The Science, Technology, & Patents Department

Located on Lower Level Two (-2) of the Tom Bradley Wing: Department Layout

Phone: (213) 228-7200  |  Fax: (213) 228-7209  |  E-mail (form)

Department Staff

• Dan Dupill, Department Manager (213) 228-7241
• Maryjean Carroll, Senior Librarian (213) 228-7202

Materials & Collections

The Science, Technology & Patents Department has an extremely diversified collection. You can find information on mathematics, computers, cooking, automobile repair, UFOs, restaurant management, construction, engineering, cosmetology, medicine, zoology, botany, agriculture, pets, chemistry, nutrition, psychiatry, hotel management, and consumer information.

You can find building construction codes and lists of licensed contractors. There is a comprehensive collection of building codes of various types covering the City of Los Angeles, County of Los Angeles, and State of California codes, besides the Uniform Codes.

The department is the source for consumer information and carries copies of major consumer magazines, including Consumer Reports. The department keeps the various editions of the Kelley Blue Book for new and used car and truck prices, as well as other related sources.

The Los Angeles Public Library is a United States Patent & Trademark Office Depository Library. The Science, Technology & Patents department has a collection of U.S. patents dating from 1790. It is the largest patent collection on the West Coast. The department carries British patents back to the 17th Century. The Library is a depository of U.S. Trademark information, and for the Copyright Office of the Library of Congress. For more information, go to the Intellectual Property Information Section.

The Central Library is a U.S. and State of California Depository. Documents relating to science and technology can be found here. Environmental impact reports for the Greater Los Angeles Area are also available through depository arrangements with local government agencies. An index to environmental impact reports is available.

Seminars

The Library's Business/Economics and Science, Technology, & Patents Departments offer seminars on patents, intellectual property, entrepreneurship, business on the Web, marketing and related business topics.

All seminars are held in the Central Library's Mark Taper Auditorium at 630 West Fifth Street, Los Angeles, California. The seminars are co-sponsored by the Library's Business/Economics and Science, Technology, and Patents Departments.

For more information please see our seminars page, or to pre-register by telephone, call (213) 228-7210.

BEST Friends

BEST Friends is the support group for the Business & Economics and Science, Technology & Patents Departments. For membership information, please call Dorothy McGarry, President, at (323) 656-8726.

Culinary Historians of Southern California

The Culinary Historians of Southern California (CHSC), founded in 1995, is a group of scholars, cooks, food writers, nutritionists, collectors, students, and others interested in the study of culinary history and gastronomy. The group's purpose is to provide a forum for the discussion of food in society and to support the culinary collections at the Los Angeles Public Library. At regular programs, usually held on the second Saturday of the month at the Central Library, invited speakers share their expertise on topics related to culinary history and gastronomy.

Dues of $25.00 a year entitle members to discounts on group publications and admission to special events. For further information please contact:

Culinary Historians of Southern California

Research Guides

The Science, Technology & Patents Department has prepared these guides to help you in beginning research on popular topics:

1. Automobile Information Guide
2. Copyright Information
3. Environmental Impact Reports
4. Exploring African-American Ingenuity
5. Food and Drink
6. Holiday Cookery
7. Intellectual Property Resources
8. Military and Industry Standards and Specifications