C.V. Starr East Asian Library

This is one of my favorite libraries on campus. The facility is beautiful, the study areas are roomy. It’s just a great place to study. Even if you have never taken an east asian studies course, it’s a great building to be in while on campus. There are study rooms available on the second floor that you can check out and there are study cubicles on the second and third floor. If you are a grad student, you can rent out one of the study cubicles. The top floor also has a nice reading area with a great view with chairs. This is my favorite library on campus.

#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.

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.

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.

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! =]

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!

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.

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.

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.