The library will be transformed to become more responsive to the needs of today’s students and to honor the deep academic roots and extraordinary leadership of Chancellor Carol Christ. Thanks to a generous capstone gift from long-time Berkeley friend and alumna Nadine Tang, M.S.W. ’75, the library will begin a renovation of the lower three floors, which will include the Carol T. Christ Center for Connected Learning. The reimagined library will be a place where students can dive deeply into academic work and engage fruitfully with their peers.
As Chancellor Christ prepares to step away from her role at Berkeley, the library renovation marks a satisfying conclusion to her storied career and honors her long-standing friendship with Nadine Tang. In addition, the naming celebrates the commitment that the Chancellor and Tang share — a dedication to enabling others to realize their full potential. Driven by intellectual curiosity and grounded in public service, Christ and Tang have touched and changed many lives for the better.
An expert in Victorian literature whose books The Finer Optic: The Aesthetic of Particularity in Victorian Poetry and Victorian and Modern Poetics can be found in the Berkeley stacks, Chancellor Christ is no stranger to the pleasures of research. In many ways, the hours that she spent in libraries laid the groundwork for her remarkable career as an academic and an administrator. Recognizing that libraries can be more than repositories for the riches of the past, Christ has long been an advocate of dynamic learning spaces that inspire and enable students to develop their skills and pursue their interests.
“I’m delighted by this remarkable gift to support thoughtful research and generative interaction among students,” says Christ, reflecting on her legacy at Berkeley. “I can’t think of a more satisfying place to see my name featured than at the entrance to the Center for Connected Learning at Moffitt Library, which remains the thriving heart of the Berkeley undergraduate experience.”
An illustrated vision of the Carol T. Christ Center for Connected Learning
Nadine Tang is a social worker and an associate professor of clinical psychology at Berkeley and an adjunct professor in the psychology department at Tsinghua University in Beijing. In 2020, her many commitments to our university, both as a volunteer leader and as a philanthropist, were honored with the Berkeley Founders Award, which celebrates those whose steadfast dedication enhances a broad range of campus programs and endeavors. Her philanthropic commitments to Berkeley have supported an array of academic areas, as well as programs in the arts and athletics. Tang has been remarkably generous with her time, bringing her insight and experience to many volunteer leadership roles. She currently serves on the board of the Berkeley Endowment Management Company, as co-chair of the Board of Visitors, and on the advisory council for the College of Letters and Science; she is an emeritus member of the UC Berkeley Foundation and previously served as chair; and she continues to be deeply engaged and involved across many campus areas.
Tang’s capstone gift toward the Center for Connected Learning was motivated in part by her desire to provide a resource that supports every Berkeley undergraduate, whatever their goals and interests.
“I was impressed by the plans to transform Moffitt Library into a space that facilitates all modes of learning — whether solitary and focused or collaborative and interactive,” says Tang. “I am excited to see the new space and to join the campus community in celebrating all that Carol Christ has made possible at Berkeley.”
The revitalized library will offer visitors something distinctive on each floor. Students seeking a quiet place to pursue their work will find that the first floor offers ample space for studying and reflection. On the second floor, students can work together in a maker studio and other spaces designed to facilitate collaboration. The third floor will feature space for exhibits, an expanded Free Speech Movement Café, and a large lounge for group gatherings and social exchange. Students wishing to explore the Gardner stacks — where Christ’s books can be found — will find a revamped portal from the third floor.
The library’s renovation was designed with input from Undergraduate Library Fellows and other members of the campus community who provided feedback in the fall of 2022 through conversations, forums, and an online form. The fellows engage in peer-to-peer learning activities and were particularly encouraged to weigh in on what would make the library a welcoming and inspiring place to gather and learn.
“Moffitt Library is designed for students from all majors to feel comfortable, to be inspired to be curious and collaborative, to grow their confidence and skills with new tools and new ideas, and to be successful in achieving their academic and personal goals,” said Elizabeth Dupuis, senior associate university librarian and director of Moffitt Library. “The students bring Moffitt to life in ways that are indescribable — like air is to lungs.”
For University Librarian, Chief Digital Scholarship Officer, and Professor Jeffrey MacKie-Mason, the Carol T. Christ Center for Connected Learning will make a major contribution toward a deeper, more satisfying undergraduate experience at Berkeley. MacKie-Mason, who will retire in June, has worked with library and campus colleagues to make the vision for the Center for Connected Learning a reality for the campus community.
“The Carol T. Christ Center for Connected Learning ushers in a new era of research, discovery, and innovation for Berkeley undergraduates,” says MacKie-Mason. “Students will have the opportunity to ask questions, work together to seek answers, and develop solutions that solve the world’s most pressing problems. With Nadine Tang’s generous support, the library honors Chancellor Christ and her vision for Berkeley as a welcoming and inclusive environment for all scholars.”
More information on how to support the Center for Connected Learning.
