Past Due: 100 Years of Central Library - Episode 3: Hidden Spaces and Forgotten Places (Part 1)

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Past Due: 100 Years of Central Library - Episode 3: Hidden Spaces and Forgotten Places (Part 1)

In this episode of the Past Due podcast, our host gets the inside scoop from a Central Library docent about some odd architectural features of Central Library’s past and present, and also explores some of the library’s special collections.

Librarian Sheridan J. Cazares talks to docent Tom McQuaide to learn about the differences between the Central Library’s architecture in 1926 and today. Then he talks to the Special Collections Department Senior Librarian, Angi Brzycki, about a rare resource, the Manzanar Free Press, created by interned Japanese Americans during World War II.

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central library window

Resources Mentioned

  • The blog post that inspired this episode was by Library Docent, Kenon Breazeale.
  • Read the 1927 Handbook of the Central Building, from the Library’s California Index, that shows the library’s original floor plans, as well as the building’s extraordinary sculptures and murals.
  • To view the issues of the Manzanar Free Press or other materials in our Digitization and Special Collections Department, make an appointment here.
  • Regarding the Well of the Scribes, currently on exhibit in the Annenberg gallery, here is the 2020 press release offering a reward for information leading to the recovery of the sculpture.
  • Come take an art and architecture tour of Central Library with our docents.
man looking with binoculars through a window
At Central Library, a man looks through binoculars down at one of the large reading rooms, [circa 1927]. Security Pacific National Bank Collection
Loft in the Art Department that used to house drafting tables
Loft in the Art Department that used to house drafting tables

Participant(s) Bio

Tom McQuaide

Tom McQuaide is a retired higher education administrator and educator. Since retirement, he has pursued his fascination with Los Angeles architecture and history. He has been a volunteer with the LA Conservancy since 2016, where he regularly leads public tours highlighting the many LA historic buildings and neighborhoods. Additionally, Tom has been a docent giving tours of Central Library since 2023 and is currently a member of the Los Angeles Public Library Docent Board and Training Committee.

Angi Brzycki

Angi Brzycki is the Senior Librarian for the Digitization and Special Collections Department.

Sheridan Jay Cazarez

Moderator: Sheridan Jay Cazarez is a librarian in the Exploration & Creativity Department at the Los Angeles Public Library. He's presented on bilingual early literacy programming, translation practices, and labor advocacy at the REFORMA National, California Library Association, Seguimos Creando Enlaces, and American Library Association conferences. Find his original translations of songs and rhymes for young children on his website, Bibliocuentos.com.