LAPL Blog
Central Docents, Central Library
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Yes, Central Library Still Has Catalog Cards
While it's true that information on the 2.8 million items in the Central Library is on computer servers that take up a tiny space compared to the hundreds of drawers of catalog cards once used, one can still view some of our collections the old-fashioned way, complete with Dewey decimal number, title, auth
A Docent’s Life for Me
I have always loved books. When I was five, I pleaded with my mother for books...Little Golden Books, about lambs and engines and whatever...and she helped me learn to read them. In junior high and high school, I was a library helper.
Take a Tour of Our Puppet Gallery
The Children’s Literature Department of Los Angeles Central Library is so vast and awe-inspiring, one of its most fascinating offerings could be easily overlooked.
Los Angeles’s First (and Only) Black Mayor Broke Racial Barriers
“Never give up. Keep your thoughts and your mind always on the goal.” —Tom Bradley
Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue Part III: Cheltenham Comes to Central Library
After nearly a century, the Los Angeles Central Library still reflects architect Bertram G. Goodhue's vision that buildings should be “literate,” using symbolic expressions to make them distinctive and eternal.
Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue Part II: Designing Cheltenham, a Century-Old Type Font
During the late 1800s and early 1900s, there was a bookmaking revival in the greater Boston/New York area, and Bertram Goodhue was thoroughly involved, influential, and supportive.
Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue Part I: Artist in Many Mediums
Architect Bertram G. Goodhue (1869-1924) was a gifted and multi-faceted artist. He began drawing as a young child, first with pen and pencil and later with watercolors.
Norman Pfeiffer: Highlights of the Tom Bradley Wing
For 50 years, nationally recognized architect Norman Pfeiffer has applied creativity, innovation, and technical proficiency to an impressive portfolio of outstanding renovations and additions to library and arts buildings throughout the country.
Ann Preston's Lamps Illuminate the Bradley Wing
A highlight of our docent tours is Ann Preston's Illuminations, a series of lanterns that descend the southern escalator landings of the Tom Bradley Wing.
What Are "Air Rights" and Why Are They Important to Central?
The shortest answer to the question of importance is that without the funds which the city received for the sale of the air rights above the Central Library site, we might not have the Goodhue Building today. Instead of being renovated, it easily might have been demolished.