Face masks are required in all City of Los Angeles facilities, including libraries.

The library will be closed on Monday, May 30 for Memorial Day.

LAPL Blog

Keith Chaffee, Librarian, Central Library

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Suzanne Vega on the cover of her recent album, New York is My Destination

Music Memories: Happy Birthday, Suzanne Vega!

July 10, 2020

On July 11, 1959, Suzanne Vega was born. Vega is a singer/songwriter who had some unexpected pop success in the late 1980s and early 1990s with a pair of surprising hit singles, “Luka” and “Tom’s Diner.”

Suzanne Vega, Safer at Home, Music Memories
Barbra Streisand is a singer, actress, and director

Music Memories: Happy Birthday, Barbra Streisand!

April 24, 2020

Barbra Streisand was born on April 24, 1942. Streisand is a singer, actress, and director whose sixty-year recording career encompasses about 50 albums.

Music Memories, Barbra Streisand, Pop Music
Mark Rothko

A Week to Remember: Mark Rothko

September 26, 2017

On September 25, 1903, Mark Rothko was born. With his mother and sister, he emigrated from Russia to the United States at the age of ten, joining his father, who had made the journey some years earlier.

Art, e-Media, Books, History
Cover art for Billy Joel's album The Stranger

Music Monday: Billy Joel's The Stranger

September 25, 2017

Forty years ago this week, Billy Joel's The Stranger was released.

Music, Music Monday
A photo of Cal Ripken, Jr. and text that reads A Week to Remember

A Week to Remember: The Most Unbreakable Record in Sports?

September 19, 2017

On September 19, 1998, Cal Ripken, Jr. played in his 2,632nd consecutive Major League Baseball game, the longest streak in baseball history. The previous record was Lou Gehrig's 2,130 games; that record had stood for 56 years when Ripken broke it in 1995.

e-Media, Books, History
Photo of Agatha Christie and a quote: "time is the best killer"

A Week to Remember: Agatha Christie

September 12, 2017

On September 15, 1890, Agatha Christie was born. The popularity of Christie's murder mysteries is record-breaking. She is the most-translated author in history, with books published in more than 100 languages. Her novels have sold 2 billion copies; only Shakespeare and the Bible have sold more.

e-Media, Books, History
Photo of Harry Connick, Jr. and text that reads Music Monday

Music Monday: Harry Connick, Jr.

September 11, 2017

Happy birthday to Harry Connick, Jr., who turns 50 today! 

Music, Music Monday
Tony Burrows

Music Monday: Tony Burrows, The Five-Time One-Hit Wonder

October 02, 2017

You may not know the name Tony Burrows, but if you were listening to pop music in the spring of 1970, you know his voice. In a three-month period, Burrows was the lead singer on four different hit records by four different groups.

Music, Music Monday
Photo of Thurgood Marshall

A Week to Remember: Thurgood Marshall Joins the Supreme Court

October 03, 2017

Fifty years ago this week, on October 2, 1967, Thurgood Marshall was sworn in as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, the first African-American to hold that position. It was the culmination of a distinguished legal career. 

Thurgood Marshall, History, Books, e-Media
Collage of several album covers and the number 1967

Music Monday: 50 Years Ago—A Look Back at 1967

September 18, 2017

When you look back at 1967, maybe it's the legendary acts you remember.

Music, Music Monday, History

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