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. on April 29, took over seven hours to extinguish and claimed roughly 400,000 books due to fire, smoke, or water damage. The tragic event...
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Librarians Billie Connor, Helene Mochedlover, and Katie Leidich sit across the street from Central Library during the Fire. Leo Jarzomb/Los Angeles Herald Examiner Collection
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Interview With Authors Paolo Bacigalupi and Tobias Buckell
Paolo Bacigalupi is the New York Times best-selling and multiple award-winning author of The Windup Girl, Ship Breaker, The Drowned Cities, Zombie Baseball Beatdown
The Brontë Bunch
The Brontë sisters are some of the most famous siblings in literature.
Los Angeles Remembers MLK
Today marks the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. He was 39 years old when he was shot to death at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, on April 4, 1968.
Reading Aloud: Interview With John Lee, Audiobook Narrator
John Lee has acted in productions at theatres around the country and is about to embark on the role of Malvolio in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night for Parson’s Nose Theatre in Pasadena.
The Great Library War of 1905, Part 4: Slaying a Few Philistines
This blog post series looks at the history of the 1905 firing of Mary L. Jones as Los Angeles City Librarian.
The Great Library War of 1905, Part 3: The Firing of Mary Jones
This blog post series looks at the history of the 1905 firing of Mary L. Jones as Los Angeles City Librarian.
60+ years of L.A. Dodgers Opening Day
On April 18, 1958, Major League Baseball finally arrived in what was then the country’s third-largest city. The brand new Los Angeles Dodgers were going to play their first official home game against their fellow, exported from New York arch-rivals, the San Francisco Giants.
The Great Library War of 1905, Part 2: The ‘Slush’ of Concession
This blog post series looks at the history of the 1905 firing of Mary L. Jones as Los Angeles City Librarian.
Interview With an Author: Carter Wilson
Carter Wilson is an award-winning, best-selling author who specializes in domestic thrillers filled with tension, paranoia, and psychological terror.
The Great Library War of 1905, Part 1: Have You Met Miss Jones?
This blog post series looks at the history of the 1905 firing of Mary L. Jones as Los Angeles City Librarian.