LAPL Blog
Glen Creason, Librarian III, History & Genealogy Department

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Ruth Taylor White: The Great Cartographer With an Asterisk
After admiring her maps for several decades I began to ponder why the great Ruth Taylor White does not have a place in Tooley’s Dictionary of Mapmakers or even a Wikipedia page. After all, she must be considered at the top of popular cartographers with few peers amongst pictorial mapmakers.
Yes Virginia, There is a Central Library
Dear History and Genealogy Department:
I am 8 years old.
Some of my little friends say there is no Central Library anymore.
Papa says, ‘If you see it in on the website it’s so.’
Please tell me the truth; is there a Central Library?
What Christmas in L.A. Was Like in 1851
We don’t have a typical Christmas season here in L.A., like the ones in syrupy movies with snow, ear muffs, winter coats, and people standing in a blizzard preparing to jump off a trestle.
Of Friends: A Librarian Reflects
Libraries are empty of customers and that is sad as hell. Sad for library workers who not only love the musty smell of the stacks but also the everyday challenges of actual patrons!
When L.A. Fought the Pandemic and Won
It was a time when Angelenos should have been preparing to head out into the streets waving victory flags and knocking back belts of whiskey before the commencement of the dreaded Volstead act.
Sad Soli-Tunes Playlist to Listen to at Home
I would rather sit on a pumpkin, and have it all to myself, than be crowded on a velvet cushion.―Henry David Thoreau
Major Gift to Our Map Collection
An over one-hundred-year-old, beautifully detailed map of downtown Los Angeles has been received by the History and Genealogy department from the Historical Society of Southern California.
Chinatown: On the Map
Chinatown in Los Angeles has been demeaned and misunderstood for about a century and a half.
Where the Souls Sleep on All Saints Eve
Halloween has become a huge, month-long celebration in these modern times and not just for candy and death as I recall it meant when I was a brat.
Central Reopens: Reflections
The day my own dear Central Library reopened I got my name in the L.A. Times which elicited ragging from pals around the city.