"One of the University of California, Berkeley's premier special collections libraries, it reopened this week with regular hours following a three-year, $64 million seismic retrofit and upgrade financed in equal amounts by the state and more than 700 private donors.

'The renovations vastly improve our capability to serve the public,' said Charles Faulhaber, the library's James D. Hart Director, noting that the project was completed on time and within budget.

Over the winter break, Bancroft was open with limited hours. With the start of the spring semester on Tuesday (Jan. 20), it resumed operation from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays.

Visitors now encounter a warm and welcoming public entry into a Beaux Arts-style rotunda with marble and onyx floors that contain cast bronze medallions representing key collections. Soft lighting flows through a gold-leaf dome and a grand staircase ascends to the second floor. These new features give the library an elegance that befits its priceless holdings." - Kathleen Maclay, Media Relations

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