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Library Mission

The primary mission of the Berkeley City College Library is to promote student success and equity by providing access to space and resources needed to complete studies and supporting the curriculum and information needs of the diverse Berkeley City College community.  This mission is met by providing physical and remote access to quality diverse print, electronic, and multimedia resources, services, and instruction.  Consistent with the mission and institutional outcomes of Berkeley City College, the library faculty and staff strive to promote information competency, critical thinking, life long learning, and academic success.  They do so by making available to Berkeley City College students faculty and staff the resources needed to conduct research related to their curriculum and endeavors and by promoting the information competency skills needed to successfully retrieve information through instructional support.

The Library’s mission is accomplished through the following objectives:

  • To support the missions and visions of Berkeley City College and the Peralta Community College District.
  • To provide quality services, collections, and facilities to support the curriculum, information competency, and research needs of the college.
  • To provide professionally qualified and skilled librarians and staff to support the use of library resources and to support the academic and collegial needs of the college
  • To acquire materials in appropriate formats and in sufficient quantity, depth, and diversity to support teaching and basic research in the subject areas of the curriculum.
  • To assure equitable, unbiased access for the Berkeley City College community to the Library’s collections and services.
  • To offer formal and informal instruction to promote information competency.
  • To provide and maintain an easily accessible, user-friendly and safe environment that fosters teaching and learning for both library users and library employees.
  • To prepare students for life-long learning by teaching information competency skills necessary for self-education and independent scholarly pursuit.
  • To provide the expertise necessary to support the development, preservation, and security of the Library’s collection.
  • To respond to the changing state of knowledge and the curriculum by continually evaluating collections and services and implementing change as appropriate.
  • To establish and maintain cooperative agreements for resource sharing with other district and California Community College libraries.
  • To recruit, hire, and retain quality faculty and staff committed to delivering excellent services in response to the rapidly changing needs of the diverse user community.
  • To motivate library staff to high levels of achievement, encouraging continuing development and skill enhancement.
  • To apply appropriate technological innovations to achieve productivity and efficiency, as well as provide library services to distant learners and information seekers.