LAPL Blog
Vi Ha, Senior Librarian, International Languages Department

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Julius Levitt, Community Activist
Julius Levitt (1885–1953) was a promoter of Yiddish culture and a community activist, most importantly through the Jewish Labor Committee (JLC) to bring attention to the horrors of Nazism throughout the world.
African American History Month Coloring Pages
In order to showcase the technology available in the Octavia Lab, celebrate the diversity of Los Angeles, and demonstrate how library resources, such as Tessa, the library's online digital archive, and historical newspaper databases, can be used towards social justice, Octavia Lab staff have been creating
Y.C. Hong - A Biography
You Chung (“Y.C.”) Hong (1898–1977) was a community booster, social activist, and immigration lawyer based in Chinatown in Los Angeles and is profiled as a part of Archives Alive: Stories and Voices from L.A.
Ornament Making in the Octavia Lab
Each December we face a design challenge of decorating a 15-foot noble fir tree in the Central Library’s rotunda.
Turn the Knob: Find Inspiration
Looking for Inspiration for a project? Need a good fortune to help you out on a bad day?
On Persistence: Octavia E. Butler & Central Library
“Habit is persistence in practice.”—Octavia E. Butler
Teen Love for the Central Library
There is a strong cadre of teenagers that love the Central Library. Teens get the same wow factor of seeing the building and also thinking about how this space is built to store and share knowledge, learning, and books.
Helping Students Succeed
Much has been studied on mindset and how depending upon how one chooses to experience life, one can change how successful one can be.
Textiles
My parents worked in the garment industry. My father started out doing bespoke suits in the 1970s and had to constantly reinvent his career as the clothing tastes changed.
World Water Day, Innovation, and Southern California
World Water Day was celebrated this past March 22. It is a day created in 1993 by the UN to bring light the importance of water to life among people. This year’s celebration was dedicated to Water and Sustainable Development.