Don Bosco Hall maintains the Institute of Salesian Spirituality Library, which houses a growing collection of Salesian materials. Included in this collection – besides official documents and protocols of the Salesian Society – can be found over 2,000 books, 40 periodicals, and the 4,818 microfiches of the "Don Bosco Collection," the "Don Rua Collection" and the "Mother Mazzarello Documentation" of the Central Salesian Archives in Rome. Growing emphasis is placed on Salesian books and periodicals in the English language. The ISS Seminar Library is committed to developing its resources into a research center covering all aspects of Salesian history, biography and spirituality.

Don Bosco Hall is within easy access of the GTU and university libraries. All ISS participants are eligible to enjoy the full benefits of these libraries.

GTU is as unique as it is successful. Its member institutions share in the physical, academic and faculty resources while preserving their own individual identities and traditions. It is on this basis that Roman Catholic faculties and theological schools participate. Thus, the Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology, the Franciscan School of Theology, and the Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley are each an integral part of the Union. Students enrolled in the Institute of Salesian Spirituality and residing at Don Bosco Hall have access to these schools of theology and are eligible to receive academic credit for courses taken.

The Flora Lamson Hewlett Library is the common library of the GTU. Its holdings number more than 600,000 books, periodicals, microforms, audio and video cassettes, and other media, making it the third largest theological library in the United States.

This outstanding library is, in a sense, not one library but many, containing the bibliographic resources of the nine schools that make up the GTU. The collection reflects the religious diversity of the member schools and supports a full range of theological programs. Located just one block from Don Bosco Hall, this treasure trove of sources is immediately accessible to ISS students and serves as their chief theological resource.

The University of California at Berkeley (oldest member of the University of California System) was founded in 1868. The campus covers more than 1,230 acres (495 hectares). The buildings are of mixed architectural styles, and since 1990 many have been retrofitted to provide more protection from earthquakes.

The Library at UC Berkeley is more of a "system" than a general library. It consists of three main facilities — Doe (Main) Library, the Bancroft Library, Moffitt Library — and 20 specialized branch libraries serving a variety of academic disciplines. The total holdings include over 8 million book volumes, 89,750 current serial publications, 415,900 pamphlets, 5 million microform items, 402,650 maps, 109,000 government documents, 61,900 sound recordings, and 6,350 videos.

The collections at UC Berkeley are rated among the strongest in the nation, surpassed only by those of the Library of Congress and Harvard.

There are two interconnected library catalog systems: GLADIS (the UC Berkeley online catalog) and MELVYL (a catalog for the 9 campus UC System). Both catalog systems are accessible at multiple computer terminals throughout the libraries as well as on the Web [see: http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/]. Users may obtain information about services throughout the University libraries, as well as bibliographic assistance, at the General Reference Service and in most library units. Students of the Institute of Salesian Spirituality are eligible to enter the stacks of the libraries described above, withdraw books, and use the various facilities.

Cultural services and experiences available in the area include a great variety of professional as well as amateur musical presentations and theater arts programs centered in the cities of San Francisco, Oakland and Berkeley. Exhibits and lectures are often featured in these centers. The University of California offers especially attractive arts programs throughout the academic year. These are accessible to all students.

Several computers (IBM compatible, Macintosh and Linux) are available for students, and these have DSL access to the internet. Students may access the internet or have their own individual e-mail accounts through these computers, or, students who own personal computers may do so from their own quarters.

Portable computers with Ethernet ports can join the local area network, and thus share the DSL access.

Participants in the Institute of Salesian Spirituality are asked not to commit themselves to extraneous activities or to assume responsibilities that might take them away from classes or interfere with their reading and research.