The Los Angeles Public Library (LAPL) system serves the residents of Los Angeles, California. LAPL is one of the largest publicly funded library systems in the world. The system is overseen by a Board of Library Commissioners comprised of five members appointed by the mayor. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Year 1926 (MCMXXVI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Nickname: Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates: , State California County Los Angeles County Settled 1781 Incorporated April 4, 1850 Government  - Type Mayor-Council  - Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa  - City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo  - Governing body City Council Area  - City  498. ... Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 770 miles (1,240 km)  - % water 4. ... Librarians and patrons in a typical larger urban public library. ... This is a list of mayors of Los Angeles, California. ...

Membership is open to everyone, not just residents of the City of Los Angeles, as there are no residency requirements to obtain a library card. Circulating books, periodicals, computer access and audio visual materials are available to patrons. The Library's Rare Books Department is located in its downtown Los Angeles location. There is also an extensive selection of databases covering a wide variety of topics, many of which are available to remote users who hold an LAPL library card. Examples include full-text databases of periodicals, business directories, and language learning tools. Julio Pérez Ferrero Library - Cúcuta, Colombia A modern-style library in Chambéry A library is a collection of information, sources, resources and services, organized for use, and maintained by a public body, an institution, or a private individual. ...

Also, the library has an extensive collection of historic photographs from a variety of sources, including the former Los Angeles Herald-Examiner newspaper, as well as collections from noted local photographers. The Shades of L.A. Collection is an archive of over 10,000 images from family photo albums collected in recent years that shows the diverse history of the area. The Los Angeles Herald Examiner building, located in downtown L.A., was designed by Julia Morgan. ...

Aggressive expansion and growth of the system began in the 1920s. Under Library Board of Commissioners Chairman Orra E. Monnette, the system gained the support of Los Angeles citizens and began building a network of modern branch libraries to keep pace with Los Angeles' growth as a city. The 1920s is a decade that is sometimes referred to as the Jazz Age or the Roaring Twenties, usually applied to America. ... Orra Eugene Monnette (1877-1936). ...

Central Library

Los Angeles Central Library

Los Angeles Central Library

The Four-Part Mural

The Richard Riordan Central Library, originally constructed in 1926, is a downtown Los Angeles landmark. It is the third largest public library in the United States in terms of book and periodical holdings. Originally simply the Central Library, the building was renamed in honor of the longtime president of the Board of Library Commissioners and President of the University of Southern California, Rufus B. von KleinSmid. The building was subsequently renamed in 2001 after Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan. Image File history File links LA_Library. ... Image File history File links LA_Library. ... Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (3072 × 2304 pixel, file size: 2. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (3072 × 2304 pixel, file size: 2. ... Richard J. Riordan Richard J. Riordan (born May 1, 1930) is a Republican politician from California, who served as the California Secretary of Education from 2003–2005 and as Mayor of Los Angeles from 1993–2001. ... Year 1926 (MCMXXVI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... The Trojan Shrine, better known as Tommy Trojan in June 2006. ... Rufus B. von KleinSmid (1875-1964) was the fifth president of the University of Southern California. ... Richard J. Riordan Richard J. Riordan (born May 1, 1930) is a Republican politician from California, who served as the California Secretary of Education from 2003–2005 and as Mayor of Los Angeles from 1993–2001. ...

Architect Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue designed the original Los Angeles Central Library to mimic the architecture of ancient Egypt. The central tower is topped with a tiled mosaic pyramid with suns on either side with a hand holding a torch representing the "Light of Learning" at the apex. Other elements include sphinxes, snakes, and celestial mosaics. It has similarities to the Nebraska State Capitol in Lincoln, Nebraska, also designed by Goodhue and which also featured sculpture by the architectural sculptor Lee Lawrie. Goodhue by Lee Lawrie, holding the Rockefeller Chapel, Chicago, Illinois Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue (April 28, 1869 _ April 23, 1924) was a renowned American architect celebrated for his work in neo-gothic design. ... Section of the dome of Florence Cathedral. ... Khafres Pyramid (4th dynasty) and Great Sphinx of Giza (c. ... A pyramid is any three-dimensional structure where the upper surfaces are triangular and converge on one point. ... “Sol” redirects here. ... The Great Sphinx of Giza, with the Pyramid of Khafre in the background For other uses, see Sphinx (disambiguation). ... blue: sea snakes, black: land snakes Superfamilies and Families Henophidia Aniliidae Anomochilidae Boidae Bolyeriidae Cylindrophiidae Loxocemidae Pythonidae Tropidophiidae Uropeltidae Xenopeltidae Typhlopoidea Anomalepididae Leptotyphlopidae Typhlopidae Xenophidia Acrochordidae Atractaspididae Colubridae Elapidae Hydrophiidae Viperidae A snake is a scaly, limbless, elongate reptile from the order Squamata. ... The Nebraska State Capitol The Nebraska State Capitol (aka The Tower on the Plain), located in Lincoln, Nebraska, is the capitol and seat of government of the U.S. state of Nebraska. ... Nickname: Location in Nebraska Coordinates: , Country   State     County United States   Nebraska     Lancaster Founded[1]   Renamed   Incorporated 1856   July 29, 1867   April 1, 1869 Government  - Mayor Chris Beutler Area  - City 195. ... Grill work from Education Building, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Lee Oscar Lawrie (October 16, 1877 - January 23, 1963) was one of Americas foremost architectural sculptors and a key figure in the American art scene preceding World War II. His work includes the details on the Capitol building in Lincoln, Nebraska and...

During the 1970s and early 1980s (before accessible databases or public access to the Internet existed), it was an important research library. Some of the more notable collections included the Science and Technology Library in a special alcove above the general Science Department which included a complete collection of all Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) publications including the complete Patent Gazette and Trademark Gazette issues from the opening of the PTO. It also included a complete set of the entire registration books published by the Copyright Office starting from Volume 1. These collections were restored when the Central Library reopened. PTO headquarters in Alexandria The United States Patent and Trademark Office (PTO or USPTO) is an agency in the United States Department of Commerce that provides patent and trademark protection to inventors and businesses for their inventions and corporate and product identification. ... The United States Copyright Office, a part of the Library of Congress, is the official U.S. government body that maintains records of copyright registration in the United States. ...

It was extensively renovated and expanded in a "Modernist/Beaux Arts style" (according to the principal architect of the renovation Norman Pfeiffer) from 1988 through 1993, including an enormous, eight-story atrium dedicated to former mayor Tom Bradley. The interior of the library is decorated with various figures, statues, chandeliers, and grilles, notably a four-part mural by illustrator Dean Cornwell depicting stages of the history of California. Thomas J. Tom Bradley (December 29, 1917 – September 29, 1998) was the mayor of Los Angeles, California from 1973 to 1993 (five terms) and only the second African American mayor of a major U.S. city. ... Salle des illustres, ceiling painting, by Jean André Rixens. ... A field of California golden poppies circa 1910. ...

The building's limited access had caused a number of problems. Generally, the accessible public stacks in the reading rooms only displayed about 10-20% of the actual collections of the Central Library. For anything else, a patron had to submit a request slip and a clerk would retrieve the desired material from the internal stacks. Internal stacks were packed very tightly and had very little headroom. For example, while the normal reading rooms had ceilings of anywhere from ten to fifteen feet, the internal stack areas were many shelves of about six-foot height, stacked internally, so that while the public access area was about two floors plus the Science and Technology alcove, the internal stacks were approximately five or six floors. To fix this would have required substantial renovation, a cost the city was not willing to cover, especially after hours of operation were cut in response to the 1978 property tax reduction measure Proposition 13. Proposition 13, officially titled the Peoples Initiative to Limit Property Taxation, was a ballot initiative to amend the constitution of the state of California. ...

The catalyst for the renovation was the devastating arson fire of April 29, 1986. Although the building was safely evacuated, its vintage construction precluded the ventilation of heat and smoke, and limited firefighter access. Some 400,000 volumes—20 percent of the library's holdings—were destroyed, with significant water and smoke damage done to the surviving works. A second fire on September 3 of the same year destroyed the contents of the Music Department Reading Room. The Skyline Parkway Motel in Afton, Virginia after an arson fire on July 9, 2004. ... A forest fire Fire is a rapid oxidation process that creates light, heat, smoke, frost, and releases energy in varying intensities. ... is the 119th day of the year (120th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link displays 1986 Gregorian calendar). ... A Canadian firefighter A firefighter is trained and equipped to extinguish fires, rescue people, aid and assist during natural disasters and, increasingly, provide emergency medical services. ... is the 246th day of the year (247th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

On a humorous note, the April 29 fire in the building was extensively covered in news media throughout the Soviet Union, while the explosion and fire three days earlier at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant was given very little coverage in the Soviet news media. Chernobyl reactor number four after the disaster, showing the extensive damage to the main reactor hall (image center) and turbine building (image lower left) The Chernobyl disaster was a major accident that took place at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant on April 26, 1986 at 01:23 a. ... Chernobyl Nuclear Power Station, viewed from the roof of a building in Pripyat, Ukraine. ...

As part of the rehabilitation plan, the LAPL sold its air rights to developers, enabling the construction of the eponymous Library Tower (later renamed the U.S. Bank Tower as well as an earlier period when the building was called the First Interstate World Center) skyscraper across the street. Air rights are a type of development right in real estate. ... The U.S. Bank Tower (Library Tower, First Interstate World Center) at 633 West Fifth Street in downtown Los Angeles, California, United States is the seventh tallest building in the US, the tallest North American skyscraper west of Chicago, the tallest building in California, and the tallest building with a... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

The Library's renovation was completed in 1993. The Central Library reopened on October 3, 1993. is the 276th day of the year (277th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar). ...

Gallery of the Central Library

Mosaic roof of the Central Library

Interior of the Central Library

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Branches

Little Tokyo Branch in Little Tokyo

Besides the Central Library in downtown Los Angeles, the system also operates 71 branch locations in the city's many neighborhoods: Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ... The New Otani Hotel is the tallest hotel in the Little Tokyo area. ... Downtown Los Angeles skyline This is a list of districts and neighborhoods of the City of Los Angeles // Map depicting boundaries of Los Angeles city Map of Los Angeles in 1970 Los Angeles neighborhoods display a degree of diversity well befitting the second-largest city in the United States. ...

The Cahuenga Branch, Lincoln Heights Branch and the Vermont Square Branch are the three remaining Carnegie libraries in the Los Angeles Public Library System. Six were originally built, but three have been demolished. A Carnegie library, opened in 1913 in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA, designed in Spanish Colonial style Carnegie libraries for both public use and academic institutions were built with money donated by American businessman Andrew Carnegie, earning him the nickname, the Patron Saint of Libraries. ...

External links

• architectural analysis of the Los Angeles Public Library central branch, with photos
• Los Angeles Public Library website
• Library Foundation of Los Angeles
• The Library Store
• Chuck, Lysbeth. "Los Angeles' Very Special Libraries," Information Outlook, Vol. 6, No. 2, February 2002 (published by the Special Libraries Association)
• Fodors.com: Richard J. Riordan Central Library
• Art and Architecture of the Central Library
• LAPL Photo Collection overview