• Location and Hours
• Off-campus Access
• Finding Books
• Your Library Account

The Bioscience Library serves the following academic units:

• College of Letters and Sciences, Division of Biological Sciences
  • Department of Integrative Biology
  • Department of Molecular and Cell Biology
• College of Natural Resources
  • Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics
  • Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management
  • Department of Nutritional Sciences and Toxicology
  • Department of Plant and Microbial Biology

Staff at the Bioscience Library offer collections and services that support the teaching and research missions of these departments. We collect books, journals, and other materials, both online and in print, in these subject areas. We provide instruction in the use of library resources to classes and on a drop-in basis as well as individualized help with library research at the reference desk or by appointment. We also offer PCs for library and internet research, a photocopy center (including scanners), and individual or group study spaces.

View a Floor Plan of the Library

Location and Hours

The Bioscience Library is located on the second floor of the west end of the Valley Life Sciences Building (VLSB), near the T. Rex skeleton.

Campus map showing VLSB | Map of all libraries on campus

Regular semester hours:

Monday - Thursday	9 am - 10 pm
Friday	9 am - 5 pm
Saturday	1 pm - 5 pm
Sunday	1 pm - 10 pm
Reference desk hours	10 am - 12 pm 1 pm - 5 pm

Summer hours:

Monday - Friday	9 am - 5 pm
Saturday and Sunday	Closed
Reference desk hours	1 pm - 5 pm

Hours vary on holidays and during intersession - see the Bioscience Library Calendar for more information

Off-campus access to Online Library Resources

Many library resources, including library catalogs like OskiCat and Melvyl, article databases like PubMed and BIOSIS, and electronic journals, can be accessed via the Bioscience Library's home page.

All of these resources can be accessed via any on-campus computer. However, some are not available to the general public off-campus because UC Berkeley pays subscription fees for access.

If you're a UC Berkeley student working from an off-campus computer or mobile device, you can access online library resources in two different ways:

• You can set your browser (Firefox, Internet Explorer, Safari, etc.) to connect to the internet via our proxy server. When you want to access a fee-based electronic library resource, you'll be asked to login with your CalNet ID and passphrase.
  
  INSTRUCTIONS for setting the proxy server connection in your browser.
  
  
• You can download a small piece of software called the VPN (Virtual Private Network) which, when activated, will allow you to connect to library resources.
  
  INSTRUCTIONS for downloading and using the VPN.

Finding Books and Managing Your Library Account

Use OskiCat to find book and journal titles in libraries on the UCB campus (including the Bioscience Library). You can also use OskiCat to renew your books online, manage your library account, and find materials on course reserve.  OskiCat offers many services not available through Melvyl. Its unique features allow you to:

• Find course reserves quickly & easily
• Limit searches to specific UCB libraries
• Limit searches to online or available items
• Find out the latest issue received for journals and magazines
• Quickly see what items you have checked out
• Easily renew items online
• Request materials checked out to another borrower
• Get email notices when your items are about to be due
• Get updates on items you have requested from storage

Learn more about OskiCat (PDF)