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The Los Angeles Public Library (LAPL) system serves the residents of Los Angeles, California. LAPL is one of the largest publicly funded library systems in the world. The system is overseen by a Library Board comprised of five members appointed by the mayor.
Membership is open to everyone, not just residents of the City of Los Angeles, as there are no residency requirements to obtain a library card. Circulating books, periodicals, computer access and audio visual materials are available to patrons. The Library's Rare Book Department is located in its downtown Los Angeles location. The LAPL also provides services to home bound patrons.
Aggressive expansion and growth of the system began in the 1920s. Under library Board Chairman Orra E. Monnette, the system gained the support of Los Angeles citizens and began building a network of modern branch libraries to keep pace with Los Angeles' growth as a city.
Central Library
The Richard Riordan Central Library, originally constructed in 1926, is a downtown Los Angeles landmark. It is the third largest library in the United States in terms of book and periodical holdings. Originally simply the Central Library, it was renamed in 2001 after L.A. Mayor Richard Riordan.
Architect Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue designed the original Los Angeles Central Library to mimic the architecture of ancient Egypt. The central tower is topped with a tiled mosaic pyramid with suns on either side with a hand holding a torch representing the "Light of Learning" at the apex. Other elements include sphinxes, snakes, and celestial mosaics. It has similarities to the Nebraska State Capitol in Lincoln, Nebraska, also designed by Goodhue and which also featured sculpture by the architectural sculptor Lee Lawrie.
It was extensively renovated and expanded in the neo-Mission style in the late 1980s, including an enormous, six-story atrium dedicated to former mayor Tom Bradley. The interior of the library is decorated with various figures, statues, chandeliers, and grilles, notably a four-part mural by illustrator Dean Cornwell depicting stages of the history of California.
The catalyst for the renovation was the devastating arson fire of April 29, 1986. Although the building was safely evacuated, its vintage construction precluded the ventilation of heat and smoke, and limited firefighter access. Some 400,000 volumes—20 percent of the library's holdings—were destroyed, with significant water and smoke damage done to the surviving works. A second fire on September 3 of the same year destroyed the contents of the Music Department Reading Room.
As part of the rehabilitation plan, the LAPL sold its air rights to developers, enabling the construction of the eponymous Library Tower (later renamed the U.S. Bank Tower) skyscraper across the street.
Branches
Besides the Central Library in downtown Los Angeles, the system also operates 71 branch locations in the city's many neighborhoods:
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The Cahuenga Branch, Lincoln Heights Branch and the Vermont Square Branch are the three remaining Carnegie libraries in the Los Angeles Public Library System. Six were originally built, but three have been demolished.
External links
- architectural analysis of the Los Angeles Public Library central branch, with photos
- Los Angeles Public Library system
- Library Foundation of Los Angeles
- Chuck, Lysbeth. "Los Angeles' Very Special Libraries," Information Outlook, Vol. 6, No. 2, February 2002 (published by the Special Libraries Association)
- Fodors.com: Richard J. Riordan Central Library
Buildings and structures in Los Angeles | Education in Los Angeles | Landmarks in Los Angeles | Libraries in California | Los Angeles culture | Public libraries in the United States | Registered Historic Places in California
"Los Angeles Public Library"