The library will be closed on Monday, March 27 in observance of César Chávez Day.

LAPL Blog

Tiffney Sanford, Administrative Clerk, Valley Plaza Branch Library

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Hamburger Building in 1909

The Library and the Department Store: Hamburger Building (1908-1914)

December 14, 2022

Have you ever visited a library in the middle of a department store? If you lived in Los Angeles in the early twentieth century, you could have done just that. The Hamburger Building, designed by architect Alfred F. Rosenheim, opened at 8th Street and Broadway in August 1908.

150, Library History, Los Angeles History
Clockwise from top left, Frances Howard Goldwyn Hollywood Regional Branch Library at 1623 Ivar Avenue (1986-present): Hollywood Branch Library at 1623 Ivar Avenue (1940-1982); Hollywood Branch Library at 6357 Hollywood Boulevard (1923-1939); Hollywood Branch Library at 6357 Hollywood Boulevard (1907-1922). Los Angeles Public Library Institutional Collection

Dig Los Angeles: Hollywood Branch of the Los Angeles Public Library

December 09, 2022

The growth of the Hollywood branch of the Los Angeles Public Library mirrors the development of Hollywood as a place. From sleepy beginnings, it grew quicker than expected, with highs and lows punctuated by dramatic events and interesting people.

Library History, Los Angeles History, Hollywood, 150
Lincoln Heights Branch Library at 2530 Workman Street [2022] Photo by Tiffney Sanford

Dig Los Angeles: Lincoln Heights Branch of the Los Angeles Public Library

November 14, 2022

This is the sixth in a series of blog posts that looks at history near a Los Angeles Public Library branch.

Library History, Los Angeles History, Lincoln Heights, 150
Chatsworth Branch of the Los Angeles Public Library, 21052 Devonshire Street [2018] Gary Leonard, Institutional Collection/Los Angeles Public Library

Dig Los Angeles: Chatsworth Branch of the Los Angeles Public Library

October 18, 2022

This is the fifth installment of a series exploring the history that can be found near a library branch and some of the library resources that help tell that history.

Library History, Los Angeles History, Chatsworth, 150
Cahuenga Branch of the Los Angeles Public Library

Dig Los Angeles: Cahuenga Branch of the Los Angeles Public Library

September 12, 2022

From its earliest years, the Cahuenga Branch of the Los Angeles Public Library operated amidst movie studios, halls of higher learning, and architectural wonders.

Library History, Los Angeles History, 150
Photos of the North Hollywood library (top left) Circulation desk [1954] Valley Times Collection. (bottom left) Library exterior [1946]

Dig Los Angeles: North Hollywood Amelia Earhart Regional Branch of the Los Angeles Public Library

August 17, 2022

With locations all over the city and lots of books and other materials devoted to local history, libraries are a perfect springboard for exploring Los Angeles. This is the third in a series of blog posts that digs into local history near a Los Angeles Public Library branch.

Library History, Los Angeles History, 150
San Pedro Regional Branch of the Los Angeles Public Library

Dig Los Angeles: San Pedro Regional Branch of the Los Angeles Public Library

July 11, 2022

With locations all over the city, and lots of books and other materials devoted to local history, libraries are a perfect springboard for exploring Los Angeles. This is the second in a series of blog posts that digs into local history near a branch of the Los Angeles Public Library.

Library History, Los Angeles History, 150
Chinatown Branch Library

Dig Los Angeles: Chinatown Branch of the Los Angeles Public Library

June 03, 2022

With locations all over the city, and lots of books and other materials devoted to local history, libraries are a perfect springboard for exploring Los Angeles. This is the first in a series of blog posts that digs into local history near a branch of the Los Angeles Public Library.

Library History, Los Angeles History, 150
Collage of Los Angeles Public Libraries named after women

The 7½ Los Angeles Public Library Branches Named After Women

March 11, 2022

The Los Angeles Public Library has seven and a "half" branches dedicated to extraordinary women. Let’s take a look at these women and their namesake libraries for Women’s History Month.

Women's History Month, Los Angeles History, Library History, 150
Monica Shannon and her Newbery Award-winning book, Dobry

Monica Shannon: Advocate for Libraries, Leprechauns and Luckless Pigwidgeons

March 30, 2021

You may know Monica Shannon as the author of the 1935 Newbery Award-winning book Dobry, but have you read her fairy tales set in California? They are remarkably descriptive and among the strangest books, I’ve read in a long time.

150, Women's History Month, Los Angeles History

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