The Altadena library District is an independent special district that serves the residents of Altadena, an unincorporated community north of Pasadena in the San Gabriel Valley of Los Angeles County. The district was formed in December 1926 under the provision of Sections 19600-19734 of the California Education Code The district is supported by property taxes and governed by a locally elected Board of Library Trustees. Currently, the District provides library services to a population of approximately 54,876 people according to the May, 2005 estimate for cities and counties from the Demographic Research Unit, State Department of Finance
The system includes the main branch located at 600 E. Mariposa St., and the Bob Lucas Memorial Branch Library and Literacy Center located at 2659 Lincoln Avenue. In addition to the board and the staff, the Altadena Library has an active Friends of the Library which conducts an annual book sale and has a permanent store inside the library. The library has many special programs including summer reading programs, adult book clubs, wifi, a career center, the literacy center and a community room.
Library History
An overview of Altadena history including library facts can be found on the official city timeline According to Zack (2004) the library was part of the Los Angeles county system from 1903 to 1927, and was housed at the Altadena Primary School. The first permanent library building on 2366 N. Lake (1936) was replaced in 1967 by the current building on Mariposa. According to the library website
, the branch library was dedicated in 1957 and called the Arroyo Seco Branch Library. It was closed in 1978 and reopened in 1991 with a new name : the Bob Lucas Memorial Branch Library and Literacy Center.
Library Architecture
Listed in Gebhard and Winter (2003) the main branch is International Style "softened by Asian influence." (p. 432) This Asian influence might be due to the combination of Architects Boyd Georgi with the influence of landscape architect Erickson, Peters & Thoms who would, in 1979, design the "lovely Chinese gardens in the central court" (Gebhard p. 419) of the Pacific Asia Museum The main branch includes midcentury modern elements of indoor and outdoor design including clerestory windows, and a sunken reading area with a full grown palm tree and skylight. According to the brochure Altadena Library District (1975) the two metal sculptures outside the library entrances are by local artist David Oliver Green. Nishan Toor created the "Owl" in the Children's department and the "Lady" in the fern garden. Old growth trees are incorporated into the design.
There are efforts presently to redesign and vastly enlarge the main library, obliterating much of its architectural excellence and importance
Altadena public library 1908-1967 (1967) pamphlet
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Last updated on Monday October 06, 2008 at 12:45:10 PDT (GMT -0700)
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