Title supplied by cataloger. Central Library, located at 630 W. 5th Street in downtown Los Angeles, was designed by architects Bertram G. Goodhue and Carlton M. Winslow. Constructed between 1922-1926, it was designed to mimic the architecture of ancient Egypt, complete with a tiled mosaic pyramid tower and many beautiful murals throughout. Tragic fires in 1986 destroyed part of the building along with 20 percent of the library's collection, prompting a closure for 6 years while restoration took place. The renovation was completed in 1993, and the library reopened on October 3, 1993. The Los Angeles Public Library is the third largest public library in the United States in terms of books and periodical holdings, boasting over 6 million volumes. It was added to the National Register of Historical Places in 1970 - Building #70000136. Pictured is the general Map Room of the Los Angeles Public Library, where nearly 14,000 political, topographical and historical maps are housed. The figure also includes Army Map Service material, for which the Los Angeles Public Library has been selected as a depository. An unusual feature of the Map Room is its unique collection of maps removed from books - a process which serves to preserve the maps as well as to give them wider usage. A notice is stamped in the book from which a map has been removed advising the reader that he will find it in the Map Room. Here, a patron can be seen standing next to a huge world globe. Today, the Map Collection at Central Library is one of the largest in American public libraries, with 85,000 maps, 2,000 atlases, over 1,000 gazetters, approximately 20 serial titles, and over 1,000 books supporting the study of maps and mapping. The emphasis of this collection is on Los Angeles, Southern California, and California but in many cases the scope extends to national and international coverage. Photograph dated: January 1950.
Type
image
Format
1 photographic print :b&w ;17 x 13 cm. Photographic prints
Los Angeles Public Library.--History Dept Los Angeles Public Library Library buildings--California--Los Angeles Libraries--Special collections--Maps Libraries--California--Los Angeles Globes--California--Los Angeles World maps Maps Winslow, Carleton M.,1919- Goodhue, Bertram Grosvenor,1869-1924
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