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The Jefferson Branch Library originally opened as a deposit station between 1912 to 1913 in the Soffel Drug Store at 2100 West Jefferson Street.
When Gertrude Darlow joined the Los Angeles Public Library in October 1893, there were less than twenty employees. During her thirty-plus years with the library, she worked under seven City Librarians, including legends such as Tessa Kelso, Mary L.
Within the larger discipline of history, there is a field that has been gaining traction called public history.
Staff working at the library during World War I were living through interesting times. They made a lot of choices, some of which were commendable and others which left us scratching our heads.
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.
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.
Happy 150th birthday, Los Angeles Public Library!
![Lincoln Heights Branch Library at 2530 Workman Street [2022] Photo by Tiffney Sanford](https://lapl.org/sites/default/files/styles/blog_latest_list_120x90/public/blogs/2022-11/diglincolnheights.jpg?itok=-IA4lsn- "Lincoln Heights Branch Library at 2530 Workman Street, [2022]. Photo by Tiffney Sanford")
This is the sixth in a series of blog posts that looks at history near a Los Angeles Public Library branch.
![Chatsworth Branch of the Los Angeles Public Library, 21052 Devonshire Street [2018] Gary Leonard, Institutional Collection/Los Angeles Public Library](https://lapl.org/sites/default/files/styles/blog_latest_list_120x90/public/blogs/2022-11/dig2018-08-2108-44-224s24100.jpg?itok=gzjCFWWB "Chatsworth Branch of the Los Angeles Public Library, 21052 Devonshire Street, [2018]. Gary Leonard, Institutional Collection/Los Angeles Public Library")
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.
The John Muir Branch Library was built in 1930, based upon a design by architect Henry Francis Withey in the Italian Renaissance style, and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.