decorative stone details on its facade. It connects underground to the Bancroft Library, where rare documents and research collections are housed in a separate wing.
The building opened in 1911, designed by architect Emile Benard after he won a competition, and was funded by the bequest of Charles Franklin Doe. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982, and the underground Gardner Stacks were added in 1995.
The library is named after Charles Franklin Doe, a benefactor whose gift made the building possible. Above the main entrance, a sculpture of Athena stands as a visible symbol of knowledge, giving the facade a meaning that students and visitors pass under every day.
The building is accessible to visitors with mobility needs, with ramps and level pathways available throughout the main areas. Some borrowing services may be restricted depending on your affiliation with the university, so it is worth checking in advance what is available to you.
A statue on the grounds is often mistaken for Albert Einstein, but it actually depicts the writer Mark Twain holding a copy of one of his novels. The resemblance is close enough that even attentive visitors walk past without realizing who they are looking at.
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