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Pictorial Map of Mexico, Fischgrind Publishing, Cartographer Miguel Gomez Medina, 1931
Glen Creason, September 15, 2015

This masterpiece of pictorial mapping is an original from the earliest printings of the famed Fischgrind Publishing house and one of the mysterious Miguel Gomez Medina’s greatest works.


Central Library's Hope Street facade: sculpture of Nicholaus Copernicus
Bob Timmermann, September 25, 2015

If you enter the Central Library on Hope Street, there are six sculptures that appear on the facade of the building.


View of Central Library and the Maguire Gardens
Central Docents, August 27, 2015

Our free art and architecture tours of L.A.'s Central Library begin by taking a look at the exterior of the historic 1926 Goodhue Building.


Everett Robbins Perry 1876-1933
Central Docents, July 20, 2015

Our free art and architecture tour of L.A.'s central library begins in the 1926 Goodhue Building, famous for its sculpture, murals, painted ceilings, and wonderful architecture. The building has another great feature, something which seems ordinary to modern eyes, but which wasn't ordinary at all in 1926.


Recently, we found a folder tucked away at the back of a file cabinet in the Social Science, Philosophy & Religion Department.


Literate Fence
Central Docents, June 13, 2015

The elegant Literate Fence, on the Fifth Street side of the library, was designed by Washington state industrial metal artist, Ries Niemi (b.1955). The Deco design, completed in 1993, echoes the design of the original library building.


Julian Garnsey
Central Docents, May 02, 2015

Our free docent-led art and architecture tour of the Los Angeles Central Library always includes a stop in the International Languages Department, through which visitors can find the library's original 1926 Children's Department, with its decorated ceiling and Ivanhoe-themed murals.


Ana Beker
Deborah Savage, March 24, 2015

A colleague in the History Department recently came across an old book whose drab cover hides a fascinating adventure story.


Central Library exterior
Central Docents, March 05, 2015

As you learn on our daily docent-led tours, The Richard J Riordan Central Library has almost 90 years of fascinating history. But some of most intriguing chapters in the building’s story occurred before the library even opened its doors for the first time in 1926.


3 Negro Motorist Green Books
Kelly Wallace, February 27, 2015

As African American Heritage Month draws to a close, I would like to bring your attention to a largely unknown chapter of American history.


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