Docent Tours of Central Library

Collage of images from Central Library

Visit Los Angeles Public Library's historic Central Library. Enjoy the art and architecture of the 1926 Bertram Goodhue Building with its distinctive sphinxes and rooftop pyramid. Wander through the 1993 Tom Bradley Wing, designed by architect Norman Pfeiffer, and gaze at the 8-story atrium with its whimsical chandeliers. Learn about the library's comprehensive collections. All tours are free.

In-person Docent-led Art and Architecture Tours of the historic Central Library and the McGuire Garden Tours of Central Library have resumed on a limited schedule. Please see the Upcoming Tours section below for the dates and times of all tours. Meet your docent in the Main Lobby in front of the Library Store. Tours are one hour in length.

Group and Book Club Tours

Schedule a group tour for your group of 8 or more. To schedule a tour or for more information, email your requested dates to docents@lapl.org or call 213-228-7168 for in-person tours or lapldocents1@gmail.com for virtual tours via Zoom. A group tour requires at least four weeks’ advance notice.

To book a class visit for students in preschool through Grade 5, please call 213-228-7250 or email children@lapl.org. Visit Group Visits for more information.

Ofrecemos visitas guiadas a la Biblioteca Central en español para grupos de 8 personas o más. Escríbenos a docents@lapl.org o llama al teléfono 213-228-7168 para más información.


Upcoming Tours

Globe chandelier located in the Central Library rotunda
December 13, 2024 12:30 PM to 1:30 PM
Take an hour-long tour through the Los Angeles Central Library. Your docent guide will share stories about the history, art, and architecture of L.A.'s landmark downtown library. Meet your docent in the Main Lobby in front of the Library Store.


Globe chandelier located in the Central Library rotunda
December 14, 2024 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Take an hour-long tour through the Los Angeles Central Library. Your docent guide will share stories about the history, art, and architecture of L.A.'s landmark downtown library.Meet your docent in the Main Lobby in front of the Library Store.


Globe chandelier located in the Central Library rotunda
December 14, 2024 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM
Take an hour-long tour through the Los Angeles Central Library. Your docent guide will share stories about the history, art, and architecture of L.A.'s landmark downtown library. Meet your docent in the Main Lobby in front of the Library Store.


Ceiling of the Central Library Rotunda.
December 15, 2024 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM
Take an hour-long tour through the Los Angeles Central Library. Your docent guide will share stories about the history, art, and architecture of L.A.'s landmark downtown library. Meet your docent in the Main Lobby in front of the Library Store.


globe chandelier located in the Central Library rotunda
December 15, 2024 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM
Take an hour-long tour through the Los Angeles Central Library. Your docent guide will share stories about the history, art, and architecture of L.A.'s landmark downtown library. Meet your docent in the Main Lobby in front of the Library Store.


globe chandelier located in the Central Library rotunda
December 19, 2024 12:30 PM to 1:30 PM
Take an hour-long tour through the Los Angeles Central Library. Your docent guide will share stories about the history, art, and architecture of L.A.'s landmark downtown library. Meet your docent in the Main Lobby in front of the Library Store.


Globe chandelier located in the Central Library rotunda
December 20, 2024 12:30 PM to 1:30 PM
Take an hour-long tour through the Los Angeles Central Library. Your docent guide will share stories about the history, art, and architecture of L.A.'s landmark downtown library. Meet your docent in the Main Lobby in front of the Library Store.


Globe chandelier located in the Central Library rotunda
December 21, 2024 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Take an hour-long tour through the Los Angeles Central Library. Your docent guide will share stories about the history, art, and architecture of L.A.'s landmark downtown library.Meet your docent in the Main Lobby in front of the Library Store.


Central Library's Maguire Gardens
December 21, 2024 12:30 PM to 1:30 PM
Take an hour-long tour through Central Library's gardens. Your docent guide will share stories about the gardens as they were originally designed in 1926 and as they were reimagined in 1993. Meet your docent in the Main Lobby in front of the Library Store.


Globe chandelier located in the Central Library rotunda
December 21, 2024 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM
Take an hour-long tour through the Los Angeles Central Library. Your docent guide will share stories about the history, art, and architecture of L.A.'s landmark downtown library. Meet your docent in the Main Lobby in front of the Library Store.


Books on Central Library

  • Los Angeles in Maps

    Los Angeles in Maps

    Creason, Glen.
  • Architecture Transformed: New Life for Old Buildings

    Architecture Transformed: New Life for Old Buildings

    Greer, Nora Richter.
  • Bunker Hill in the Rearview Mirror: The Rise, Fall and Rise Again of an Urban Neighborhood

    Bunker Hill in the Rearview Mirror: The Rise, Fall and Rise Again of an Urban Neighborhood

  • Feels Like Home: Reflections on Central Library

    Feels Like Home: Reflections on Central Library

  • L.A. Landmarks: Lost and Almost Lost

    L.A. Landmarks: Lost and Almost Lost

    Olnick, Cindy.
  • Los Angeles Central Library: A History of Its Art and Architecture

    Los Angeles Central Library: A History of Its Art and Architecture

    Gee, Stephen
  • Shades of L.A.: Pictures from Ethnic Family Albums

    Shades of L.A.: Pictures from Ethnic Family Albums

  • Songs in the Key of Los Angeles: Sheet Music from the Collection of the Los Angeles Public Library

    Songs in the Key of Los Angeles: Sheet Music from the Collection of the Los Angeles Public Library

  • Spine: An Account of the Jud Fine Art Plan at the Maguire Gardens, Central Library, Los Angeles

    Spine: An Account of the Jud Fine Art Plan at the Maguire Gardens, Central Library, Los Angeles

    Fine, Jud
  • The Library Book

    The Library Book

    Orlean, Susan.

    On the surface, The Library Book is about the history of the Los Angeles Public Library, particularly about the devastating fire

  • The Light of Learning: An Illustrated History of the Los Angeles Public Library

    The Light of Learning: An Illustrated History of the Los Angeles Public Library

    Soter, Bernadette Dominique
  • The Los Angeles Central Library: Building an Architectural Icon, 1872-1933

    The Los Angeles Central Library: Building an Architectural Icon, 1872-1933

    Breisch, Kenneth A,
  • To Live and Dine in L.A.: Menus and the Making of the Modern City

    To Live and Dine in L.A.: Menus and the Making of the Modern City

    Kun, Josh.

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