Apr 28, 2020
A message from some of our intrepid staff.
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A message from some of our intrepid staff.
Fun fact, your local library has tons of books about writing and publishing, including Writer’s Market, which lists current agencies and publishing houses, as well as what sort of writing they accept. Do yourself a favor and check them out!
Our local history librarian dug this out of the archives--an estimate of the value of services provided by the Library during the fiscal year 1980-81.
Using the American Library Association's Library Value Calculator, we ran the numbers for the fiscal year 2018-19 and came up with a total dollar value of $22,603,360.86!
One of our intrepid Librarians asking the eternal question, “Are you more of a Betty or a Veronia?”
It’s National Library Week!
The Montana Avenue Branch Library opened as a storefront library in February 1952 in a rented building at 1528-30 Montana Avenue (see the bottom image). After seven years, the library's circulation climbed past 80,000 items, outgrowing its rented space. Two lots on Montana Avenue were purchased, and in August 1959, groundbreaking ceremonies were conducted at 1704 Montana Avenue. Designed by Weldon Fulton, the new Montana Branch opened to much fanfare on March 1, 1960.
Happy National Library Week!
The Santa Monica Public Library system currently consists of 5 locations. The oldest, the Ocean Park Branch Library represents one of the few Carnegie-endowed structures still functioning as a public library in Southern California. Built in 1917-18 on land donated by the Tegner family, the original building was designed by local architects Frank T. Kegley and H. Scott Gerity in the Classical Revival style. It was declared a historic landmark by the City of Santa Monica Landmarks Commission in May 1977.
Our celebration of National Library Week continues!
In 2009, the Santa Monica City Council approved construction of a new branch library in Virginia Avenue Park. Koning Eizenberg Architects (KEA) were selected to design a library that would preserve the park’s open space and blend with the existing Farmers Market and other park buildings. The groundbreaking ceremony took place on August 15, 2012, and the delighted community welcomed Pico Branch in a grand opening ceremony on June 28, 2014.
Top photo, from our digital archive, Imagine Santa Monica: construction of Pico Branch Library looking from the southeast, April 18, 2013.
National Library Week continues.
Our first Fairview Branch Library opened in 1931 on 20th St. and was only 15 feet wide. In 1942, this store front library was replaced by a new building located at 2030 Pico Blvd (the bottom image).
In 1956, the Fairview Branch Library moved to its present location at 2101 Ocean Park Blvd. During the war years, the population of southeastern Santa Monica grew dramatically due to the defense industry boom at Douglas Aircraft. The new residents remained in Santa Monica following the war's end.
Designed by architect Weldon Fulton, the Fairview Branch Library is a classic mid-century modern building. The original furnishings came from Eames, Knoll Associates, and Remington Rand.