Books are quite expensive in the US. Thus, the average price of a textbook ranges from $20 to $80. They can also be much more expensive. Therefore, it is profitable to take books from the library. Fortunately, the free public library system in Los Angeles is excellent. Firstly, they are absolutely free for visitors. Secondly, they are very spacious and have many branches. The city’s libraries contain more than 6 million books and their annual budget is $135 million. In addition, all libraries are grouped into a single database, linked to Internet search engines and are generally well-equipped. Read more about them on losangeles1.one.
In addition, libraries are magical buildings filled with stories of faraway lands, adventure, love and chivalry that inspire the imagination of generations and spark a lifelong love of learning. Libraries serve as architectural symbols and cultural centers of many historic American cities. Thus, their luxurious interiors and exterior decoration are not surprising. The main libraries of Los Angeles will be discussed below.
Los Angeles Central Library
The monumental building of Los Angeles Central Library looks like a ziggurat with a pyramid at the top, crowned with a torch with the fire of Prometheus. The building was created in 1926. Inside, there is a large number of unusual elements that combine different cultures and religions.
Above the central entrance, Phosphorus and ancient Hesperus are depicted. Phosphorus symbolizes Eastern wisdom and bears the names of Moses, Zarathustra, Buddha, Confucius, Mohammed, Lao Tzu, Hillel, Avicenna, Al-Ghazali and Badarayana. Hesperus symbolizes Western knowledge and bears the names of Herodotus, Socrates, Aristotle, Virgil, Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, Petrarch, Francis Bacon, Descartes and Kant.
In front of the main gate is a park with very unusual fountains. One of the most interesting things is a head sticking out of the wall, water pouring from its mouth and nostrils.
Despite the fact that the building is about 90 years old, there is a convenient multi-story parking lot under it. Parking is quite expensive but library visitors get 1 hour free. Entrance to the library is free and open to everyone. Still, you can see a lot of interesting things outside.
The interior is not inferior in sophistication to the exterior. One gets the impression that library visitors are entering a museum. On the walls are murals depicting the history of California. Here you can find the marble Statue of Civilization, which symbolizes all the main values of the library. It has an open book with famous sayings about knowledge in her right hand. The statue is guarded by two marble sphinxes.
The sphinxes in the library are not accidental. They are supposed to guard the secrets of sacred knowledge. According to legend, the sphinx waits on visitors and asks them difficult questions, cruelly punishing those who do not know the answers.
Some rare books can only be read in the library. Others lie on the shelves with free access, like in a supermarket. To get the books, visitors just need to find the shelf themselves, take the books from there and bring them to a special automatic scanner near the exit.
Individual workplaces are also available on each floor between multiple shelves. They are equipped with computers with free Internet access. The library website will immediately display the addresses of all branches where the required book is located, as well as the numbers of cabinets, departments and sections. Therefore, visitors have no problem finding the literature they need.
Huntington Library
The Huntington Library is part of a single cultural complex that also includes the Art Museum and Botanical Gardens. This scientific and educational institution was founded by Henry and Arabella Huntington in 1919.
The Huntington Library is a museum complex located in San Marino, a suburb of Los Angeles. It includes a research library, botanical garden and three art galleries on the grounds of millionaire Henry Huntington’s villa. Each of his collections is of special interest and real value.
In addition to rare books and valuable nonfiction, it houses more than nine million pieces of art dating from the 1000s to the 21st century, from medieval manuscripts to Lincoln’s letters and personal papers.
The library is surrounded by a luxurious garden, densely strewn with unique plants and giant ponds.
The library is private and funded by the Huntington Foundation. Still, this is not the only financial source. Some problems with financing exist, as there are not enough funds to purchase rare copies and digitize the fund. Therefore, fundraising is actively used for the development of the institution. There is a board of trustees and charitable and sponsorship funds are attracted.
The library is located in a spacious new building, which was created by the sponsor especially for it. Its funds contain many exhibits and books that were donated. It is a respectable good tradition in the USA. There is a real Academy Award here, which was given to Sonya Levien for the best screenplay for the film Interrupted Melody in 1955 and donated to the library.
The library has the world’s largest collection of manuscripts and rare books in the English language outside of the US Library of Congress. Books are stored in special acid-free cases. For the same purpose, the books do not contain any extraneous elements of technical processing that damage the paper.
There are many restrictions on library patrons. No objects, even pens, can be brought into the hall to avoid spoiling the books. Thanks to the library’s funds, serious scientific research is carried out and scientific books and articles are published.
Ronald Reagan Presidential Library
Those lucky enough to visit the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library near Simi Valley, a 30-minute drive from Hollywood, will remember the experience for a long time. The library was opened during Reagan’s lifetime in 1991. It will not leave any visitor indifferent.
The library is located on top of a hill. It offers visitors a glimpse into the life and work of one of America’s most famous and respected presidents. It tells everything about the fate of Ronald Reagan, from his student days and roles in Hollywood to his governorship in California and his mission as the 40th president of the United States.
Visitors also have the opportunity to enter the Oval Office of the White House and learn about the fall of the Iron Curtain and the end of the Cold War. The Air Force One, in which seven US presidents have flown at different times, is also available to visitors,
In the library, you can touch a part of the Berlin Wall, which belongs to the collection. The Ronald Reagan Library, where his mausoleum is located, is the largest US presidential library in the region.
It houses more than 55 million pages of personal and administrative documents, more than 1.6 million photographs, 20,000 videotapes, 2,500 audiotapes and 670,000 feet of film, including valuable books received as gifts by the 40th President of the United States, as well as his personal correspondence.
James Harmon Hoose Library of Philosophy
This library is a historical and cultural monument of Los Angeles. In addition, the Hoose Library is part of the University of Southern California Historic District.
The mission of the Hoose Library of Philosophy is to serve the educational and research needs of undergraduate and graduate students, faculty and staff in all aspects of academic philosophy and its related disciplines.
To make an appointment for a research consultation, one should contact the Head Librarian or Assistant Head of the Library.
Visitors are impressed by the interior of the library. The main reading room has a high ceiling with massive transverse beams, decorative paintings on the walls and twenty-two recessed tablets depicting great philosophers.
The room formerly known as the Ralph Tyler Flewelling Reading Room is also impressive. Walnut bookshelves and panoramic windows on two sides emphasize the greatness of the books stored here. The former reading room of the Hoose Library of Philosophy is used as the Dornsife Admissions presentation room.