Arts & Events

New: Berkeley Library Now Offers Free Museum Passes

By Dorothy Snodgrass
Saturday June 02, 2012 - 02:36:00 PM

Never let it be said that Berkeley and the Bay Area lack attractive venues offering outstanding cultural events -- galleries, museum, art institutes, etc. Starting June 1st, library patrons now have access to free passes to more than 30 area cultural venues. For Berkeley Public Library cardholders, free passes to museums are just a few clicks away. Starting from the Library's website (http:/www.berkeleypubliclibrary.org), patrons can access the DISCOVER AND GO link using their Library card number. From there, it's easy to locate available passes, searching by location or by date. Then reserve, print and go! 

Passes are available for a wide range of venues, ranging from large well-known museums, like the Asian Art Museum and the California Academy of Arts and Sciences to smaller locations, including the Cartoon Museum, Exploratorium, Lawrence Hall of Science and the Oakland Zoo. 

According to Donna Coirbeil, Director of the Berkeley Public Library, "The Library provides free access to the arts and sciences through our collections and our programing, and we're excited to partner with other Bay Area institutions to expand the cultural opportunities available to our patrons." 

Things to Remember: Passes are valid only for a specific date. Passes can be identified by venue or by date. Only two passes can be reserved/checked out at a time. There is no limit to total passes checked out. Some venues allow only one pass per cardholder per year. Most passes provide admission for 2, many provide a family pass, but a few have more restricted offerings, so it's important to read the full offer. 

Current list of participating institutions (more offerings are added all the time). Shown below are just a few of the venues: 

Asian Art Museum Aquarium of the Bay Bay Area Discovery Museum Bedford Gallery California Historical Society California Shakespeare Theatre Contemporary Jewish Museum Oakland Museum of California Saint Mary's College Museum of Art Yerba Buena Center for the Arts 

The list goes on and on. So, clearly, there are many opportunities here to enrich your cultural life and to acquire a bit of "couth" at the same time.