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Central 100
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Los Angeles Public Library is celebrating 100 years of the Central Library, making this the perfect time to spotlight the exceptional librarians who have overseen this remarkable building and everything within: its collections, programs, services, and staff.
As we spend the year commemorating the centennial of Central Library, it's also necessary to acknowledge a less celebratory, but still important milestone—the 40th anniversary of the 1986 Central Library Fire. The blaze, which ignited shortly before 11 a.m.
In late November 1970, Abigail Lois Cleaves, a Los Angeles resident of more than fifty years, passed away. Gail (as she was more commonly known) had been a Civil Engineer with the Los Angeles County Highway Department until her retirement in 1960.
Here are fifteen things you never knew about early librarian Mary Foy!
The landmark Los Angeles Central Library opened to the public in July 1926. On January 29, 2026, to kick off the library's centennial year, a time capsule that was placed in the building's cornerstone during the original construction was unveiled to the public for the first time.
When Central Library opened in July 1926, the press spoke of lawns (east and west), a Grand Terrace, and Library Park. Today, we can see the beauty of the Maguire Gardens, but we no longer have a mental image of the Library's original landscaping. But what lovely and manicured spaces they were!
You no doubt know the names of the city's famous fictional private detectives—Philip Marlowe, Easy Rawlins, Jake Gittes—but let me introduce you to Mr. Samuel Wardlaw, Los Angeles Public Library's Special Investigator.
Los Angeles Public Library is celebrating 100 years of the Central Library, making this the perfect time to spotlight the exceptional librarians who have overseen this remarkable building and everything within: its collections, programs, services, and staff.
One of the Los Angeles Public Library's largest pieces of outdoor art can only be appreciated in photos now, after becoming a victim of Southern California's weather.
On March 13, 2000, the new, expanded Teen’Scape Department at the Central Library opened with great fanfare.