It’s 2026, and here at the Library, we’re looking forward to commemorating 100 years of the Central Library. Dedicated in July 1926, the opening of this architectural icon was a milestone not only for the Library system but for the entire city. It was such an important moment that we’ve decided to celebrate all year long. We hope you’ll join us!...
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The Central Library cornerstone is shown being laid on 5th Street, along with a time capsule which has been unearthed for the 2026 centennial. Pictured here are City Librarian Everett Perry with Board of Library Commissioners Frank H. Pettingell, Katherine G. Smith, and Frances M. Harmon-Zahn, 1924 (colorized using Adobe Photoshop)
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What a Day at the Beach Looked Like in Vintage Los Angeles
It's summertime in Los Angeles and the mercury is rising. Are you beach ready? Have you packed your sunscreen, hats, coolers, snacks, umbrellas, folding chairs, kites, frisbees, bikes, trikes, boogie boards and blankets? Do you know how you'll get there?
![A close-up shot is lined up by the director and cameraman during a Maverick shoot on the Warner Bros. lot in Burbank, [1961]. Valley Times Collection](https://www.lapl.org/sites/default/files/styles/whats_on_list_120x90/public/blogs/2026-01/backyardheader.jpg?itok=y4-ILNQd "A close-up shot is lined up by the director and cameraman during a Maverick shoot on the Warner Bros. lot in Burbank, [1961]. Valley Times Collection")
The Industry In Our Backyard
In January 1947, KTLA Channel 5, Los Angeles's first commercial television station, aired its first broadcast, and the Herald Express newspaper was there to report the milestone event.
Making the Monster: The Science Behind Mary Shelley's Frankenstein
Dr. Kathryn Harkup is a chemist and author. Kathryn completed a Ph.D. then a postdoc at the University of York before realizing that talking, writing and demonstrating science appealed far more than spending hours slaving over a hot fume-hood.
Pride in the Name of Comics
The world of comics has long been filled with stories written by young men, for young men, featuring men throwing punches in a never-ending fight for justice, revenge, etc. But times have changed.
Interview With an Author: Ian McDonald
Ian McDonald was born in 1960 in Manchester, England, to an Irish mother and a Scottish father. He moved with his family to Northern Ireland in 1965. He has won the Locus Award, the British Science Fiction Association Award, and the John W. Campbell Memorial Award.
The King of (Drag) Queens: The “Fascinating” Julian Eltinge
Long before Divine, Charles Pierce, Craig Russell, Jim Bailey, or any contestant on ‘Drag Race’ brought the art of drag performance to mainstream audiences, there was Julian Eltinge. Although remembered (mostly) by historians of queer history, he has been largely forgotten by the mainstream public.
Seduction, Corruption, Deception, and Protection – The Black Widow and the Vice Queen (Part 2)
Photo Friends, Thursday, June 14, 2018
After Ann Forst, the Black Widow, was sentenced to serve time for pandering, one of her protégés, Brenda Allen (born Marie Mitchell and going under a number of aliases including Brenda Allen Burns, Marie Brooks, Marie Cash, Brenda Burris, and Marie Balanque) wasted no time in setting up her own prostitutio
Yoga For Every Body
When we mention yoga in Western society, many of us envision young leggings-clad men and women in a yoga studio getting into impossible postures. While this may be the reality in some yoga classes, it’s actually a very narrow representation of the many forms that yoga can take.
LGBTQIA Pride Month: A Time For Commemoration and Celebration
Photo Friends, Friday, June 1, 2018
June is LGBTQIA Pride Month, a time to remember the challenges that the LGBTQIA (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual) community has faced and to commemorate the contributions they have made.
Seduction, Corruption, Deception, and Protection – The Black Widow and the Vice Queen (Part 1)
Photo Friends, Thursday, May 31, 2018
And now, a bit of real life noir compliments of the photo collection of the Los Angeles Public Library and the real lives of two L.A. femme fatales – the Black Widow and the Vice Queen.