If you've heard it once, you've heard it a million times—the book was better! There's nothing like debating the differences between a favorite book and its translation to the screen. But if you don't know your beloved series is coming out as a movie or that the fun-looking preview you saw was adapted from a book, how can you join the debate? The Library is here to the rescue! Here, we will be...
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Representation Matters: An Interview With Erin Entrada Kelly
Erin Entrada Kelly, the author of the Newbery Award-winning book Hello Universe, spoke at the Central Library a few months ago as part of our Summer Author Series. Audience members wrote questions for Kelly on index cards.
Interview With an Author: Rebecca Serle
Rebecca Serle is a full-time writer, which means she gets to wear pajamas to work. She went to the University of Southern California, then got her MFA from the New School in NYC.
What a Library Means to Me: Save the Books Essay Contest Winner Now a Librarian
It was a typical day in my 11th grade English class, except my teacher offered a rare extra credit opportunity—to write a 100-word essay on the topic, "What a Library Means to Me." She explained that our essays would be submitted to the "Save the Books" essay contest, part of an effort to raise funds for t
Video: Firsthand Accounts of the Central Library Fire and Recovery
October 2018 marks the 25th anniversary of the LA Central Library reopening seven years after a catastrophic fire in 1986. In this short film, three people who were at the fire share their memories of the fire and the effort to recover and rebuild.
History of Central Library's Grand Reopening in 1993
A month after the first of two fires burned through the Central Library in 1986, a collective effort by the City of Los Angeles raised $3.2 million. This was yet another plus in a major reconstructive campaign lasting 7 and a half years.
Translogic: Central Library's Forgotten Book-Mover
When the gleaming “new” Central Library opened its doors on October 3, 1993, seven years after the devastating fires of 1986, it touted the latest innovations in computer automation.
Spotlight on Octavia E. Butler
Temperatures are rising, the environment is suffering, and income inequality is widening. Amidst the confusion, a charismatic politician takes the presidency with the promise to, “Make America great again.”
Interview With an Author: P. Djèlí Clark
Born in New York and raised mostly in Houston, P. Djèlí Clark spent the formative years of his life in the homeland of his parents, Trinidad and Tobago.
Save the Books!
In retrospect, it is ironic that the fire took place when it did: April 29, 1986. On that day, progress was quietly continuing with plans for a renovation of the original Central Library and a new multi-level addition.
Central Reopens: Reflections
The day my own dear Central Library reopened I got my name in the L.A. Times which elicited ragging from pals around the city.




![Firefighters ascend truck 3's ladder to the roof of Central Library, [April,1986]. Photo courtesy of Rick Santos firefighters climbing ladder with equipment](https://www.lapl.org/sites/default/files/styles/whats_on_list_120x90/public/blogs/2025-10/firevideoblogheader.jpg?itok=NC-z-8ru)




![Jubilant participants during the 1987 Save the Books telethon. $2 million dollars in pledges were made during the 48 hours, but around half that amount was actually collected. [Los Angeles Public Library Institutional Collection] Jubilant participants during the 1987 Save the Books telethon.](https://www.lapl.org/sites/default/files/styles/whats_on_list_120x90/public/blogs/2025-10/save25header.jpg?itok=4ii9ihj8)
