Paul Koralek’s 1967 solid, square, Brutalist-style building hasn't been as vilified as other examples of the style throughout the city, but it took some getting used to, at least in the eyes of traditionalists. Fifty years on, it seems to fit nicely into Trinity's overall aesthetic. It's the university's largest on-campus library and is fronted by Arnaldo Pomodoro’s 1982 sculpture Sphere Within Sphere.
The library is named after George Berkeley (1685–1753), a Kilkenny-born polymath who studied at Trinity when he was only 15 years old and went on to a distinguished career in many fields, particularly philosophy. His influence spread to the new colonies in North America where, among other things, he helped to found the University of Pennsylvania. Berkeley, California, and its namesake university are named after him.
