To commemorate its 100th birthday, staff at the Doe Library built a "100" sign made up of old Union Catalog books. Photo: Frances Dinkelspiel

Hundreds of people streamed through Doe Library on the UC Berkeley campus on Wednesday to eat cupcakes, listen to a Capella groups, learn from conservators how to repair rare books, and gawk at the enormous room that houses more than a century’s worth of newspapers.

Oh yeah, and they got a lot of free books as well.

It was the 100th anniversary of the dedication of Doe Library, the central library on the Cal campus. Architect John Galen Howard’s massive granite building, with its spectacular Morrison Library and Heyns and North Reading rooms, stands at the literal center of campus, right near Sather Tower.

Blue and gold balloons adorn the entrance to the Doe Library. Photo: Frances Dinkelspiel
The Heyns Reading Room at Doe Library. Photo: Frances Dinkelspiel
As part of the celebration, Doe gave away 3,000 books to interested students and visitors. The line to get into the book room snaked through the corridors. Photo: Frances Dinkelspiel
David Duer, the library's director of development, shows off one of the old books that the library was giving away during its 100th birthday celebration. Photo: Frances Dinkelspiel
Makiko Tsunoda talks to visitors about how she preserves and repairs an old poster. The Library Preservation Department serves the campus' 32 libraries and is prepared to rush in during disasters to quickly cart away the most precious works. Photo: Frances Dinkelspiel
Martha Little talks about how she uses Japanese paper and wheat paste to repair a 19th century Harper's magazine. Photo: Frances Dinkelspiel
The UC Men's Octet was one of the many performances presented during the Doe birthday celebration. Photo: Frances Dinkelspiel

To find out about more events in Berkeley and nearby, visit Berkeleyside’s Events Calendar. We also encourage you to submit your own events.

Avatar photo

Frances Dinkelspiel, Berkeleyside and CItyside co-founder, is a journalist and author. Her first book, Towers of Gold: How One Jewish Immigrant Named Isaias Hellman...