library history

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Portrait of Mayor Richard J. Riordan in his office
Central Library Services, April 24, 2023

Richard J. Riordan, Mayor of Los Angeles from 1993-2001, for whom the rebuilt Central Library is named, passed away at his home in Brentwood on Wednesday, April 19, 2023, at the age of 92.


Art at the Jefferson - Vassie D. Wright Memorial Branch Library
Catherine Sturgeon, April 19, 2023

The Jefferson Branch Library originally opened as a deposit station between 1912 to 1913 in the Soffel Drug Store at 2100 West Jefferson Street.


Collage of selected libraries of Los Angeles and Tiffney Sanford
Nicholas Beyelia, March 22, 2023

Within the larger discipline of history, there is a field that has been gaining traction called public history.


Collage of photos from World War I
Charlene Nichols, February 13, 2023

Staff working at the library during World War I were living through interesting times. They made a lot of choices, some of which were commendable and others which left us scratching our heads.


Hamburger Building in 1909
Tiffney Sanford, December 14, 2022

Have you ever visited a library in the middle of a department store? If you lived in Los Angeles in the early twentieth century, you could have done just that. The Hamburger Building, designed by architect Alfred F. Rosenheim, opened at 8th Street and Broadway in August 1908.


Clockwise from top left, Frances Howard Goldwyn Hollywood Regional Branch Library at 1623 Ivar Avenue (1986-present): Hollywood Branch Library at 1623 Ivar Avenue (1940-1982); Hollywood Branch Library at 6357 Hollywood Boulevard (1923-1939); Hollywood Branch Library at 6357 Hollywood Boulevard (1907-1922). Los Angeles Public Library Institutional Collection
Tiffney Sanford, December 09, 2022

The growth of the Hollywood branch of the Los Angeles Public Library mirrors the development of Hollywood as a place. From sleepy beginnings, it grew quicker than expected, with highs and lows punctuated by dramatic events and interesting people.


Lincoln Heights Branch Library at 2530 Workman Street [2022] Photo by Tiffney Sanford
Tiffney Sanford, November 14, 2022

This is the sixth in a series of blog posts that looks at history near a Los Angeles Public Library branch.


Chatsworth Branch of the Los Angeles Public Library, 21052 Devonshire Street [2018] Gary Leonard, Institutional Collection/Los Angeles Public Library
Tiffney Sanford, October 18, 2022

This is the fifth installment of a series exploring the history that can be found near a library branch and some of the library resources that help tell that history.


Art at the John Muir Branch Library
Catherine Sturgeon, October 05, 2022

The John Muir Branch Library was built in 1930, based upon a design by architect Henry Francis Withey in the Italian Renaissance style, and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.


Cahuenga Branch of the Los Angeles Public Library
Tiffney Sanford, September 12, 2022

From its earliest years, the Cahuenga Branch of the Los Angeles Public Library operated amidst movie studios, halls of higher learning, and architectural wonders.


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