The LA Public Library is now providing limited in-person services

2021-05-04T18:09:00-04:00

Today, the Los Angeles Public Library begins a phased reopening of its iconic Central Library in downtown Los Angeles, as well as 37 other branches. The library branches reopening today will offer limited in-person services including quick browsing, computer access, mobile printing orders, and checking out library materials. Virus protocols include limited building capacities up 75%, depending on the location.

The Los Angeles Public Library released a list of the location and hours of the sites reopening. Following a reservation, computers will be available at branches for an hour at a time. No reservation is required at the Central Library, but visitors will be limited to 30 minutes of use. The "Library To Go" contactless pickup services, that allow individuals to safely pickup and drop off items curbside, will also continue.

This is the second phase of the library’s reopening plan after all branches closed in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The LA Library's new Octavia Lab brings creative possibilities for the public to experience

2019-06-22T12:23:00-04:00

The Los Angeles Public Library wants to make it easier for you to make stuff. The new Octavia Lab maker space/audiovisual studio at the L.A. Central Library is 3,000 square feet designed to help you make your thing. It lets you do everything from 3D printing and using a laser cutter to filming on a green screen and using fancy sewing machines.

The Los Angeles Public Library launches a new creators studio that brings creative tools to the people of LA. The Octavia lab is named after the pioneering science fiction author Octavia Butler. City Librarian John Szabo told LAist, "she was a dedicated bibliophile and a great user of the Los Angeles Public Library, and specifically the Central Library."

Octavia Lab ribbon cutting ceremony. Image courtesy of LA Public Library

The space provides a variety of creative equipment ranging from 3D printers, laser cutters, green screen and lighting equipment, even sewing machines. The public library has always been a place where residents from any background can come in to learn and explore. With the creation of the Octavia Lab, the library is providing a space for people to use equipment that is often out of reach to many Angelenos. Szabo shares with LAist, "There will be young people who will become engineers because of some experiences that they've had in the space, or will pursue a soun...

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The LA Public Library is now providing limited in-person services

The LA Library's new Octavia Lab brings creative possibilities for the public to experience