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Hell’s Heart book cover by Alexis Hall
Daryl M., Librarian, West Valley Regional Branch Library, April 30, 2026

Some years ago—never mind how long precisely—having little or no money in their purse, and nothing particular to interest them on shore, Alexis Hall thought they would sail about a little and see the watery part of the world. Unfortunately, the boat they were in sank with all hands, and they were rescued...

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Pictured: Marqueece Harris-Dawson, Mayor Eric Garcetti, Bich Ngoc Cao,City Librarian John Szabo, Meg DeLoatch

Congressman John Lewis: Civil Rights Leader and Trailblazer

Social Science, Philosophy and Religion Department, Central Library, Wednesday, February 23, 2022

John Lewis was born in Troy, Alabama, the third oldest son of ten children. His father was a tenant farmer, while his mother earned extra money doing housework for other families.


Japanese family gather beside an automobile at Wawona Tree in Yosemite National Park

Big Trees, Big Hearts: 5 Picture Books about Redwoods & Sequoias

Kadie Seitz, Librarian, Youth Services, Tuesday, February 22, 2022

California Nouns: People, Places, and Things
Big Trees


Collage of albums by African Americans available on Freegal and hoopla

Celebrate African American History Month With Great Music on hoopla and Freegal

Daniel Tures, Adult Librarian, Edendale Branch Library, Friday, February 18, 2022

February is African American History Month, but every month is a good month to celebrate African American history and culture, and what better place to do so than your local library!


Journalist and editor, Eliza Reid and her first book, Secrets of the Sprakkar

Interview With an Author: Eliza Reid

Daryl M., Librarian, West Valley Regional Branch Library, Thursday, February 17, 2022

Eliza Reid is a journalist, editor, and co-founder of the annual Iceland Writers Retreat. Eliza grew up on a hobby farm near Ottawa, Canada, and moved to Iceland in 2003, five years after winning a student raffle for a date with the man who later became her husband. That husband, Fudni Th.


Norma Merrick Sklarek in front of the big blue whale

African American History Month Coloring Pages

Vi Thục Hà, Senior Librarian, International Languages Department, Tuesday, February 15, 2022

In order to showcase the technology available in the Octavia Lab, celebrate the diversity of Los Angeles, and demonstrate how library resources, such as Tessa, the library's online digital archive, and historical newspaper databases, can be used towards social justice, Octavia Lab staff have been creating


Collage of classic and influential films by African-American directors

Groundbreaking Films by African-American Directors

Alice S., Librarian, Art, Music & Recreation Dept. , Friday, February 11, 2022

For many years it was hard to find and watch many classic and influential films by African-American directors: they were not widely distributed, they were not released on home video, or they were thought to be lost.


Tourists viewing Badwater in Death Valley from their car

Desert Daze: 7 Picture Books Celebrating Deserts

Kadie Seitz, Librarian, Youth Services, Thursday, February 10, 2022

California Nouns: People, Places, and Things
Deserts


Activist Judy Heumann holding her two books, Being Heumann: An Unrepentant Memoir of a Disability Rights Activist and Rolling Warrior

Judy Heumann - Disability Rights Activist

Social Science, Philosophy and Religion Department, Central Library, Wednesday, February 9, 2022

We Americans owe a profound debt of gratitude to activist Judy Heumann. The chutzpah she has demonstrated through decades of direct action has solidified fundamental civil rights for people with disabilities. An early fight that Ms.


Vietnamese Buddhist monk, Thích Nhất Hạnh, Asian Pacific American Heritage Month

Remembering Thích Nhất Hạnh

Social Science, Philosophy and Religion Department, Central Library, Tuesday, February 8, 2022

Thích Nhất Hạnh, the influential Vietnamese Buddhist monk who achieved a worldwide following with his message of mindfulness, peace, and compassion, died at age 95 on Saturday, January 22, 2022.


Collage of books and their movie adaptations

Read It First! Movie Adaptations in Theaters This Month

Elizabeth Graney, Librarian, Literature & Fiction Department, Friday, February 4, 2022

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.


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