Features

In many ways the Reference Department, as the disseminator of information about the world, is the heart of a library. At the downtown Central Library, reference librarians, sitting behind the green-topped counters, field questions both on the phone, on the computer and from the patrons who come into the library. 

And what kinds of questions? “Where’s a good place to meet a rich man?” Or “What does it mean when a bird flies into your house?” says Jane Scantlebury, a reference librarian for 20 years, remembering a few amusing examples of pre-Internet questions. “The questions we get today are apt to be more advanced,” Scantlebury continues. “People come in to see us when they need help with the next level of an Internet search. Sometimes they want to know how to use a periodical database, or which of our collection of reference books would be helpful? We love the challenge!” 

Each of the Berkeley Public Library’s four branches also has a reference librarian and a collection of resources.  

Bob Saunderson, who has been with the library for 30 years and is presently the acting head of the Reference Department, remembers many serious questions asked by patrons who may be looking for information about medical conditions, or how to find one’s birth mother, or how to create a good resume. “There’s no better reward than when a patron says, ‘You made my day,’ or even ‘You saved my life!’” says Saunderson. 

“We are in the business of not just handing out bits of information but empowering people to find the information for themselves,” adds Saunderson. “In our role as educators, we now offer a course in basic computer skills so people can have independent access to everything from genealogy to making travel plans to finding recipes,” he says. 

The physical reach of the Reference Department on the second floor at the Central Library is impressive. Behind the reference desks are the reference materials most often used by the librarians and the often-used clipping files from local newspapers. Across the hall is a large room of general reference books for library use only. If you need information on how to repair a 1970 Ford truck, you’ll find a manual on the back wall. In the next alcove is the business section with volumes on related subjects, as well as current business magazines and periodicals.  

Walk into the great hall known as the Reading Room and behind the stacks to the right are the elegant wood doors carved by Miles Karpilow that open to the Berkeley History Room. The collection was mostly put together by now-retired reference librarian Sayre Van Young, who prevailed upon members of the community to donate material. Members of the Reference Department staff the room during the hours when it’s open. It was in one of the early telephone books that a patron recently confirmed that her grandfather had lived in Berkeley in 1904.  

Librarian Bob Saunderson, using a grant given by the state library to digitize historical material, has put on the library’s website a group of fascinating Berkeley historical photos going back to the 19th century. Check it out. 

Much of the Reference Room collection, a veritable treasure trove of material, is stored in the basement of the library—periodicals going back to the 19th century, along with other material on microfilm. 

The Reference Library also has a long reach out into the community through BIN, the Berkeley Information Network, managed by librarian Jane Scantlebury. BIN offers information about job resources, where to donate items, where to find shelter, food, and showers, even one-on-one counseling on starting a small business. In the spring you’ll find information on kid’s summer camps. BIN was recently honored by the Berkeley City Council for its 25 years of service to the community. 

Though serving the public seems to be part of the job which the reference librarians find “immensely gratifying,” in the heart of a true librarian is “the love for making order out of chaos,” says Saunderson. 

“If one thinks of man’s knowledge as immense, complex, and chaotic—which it is,” continues Saunderson, “the librarian has the important and rewarding job of making that knowledge manageable and useable.” 

No story about the Reference Department—or the Berkeley Public Library—would be complete without Evelyn Gahtan’s story. She has been with the Reference Department for more than a half-century. Her longevity on the job is impressive enough, but she is also revered by her colleagues for her kindness and “her general goodness as a person.” And she is tenacious— “Evelyn always gets her answer!”