The 1930s were indeed difficult years for the Los Angeles Public Library, as they were for the whole country. The library’s budget, hours of operation, and staffing levels all suffered at a time when…
Early twentieth-century Los Angeles was a hotbed of art and music. Painters, sculptors, musicians, craftsmen, writers, photographers, dancers, and the motion picture industry were thriving. Gladys…
Dive into the Los Angeles Public Library’s photo collections, both historic and current, to find the most unique photos documenting the history of Los Angeles or current happenings at LAPL. On this…
This year, pop-up books are playing an outsized role in the celebration of the Central Library’s Centennial, with several landmark projects taking shape through this unique medium
The Los Angeles Public Library is celebrating 100 years of the Central Library, making this the perfect time to spotlight the exceptional librarians who have overseen this remarkable building and all…
Faith Holmes Hyers was the awe-inspiring woman behind the successful publicity campaign for the 1926 opening of Central Library. Read on for a few of her notable projects.
In this episode of the Past Due podcast, our host discovers rarely seen spots in the Central Library and learns a fascinating story spun from the resources in the Business & Economics Department’s…
Moving the contents of the Los Angeles Public Library from the seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth floors of the Metropolitan Building, the library’s home from 1914 to 1926, to its new Central Library…
In this episode of Past Due, we explore the Children’s Literature Department, highlighting the art and architecture, and explain how LAPL purchases the many resources for our diverse range of library…
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…
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…
In this episode of Past Due, we talk with Stephen Gee, author of Los Angeles Central Library: A History of Its Art, to discuss the artwork of the Central Library, past and present. We also explore the…
One of the Los Angeles Public Library's largest pieces of outdoor art can only be appreciated in photos now, after becoming a victim of Southern California's weather. Bison Hunt, a 50-foot-by-26-foot…
