Los Angeles Public Libary
When I first moved to Los Angeles in 1990, the Central Library downtown was closed. A fire that damaged the library collection in 1986 forced the shut down. After years of rehabilitation of the historic architecture designed by Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue and expansion of the library by the architecture firm of Hardy Holtzman and Pfeiffer, it wasn't until October 1993 that the library reopened. For an informative account of the fire, renovation and reopening, click here.
My interaction with the Los Angeles Public Library during that time was limited. I was attending Law School at UCLA, and most of my time was spent at the UCLA Law Library (which had also undergone an extensive renovation and rebuild since I left the school in 1993, but that's for another blog). The city's branch libraries were too small and collection too general for my research needs. After law school, much of my time was spent in law libraries of the law firms I worked for. However, I did go to the grand reopening of the Central Library in downtown LA to see what the hoopla was about.
Now, 20 years after the reopening of the Central Library, I find myself using the public library system more than ever. It started when I took my two kids to the Palms/Rancho branch library for the story telling hours, and we'd check out picture books to read at home. Then, a new Mar Vista branch library opened near our house and we started going to that one for library books, and for school related research. I was working in Chinatown, and discovered the collection of Chinese books there and started to borrow books that I remembered reading from childhood.
As a full time mom now, I am expanding my use of the public libraries. I started to pick up my habit of reading for pleasure again, something that I've dropped since law school, work, and kids. For quick easy reads, I recently picked up mysteries by James Patterson,Victoria Thompson, Diane Setterfield, Raymond Khoury, and others. I explored stories about the minority experience in America by authors such as Junot Diaz, David Yoo, Amy Tan,and Gene Yang. I read about expats living in foreign places, and thoroughly enjoyed "The Piano Teacher" by Janice Lee. For a fictitious account of the hunt for Vlad the Impaler (Dracula), I stumbled upon Elizabeth Kostova's "The Historian", a wonderful read. I admired the mastery of storytelling of "The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey" by Walter Moseley, and the Kurt Wallender mysteries by Henning Mankell.
Finally, I embraced new technology, and found that the public libraries are doing the same. I discovered that I can borrow books on CD, download ebooks on kindle, use the Overdrive Media Console software to download audio books to my ipod, ipad, or cell phone, so that I can listen to books read to me while I drive, work out, or lie in bed before I sleep. It's opened up an entire new experience of books for me. Normally, with my very chopped up daily schedule, if a book does not engross me, or has difficult language, I give up. Further, as I age, my eye sight has been failing me, with reading at night more difficult, and I have to find the right pair of reading glasses to wear in order to read comfortably. However, with audio books I found new ways and more time to explore books. I also find that I will listen to much different topics than what I normally read. I started to listen to classics that I always thought I wanted to read but didn't get around to: I listened to The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand, The Pocket Atheist by Christopher Hitchens, The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. I'm in queue waiting for "The Life of Pi" to be downloadable on audio because I couldn't read through the book when I borrowed it once.
With all the new technology, I find that I am all of a sudden enjoying books again. I might even tackle eastern philosophy, world history, or pick up a new language! I'm itching to travel again and visit some of the places I read or hear in books. Books have suddenly broadened my horizons, and it's a good thing.
My interaction with the Los Angeles Public Library during that time was limited. I was attending Law School at UCLA, and most of my time was spent at the UCLA Law Library (which had also undergone an extensive renovation and rebuild since I left the school in 1993, but that's for another blog). The city's branch libraries were too small and collection too general for my research needs. After law school, much of my time was spent in law libraries of the law firms I worked for. However, I did go to the grand reopening of the Central Library in downtown LA to see what the hoopla was about.
Now, 20 years after the reopening of the Central Library, I find myself using the public library system more than ever. It started when I took my two kids to the Palms/Rancho branch library for the story telling hours, and we'd check out picture books to read at home. Then, a new Mar Vista branch library opened near our house and we started going to that one for library books, and for school related research. I was working in Chinatown, and discovered the collection of Chinese books there and started to borrow books that I remembered reading from childhood.
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| Chinatown Branch of the Los Angeles Public Library |
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| One of the Swedish Kurt Wallender mysteries |
Finally, I embraced new technology, and found that the public libraries are doing the same. I discovered that I can borrow books on CD, download ebooks on kindle, use the Overdrive Media Console software to download audio books to my ipod, ipad, or cell phone, so that I can listen to books read to me while I drive, work out, or lie in bed before I sleep. It's opened up an entire new experience of books for me. Normally, with my very chopped up daily schedule, if a book does not engross me, or has difficult language, I give up. Further, as I age, my eye sight has been failing me, with reading at night more difficult, and I have to find the right pair of reading glasses to wear in order to read comfortably. However, with audio books I found new ways and more time to explore books. I also find that I will listen to much different topics than what I normally read. I started to listen to classics that I always thought I wanted to read but didn't get around to: I listened to The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand, The Pocket Atheist by Christopher Hitchens, The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. I'm in queue waiting for "The Life of Pi" to be downloadable on audio because I couldn't read through the book when I borrowed it once.
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| Overdrive Media Console: downloadable as an App. |
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