Los Angeles Public Library
Encyclopedia
The Los Angeles Public Library (LAPL) system serves the residents of Los Angeles
, California
, United States
. With over 6 million volumes, LAPL is one of the largest publicly funded library
systems in the world. The system is overseen by a Board of Library Commissioners with five members appointed by the mayor of Los Angeles.
Library cards are free to California residents. Circulating books, periodicals, computer access and audio visual materials are available to patrons. The Library's Rare Books Department is located in its downtown Los Angeles location. There is also an extensive selection of databases covering a wide variety of topics, many of which are available to remote users who hold an LAPL library card. Examples include full-text databases of periodicals, business directories, and language learning tools. Despite the development of accessible databases and public access to the Internet, LAPL's Central Library, located at 630 West 5th Street Downtown Los Angeles
, between Grand Avenue and Flower Street, remains an important research library.
The library has an extensive collection of historic photographs from a variety of sources, including the former Los Angeles Herald-Examiner
newspaper, the Security Pacific Bank
Collection, as well as portfolios by noted local photographers. The "Shades of L.A. Collection" is an archive
of over 10,000 images from the city's family photo albums (collected recently by former Photo Collection manager Carolyn Kozo Cole) shows the diverse history of all people living here. Many images can be viewed via the online photo collection.
Aggressive expansion and growth of the system began in the 1920s. Under Library Board of Commissioners Chairman Orra E. Monnette
, the system gained the support of Los Angeles citizens and has added to the large network of branch libraries with modern buildings to keep pace with the growth of the city.
The Richard Riordan Central Library, originally constructed in 1926, is a downtown Los Angeles
landmark. It is the third largest public library in the United States
in terms of book and periodical holdings. Originally the Central Library, the building was renamed in honor of the longtime president of the Board of Library Commissioners and President of the University of Southern California
, Rufus B. von KleinSmid
. The new wing of Central Library, completed in 1993, is named in honor of former mayor Tom Bradley
. The complex (i.e., the original Goodhue building and the Bradley wing) was subsequently renamed in 2001 for former Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan
.
Architect Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue designed the original Los Angeles Central Library with influences of ancient Egypt
ian and Mediterranean Revival architecture. The central tower is topped with a tiled mosaic
pyramid
with sun
s on the sides with a hand holding a torch representing the "Light of Learning" at the apex. Other elements include sphinx
es, snake
s, and celestial mosaics. It has sculptural elements by the preeminent American architectural sculptor Lee Lawrie
, similar to the Nebraska State Capitol
in Lincoln, Nebraska
, also designed by Goodhue.
Some of the more notable collections included the Science and Technology Library in a special alcove above the general Science Department which included a complete collection of all Patent and Trademark Office
(PTO) publications including the complete Patent Gazette and Trademark Gazette issues from the opening of the PTO. It also included a complete set of the entire registration books published by the United States Copyright Office
starting from Volume 1. These collections were restored when the Central Library reopened.
It was extensively renovated and expanded in a Modernist/Beaux-Arts architecture (according to the principal architect of the renovation Norman Pfeiffer) from 1988 through 1993, including an enormous, eight-story atrium dedicated to former mayor, Tom Bradley
. The interior of the library is decorated with various figures, statues, chandeliers, and grilles, notably a four-part mural
by illustrator Dean Cornwell
depicting stages of the history of California
.
The building's limited access had caused a number of problems. Generally, the accessible public stacks in the reading rooms only displayed about 10 to 20 percent of the actual collections of the Central Library. For anything else, a patron had to submit a request slip and a clerk would retrieve the desired material from the internal stacks. Internal stacks were packed very tightly and had very little headroom. For example, while the normal reading rooms had ceilings of anywhere from ten to fifteen feet, the internal stack areas were many shelves of about six-foot height, stacked internally, so that while the public access area was about two floors plus the Science and Technology alcove, the internal stacks were approximately five or six floors. To fix this would have required substantial renovation, a cost the city was not willing to cover, especially after hours of operation were cut in response to the 1978 property tax reduction measure Proposition 13
.
The catalyst for the renovation was the devastating arson
fire
of April 29, 1986. Although the building was safely evacuated, its vintage construction precluded the ventilation of heat and smoke, and limited firefighter
access. Some 400,000 volumes—20 percent of the library's holdings—were destroyed, with significant water and smoke damage done to the surviving works. A second fire on September 3 of the same year destroyed the contents of the music department reading room.
As part of the rehabilitation plan, LAPL sold its air rights
to developers, enabling the construction of the eponymous Library Tower across the street. The skyscraper
was subsequently renamed the First Interstate World Center and later the U.S. Bank Tower. Additional funds were raised through corporate and personal contributions which flowed from the effort of the "Save The Books" campaign formed by Mayor Tom Bradley.
The campaign, co-chaired by Lodwrick Cook
, then CEO of Atlantic Richfield Company (ARCO)
had targeted a goal to raise $10 million through corporate and individual contributions ranging from schoolchildren's nickels and dimes to $50,000 contributions by Los Angeles businessman Marvin Davis
and MCA Chairman Lew Wasserman. Dr. William Eugene Scott (w. euGene Scott), an LAPL neighbor and member of the 43 strong blue ribbon committee, donated the use of his University Network television studios and himself to what became a 48-hour telethon to raise $2 million towards the total objective.
The Library's renovation was completed in 1993. The Central Library reopened on October 3, 1993.
Besides the Central Library in downtown Los Angeles, the system also operates 72 branch locations in the city's many neighborhoods:
The Cahuenga Branch
, Lincoln Heights Branch
and Vermont Square Branch
are the three remaining Carnegie libraries in the Los Angeles Public Library System. Six were originally built and three acquired through annexation, but six have been demolished.
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. With over 6 million volumes, LAPL is one of the largest publicly funded library
Public library
A public library is a library that is accessible by the public and is generally funded from public sources and operated by civil servants. There are five fundamental characteristics shared by public libraries...
systems in the world. The system is overseen by a Board of Library Commissioners with five members appointed by the mayor of Los Angeles.
Library cards are free to California residents. Circulating books, periodicals, computer access and audio visual materials are available to patrons. The Library's Rare Books Department is located in its downtown Los Angeles location. There is also an extensive selection of databases covering a wide variety of topics, many of which are available to remote users who hold an LAPL library card. Examples include full-text databases of periodicals, business directories, and language learning tools. Despite the development of accessible databases and public access to the Internet, LAPL's Central Library, located at 630 West 5th Street Downtown Los Angeles
Downtown Los Angeles
Downtown Los Angeles is the central business district of Los Angeles, California, United States, located close to the geographic center of the metropolitan area...
, between Grand Avenue and Flower Street, remains an important research library.
The library has an extensive collection of historic photographs from a variety of sources, including the former Los Angeles Herald-Examiner
Los Angeles Herald-Examiner
The Los Angeles Herald Examiner was a major Los Angeles daily newspaper, published Monday through Friday in the afternoon, and in the morning on Saturdays and Sundays. It was part of the Hearst syndicate. The afternoon Herald-Express and the morning Examiner, both of which had been publishing in...
newspaper, the Security Pacific Bank
Security Pacific Bank
Security Pacific National Bank was a large US bank headquartered in Los Angeles, California. In 1992 Bank of America acquired SPNB.-History:...
Collection, as well as portfolios by noted local photographers. The "Shades of L.A. Collection" is an archive
Archive
An archive is a collection of historical records, or the physical place they are located. Archives contain primary source documents that have accumulated over the course of an individual or organization's lifetime, and are kept to show the function of an organization...
of over 10,000 images from the city's family photo albums (collected recently by former Photo Collection manager Carolyn Kozo Cole) shows the diverse history of all people living here. Many images can be viewed via the online photo collection.
Aggressive expansion and growth of the system began in the 1920s. Under Library Board of Commissioners Chairman Orra E. Monnette
Orra E. Monnette
Orra Eugene Monnette was an attorney, author and banker. Monnette was also the Founder of the Bank of America, L.A., but his contribution to the organization is often overlooked in its corporate history.-Early Life:...
, the system gained the support of Los Angeles citizens and has added to the large network of branch libraries with modern buildings to keep pace with the growth of the city.
Central Library
Downtown Los Angeles
Downtown Los Angeles is the central business district of Los Angeles, California, United States, located close to the geographic center of the metropolitan area...
landmark. It is the third largest public library in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in terms of book and periodical holdings. Originally the Central Library, the building was renamed in honor of the longtime president of the Board of Library Commissioners and President of the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
, Rufus B. von KleinSmid
Rufus B. von KleinSmid
Rufus Bernhard von KleinSmid was the Seventh President of the University of Arizona . and the Fifth President of the University of Southern California ....
. The new wing of Central Library, completed in 1993, is named in honor of former mayor Tom Bradley
Tom Bradley (politician)
Thomas J. "Tom" Bradley was the 38th Mayor of Los Angeles, California, serving in that office from 1973 to 1993. He was the first and to date only African American mayor of Los Angeles...
. The complex (i.e., the original Goodhue building and the Bradley wing) was subsequently renamed in 2001 for former Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan
Richard Riordan
Richard J. Riordan is a Republican politician from California, U.S.A. who served as the California Secretary for Education from 2003–2005 and as the 39th Mayor of Los Angeles, California from 1993–2001...
.
Architect Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue designed the original Los Angeles Central Library with influences of ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt was an ancient civilization of Northeastern Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now the modern country of Egypt. Egyptian civilization coalesced around 3150 BC with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh...
ian and Mediterranean Revival architecture. The central tower is topped with a tiled mosaic
Mosaic
Mosaic is the art of creating images with an assemblage of small pieces of colored glass, stone, or other materials. It may be a technique of decorative art, an aspect of interior decoration, or of cultural and spiritual significance as in a cathedral...
pyramid
Pyramid
A pyramid is a structure whose outer surfaces are triangular and converge at a single point. The base of a pyramid can be trilateral, quadrilateral, or any polygon shape, meaning that a pyramid has at least three triangular surfaces...
with sun
Sun
The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is almost perfectly spherical and consists of hot plasma interwoven with magnetic fields...
s on the sides with a hand holding a torch representing the "Light of Learning" at the apex. Other elements include sphinx
Sphinx
A sphinx is a mythical creature with a lion's body and a human head or a cat head.The sphinx, in Greek tradition, has the haunches of a lion, the wings of a great bird, and the face of a woman. She is mythicised as treacherous and merciless...
es, snake
Snake
Snakes are elongate, legless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes that can be distinguished from legless lizards by their lack of eyelids and external ears. Like all squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales...
s, and celestial mosaics. It has sculptural elements by the preeminent American architectural sculptor Lee Lawrie
Lee Lawrie
Lee Oscar Lawrie was one of the United States' foremost architectural sculptors and a key figure in the American art scene preceding World War II...
, similar to the Nebraska State Capitol
Nebraska State Capitol
The Nebraska State Capitol, located in Lincoln, Nebraska, is the house of the Nebraska Legislature and houses other offices of the government of the U.S. state of Nebraska....
in Lincoln, Nebraska
Lincoln, Nebraska
The City of Lincoln is the capital and the second-most populous city of the US state of Nebraska. Lincoln is also the county seat of Lancaster County and the home of the University of Nebraska. Lincoln's 2010 Census population was 258,379....
, also designed by Goodhue.
Some of the more notable collections included the Science and Technology Library in a special alcove above the general Science Department which included a complete collection of all Patent and Trademark Office
United States Patent and Trademark Office
The United States Patent and Trademark Office is an agency in the United States Department of Commerce that issues patents to inventors and businesses for their inventions, and trademark registration for product and intellectual property identification.The USPTO is based in Alexandria, Virginia,...
(PTO) publications including the complete Patent Gazette and Trademark Gazette issues from the opening of the PTO. It also included a complete set of the entire registration books published by the United States Copyright Office
United States Copyright Office
The United States Copyright Office, a part of the Library of Congress, is the official U.S. government body that maintains records of copyright registration in the United States. It is used by copyright title searchers who are attempting to clear a chain of title for copyrighted works.The head of...
starting from Volume 1. These collections were restored when the Central Library reopened.
Tom Bradley (politician)
Thomas J. "Tom" Bradley was the 38th Mayor of Los Angeles, California, serving in that office from 1973 to 1993. He was the first and to date only African American mayor of Los Angeles...
. The interior of the library is decorated with various figures, statues, chandeliers, and grilles, notably a four-part mural
Mural
A mural is any piece of artwork painted or applied directly on a wall, ceiling or other large permanent surface. A particularly distinguishing characteristic of mural painting is that the architectural elements of the given space are harmoniously incorporated into the picture.-History:Murals of...
by illustrator Dean Cornwell
Dean Cornwell
Dean Cornwell was an American illustrator and muralist. His oil paintings were frequently featured in popular magazines and books as literary illustrations, advertisements, and posters promoting the war effort. Throughout the first half of the 20th century he was a dominant presence in American...
depicting stages of the history of California
History of California
The history of California can be divided into several periods: the Native American period; European exploration period from 1542 to 1769; the Spanish colonial period, 1769 to 1821; the Mexican period, 1821 to 1848; and United States statehood, which continues to the present day...
.
The building's limited access had caused a number of problems. Generally, the accessible public stacks in the reading rooms only displayed about 10 to 20 percent of the actual collections of the Central Library. For anything else, a patron had to submit a request slip and a clerk would retrieve the desired material from the internal stacks. Internal stacks were packed very tightly and had very little headroom. For example, while the normal reading rooms had ceilings of anywhere from ten to fifteen feet, the internal stack areas were many shelves of about six-foot height, stacked internally, so that while the public access area was about two floors plus the Science and Technology alcove, the internal stacks were approximately five or six floors. To fix this would have required substantial renovation, a cost the city was not willing to cover, especially after hours of operation were cut in response to the 1978 property tax reduction measure Proposition 13
California Proposition 13 (1978)
Proposition 13 was an amendment of the Constitution of California enacted during 1978, by means of the initiative process. It was approved by California voters on June 6, 1978. It was declared constitutional by the United States Supreme Court in the case of Nordlinger v. Hahn,...
.
The catalyst for the renovation was the devastating arson
Arson
Arson is the crime of intentionally or maliciously setting fire to structures or wildland areas. It may be distinguished from other causes such as spontaneous combustion and natural wildfires...
fire
Fire
Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material in the chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction products. Slower oxidative processes like rusting or digestion are not included by this definition....
of April 29, 1986. Although the building was safely evacuated, its vintage construction precluded the ventilation of heat and smoke, and limited firefighter
Firefighter
Firefighters are rescuers extensively trained primarily to put out hazardous fires that threaten civilian populations and property, to rescue people from car incidents, collapsed and burning buildings and other such situations...
access. Some 400,000 volumes—20 percent of the library's holdings—were destroyed, with significant water and smoke damage done to the surviving works. A second fire on September 3 of the same year destroyed the contents of the music department reading room.
As part of the rehabilitation plan, LAPL sold its air rights
Air rights
Air rights are a type of development right in real estate, referring to the empty space above a property. Generally speaking, owning or renting land or a building gives one the right to use and develop the air rights....
to developers, enabling the construction of the eponymous Library Tower across the street. The skyscraper
Skyscraper
A skyscraper is a tall, continuously habitable building of many stories, often designed for office and commercial use. There is no official definition or height above which a building may be classified as a skyscraper...
was subsequently renamed the First Interstate World Center and later the U.S. Bank Tower. Additional funds were raised through corporate and personal contributions which flowed from the effort of the "Save The Books" campaign formed by Mayor Tom Bradley.
The campaign, co-chaired by Lodwrick Cook
Lodwrick Cook
Lodwrick Monroe Cook is an American businessman.-Background and education:He received a bachelor's degree in mathematics from Louisiana State University in 1950 and was also a member of the Sigma Chi Gamma Iota Chapter there...
, then CEO of Atlantic Richfield Company (ARCO)
ARCO
Atlantic Richfield Company is an oil company with operations in the United States as well as in Indonesia, the North Sea, and the South China Sea. It has more than 1,300 gas stations in the western part of the United States. ARCO was originally formed by the merger of East Coast-based Atlantic...
had targeted a goal to raise $10 million through corporate and individual contributions ranging from schoolchildren's nickels and dimes to $50,000 contributions by Los Angeles businessman Marvin Davis
Marvin Davis
Marvin H. Davis was an American industrialist and philanthropist...
and MCA Chairman Lew Wasserman. Dr. William Eugene Scott (w. euGene Scott), an LAPL neighbor and member of the 43 strong blue ribbon committee, donated the use of his University Network television studios and himself to what became a 48-hour telethon to raise $2 million towards the total objective.
The Library's renovation was completed in 1993. The Central Library reopened on October 3, 1993.
Branches
The Cahuenga Branch
Cahuenga Branch
Cahuenga Branch is the third oldest branch library in the Los Angeles Public Library system. Located at 4591 Santa Monica Boulevard in the East Hollywood section of Los Angeles, it was built in 1916 with a grant from Andrew Carnegie...
, Lincoln Heights Branch
Lincoln Heights Branch
Lincoln Heights Branch is the second oldest branch library in the Los Angeles Public Library system. Located in the Lincoln Heights section of Los Angeles, California, it was built in the Classical Revival and Italian Renaissance Revival styles in 1916 with a grant from Andrew Carnegie...
and Vermont Square Branch
Vermont Square Branch
Vermont Square Branch is the oldest branch library in the Los Angeles Public Library system. Located about a mile southwest of the University of Southern California campus, in the Vermont Square district, it was built in 1913 with a grant from Andrew Carnegie...
are the three remaining Carnegie libraries in the Los Angeles Public Library System. Six were originally built and three acquired through annexation, but six have been demolished.
See also
- List of Registered Historic Places in Los Angeles
- Donald D. Lorenzen, City Council member who supported renovation of library
External links
- Official Los Angeles Public Library website
- Los Angeles Public Library online Photo Collection: Photo Collection search engine.
- Library Foundation of Los Angeles
- SaveLAPL website opposing budget cuts impacting L.A. libraries
- Los Angeles' Very Special Libraries
- Fodors.com— L.A. Central Library
- Consider The Library op-ed from LAist