Central Library opened to the public in July 1926. On January 29, 2026, to kick off the library's centennial year, a time capsule that was placed in the building's cornerstone during the original construction was unveiled to the public for the first time.
Alice Bucknell's video work, The Alluvials, was born of research in the Los Angeles Public Library. Now playing on the Library's immersive Central Library Video Wall, The Alluvials explores the politics of drought and water scarcity in a near-future version of Los Angeles. The story is told through a variety of nonhuman and elemental perspectives, including the Los Angeles River, wildfire, a 400-year-old sycamore called El Aliso, and the ghost of the city's celebrity mountain lion, P-22.
For a look at Los Angeles in the 80s and 90s, the Carol Westwood collection is an indispensable resource. Christina Rice, Senior Librarian of the Photo Collection, highlights a few images in this video to illustrate the breadth of Westwood’s work documenting the city.
In this video, archivist Wendy Horowitz of the library’s Photo Collection discusses the Jay More Collection. More was known for documenting historic buildings in Los Angeles before they were demolished.
Before the advent of GPS and smartphones, residents of Los Angeles were wholly dependent on the street guide to navigate their sprawling metropolis. In this video, map librarian Glen Creason explores the history of the L.A. street guide, and explains why they are still relevant today.
In the latest, Pride-themed episode of Stories from the Map Cave, map librarian Glen Creason walks us through some significant landmarks and events in Los Angeles' LGBTQIA history. Watch below.
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.
