In this episode of the Past Due podcast, we’ll discuss how the Library came to be built, an early architectural mystery about the library, and some of the intriguing details about one of the oldest books in the Library’s collection.
Kenneth A. Breisch is an architectural historian and Associate Professor Emeritus of Architecture at the University of Southern California, as well as the founder and past director of USC’s graduate program in heritage conservation. He is also a past president of the Society of Architectural Historians, a Board Member Emeritus of the Santa Monica Conservancy, and a member of the Board of the Santa Monica Public Library from 2001-2014.
He is also the author of several books, including Henry Hobson Richardson and the Small Public Library in America: A Study in Typology and The Los Angeles Central Library: Building an Architectural Icon, 1872–1933. He is currently writing a history of the Los Angeles Public Library’s branch system.
Tom McQuaide is a retired higher education administrator and educator. Since retirement, he has pursued his fascination with Los Angeles architecture and history. He has been a volunteer with the LA Conservancy since 2016, where he regularly leads public tours highlighting the many LA historic buildings and neighborhoods. Additionally, Tom has been a docent giving tours of Central Library since 2023 and is currently a member of the Los Angeles Public Library Docent Board and Training Committee.
Julie Huffman worked as the Genealogy Librarian at Central Library for over 10 years and also spent 24 years at the Los Angeles Public Library in many other roles, including as a young adult, children’s, and adult reference librarian. Julie recently retired from the Los Angeles Public Library after this interview was recorded. Julie received her Master of Library and Information Studies from UCLA and a Bachelor’s of Journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia.
Moderator: Sheridan Jay Cazarez is a librarian in the Exploration & Creativity Department at the Los Angeles Public Library. He's presented on bilingual early literacy programming, translation practices, and labor advocacy at the REFORMA National, California Library Association, Seguimos Creando Enlaces, and American Library Association conferences. Find his original translations of songs and rhymes for young children on his website, Bibliocuentos.com.