Parents | Los Angeles Public Library

My Library Account

Welcome to the LAPL Parents’ Page!

From birth through high school and beyond, the Library offers free resources and services to help you help your child succeed.

Please explore our website. If you have questions, contact your local library or call Youth Services at 213-228-7480.

Summer Reading Program for Kids and Teens! June 3 to August 3

Helping children cope with tragedy

Helping children understand and cope with the recent Connecticut school shooting and other tragedies can be difficult. But the Los Angeles Public Library can help.

The Central Library, 72 branches and the library website have a variety of books, Web-resources and other materials designed to help parents comfort their children and communicate effectively with them. Subjects range from how to begin the conversation and choosing the right words to techniques for helping children feel safe and answers to the questions most often asked by children. The library also has books that parents and children can explore together and that children can read on their own.

The following resources are a good place for parents and caregivers to begin learning how to help their children cope with tragedy:

The National Child Traumatic Stress Network - many tips for parents and caregivers on talking to children about mass violence and shootings.
Fred Rogers talks about tragic events in the news - simple, comforting advice.
A National Tragedy: Helping Kids Cope - advice for parents and educators from the National Association of School Psychologists.
Sandy Hook School Support Fund - a fund created by the United Way of Western Connecticut.

Books can be very helpful in answering kids' questions and helping them cope with strong emotions

Coping with Grief and Loss - Preschool to Grade 4
Coping with Grief and Loss - Grades 5 to 8
Snuggling with a favorite book can be very comforting. Here are some lists of Los Angeles Public Librarians' favorite books.

For more information and assistance in selecting additional resources, ask your librarian or contact the Los Angeles Public Library’s Youth Services at 213-228-7480.

Find A Library

Support Your Library

Why support the Library?

The Los Angeles Public Library serves the largest most diverse population of any library in the United States.

Through its Central Library and 72 branches, the Los Angeles Public Library provides free and easy access to information, ideas, books and technology that enrich, educate and empower every individual in our city's diverse communities.

With more people than ever before using the library—a record 17 million last year alone—your support helps the Library provide people with the resources they need to succeed and thrive.

How to support the Library

You can support the Los Angeles Public Library in several ways:

Join a “Friends” group. There is a “Friends of the Library” group for most branch libraries and departments of the Central Library. Friends groups raise money for improvements to their library through memberships, used book sales and other activities. For more information click here or talk to your local librarian.

Join the Library Foundation of Los Angeles. The Library Foundation is a non-profit organization that raises funds for Library enhancement programs such as adult and early literacy, children and teen reading clubs, technology, and cultural programs. Foundation members receive a variety of benefits with their membership. For more information, see http://www.lfla.org.

Make a donation by check to the Los Angeles Public Library and send it to:
Support the Library, 630 W. Fifth St., Los Angeles CA 90071 or call (213) 228-7555.