LAPL Blog

Latest Posts

Collage of books and films on Armenian history and culture
Salvadora Sosa Prieto, Administrative Clerk, Multilingual Collections, April 22, 2025

As we celebrate Armenian Heritage Month, we honor not only a vibrant and ancient culture, but also a people whose story is woven with strength, survival, and a deep commitment to keeping their identity alive.

Armenia, one of the world's oldest civilizations, has gifted us with centuries of rich traditions, language, art, music, and a resilient spirit that continues to inspire generations...

Pages

Illuminations, a series of lanterns by Ann Preston in the Bradley Wing. Photo courtesy of Karina Buck

Ann Preston's Lamps Illuminate the Bradley Wing

Central Docents, Central Library, Wednesday, March 15, 2017

A highlight of our docent tours is Ann Preston's Illuminations, a series of lanterns that descend the southern escalator landings of the Tom Bradley Wing.


Lucille Raport shown at her architectural firm in 1961 (detail)

Women's History Month Spotlight on Lucille Bryant Raport: North Hollywood Architect

Christina Rice, Senior Librarian, Photo Collection, Monday, March 6, 2017

For many, the predominant image of the post-War woman is the suburban mother and consummate homemaker as immortalized in television characters of the period such as Donna Stone (The Donna Reed Show), Harriet Nelson (The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet), and June Cleaver (Leave it to Beaver).


 Suffragettes on Parade, LAPL Photo Collection (sometime before 1920)

The Legacy of Equal Rights Magazine

Social Science, Philosophy and Religion Department, Central Library, Saturday, March 4, 2017

March 8 marks International Women’s Day, a global celebration that has taken place yearly since the early 1900s. IWD celebrates women’s social, economic, cultural, and political achievements and contributions and calls for action to increase gender equality.


Portrait of Thurgood Marshall

Thurgood Marshall - An American Hero

Social Science, Philosophy and Religion Department, Central Library, Sunday, February 26, 2017

“You do what you think is right and let the law catch up”—Thurgood Marshall


Scott Joplin

Scott Joplin, Treemonisha and American Opera

Alan Westby, Librarian, Art, Music & Recreation Department, Tuesday, February 21, 2017

2017 marks the hundredth anniversary of the death, at the age of 49, of Scott Joplin, one of America's first great composers, and the composer of arguably the first important American opera: Treemonisha.


Love tree

Two LAPL Love Stories

Sheryn Morris, Librarian, Literature & Fiction, Tuesday, February 14, 2017

Los Angeles Public Library has several branches and community rooms named in honor of notable writers. Two branches are named in honor of writers whose lives include wonderful love stories.


Tower Reconstruction, 1991.

What Are "Air Rights" and Why Are They Important to Central?

Central Docents, Central Library, Friday, February 10, 2017

The shortest answer to the question of importance is that without the funds which the city received for the sale of the air rights above the Central Library site, we might not have the Goodhue Building today. Instead of being renovated, it easily might have been demolished.


The University of California at Los Angeles after trailing California at Berkeley through the first quarter, finally came into its own at the Memorial Coliseum. In this photo, Kenny Washington, brilliant Bruin halfback, is away to a smashing gain as his teammate, Woody Strode, effectively blocks out the California secondary defense. Dated November 4, 1939

Los Angeles and the Reintegration of the NFL

Bob Timmermann, Senior Librarian, History & Genealogy Department, Friday, February 3, 2017

In 1995, after playing in Southern California for nearly 50 years, the Los Angeles Rams left the West Coast for the Midwest, to become the St. Louis Rams. They would stay there for 21 years, winning one Super Bowl title and losing in a second, before coming back to the Southland last year.


poster art, resistance

The Resistance Lives!

Ani Boyadjian, Principal Librarian, Research and Special Collections, Wednesday, February 1, 2017

Resist!

Winter Dellenbach, activist, attorney, and proud first organizer of the Los Angeles Resistance, often ends her email correspondence with that simple call. Resist!


image

Going for the Gold: African Americans and the 1984 Olympic Summer Games

Christina Rice, Senior Librarian, Photo Collection, Wednesday, February 1, 2017

On January 25, 2017, the Los Angeles City Council unanimously voted to give its final approval to the city’s bid to host the 2024 Summer Olympic Games.


Pages

Top