Public Libraries
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Our
community is close to several public
library systems. While each requires its
own library card, these cards are free
to any California resident. |
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Los
Angeles Public Library: Among the
67 branches of the LA City library system, the
Venice,
Brentwood,
Mar Vista,
Palms-Rancho Park,
West Los Angeles,
Palisades,
Playa Vista, and
Robertson locations are likely to be convenient for Santa Monica residents. Materials may be easily transferred among locations via the online catalog.
The
Central Library is the largest
public research library in the LA area,
with a very strong collection. |
Los
Angeles County Public Library: The
County system serves unincorporated
areas and cities who do not have their
own library systems. The County
libraries nearest Santa Monica are
Marina Del Rey,
Culver City, and
West Hollywood. While the County
does not have a central research
library, the overall collection is rich,
and individual libraries have
interesting specialties, such as the large nautical
area at Marina Del Rey. |
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Beverly Hills Public Library: Beverly Hills has one library, in
their civic center area. Their
exceptional
collections include audiovisual (films
and CDs) and books on art, antiques, and
collectables. |
Glendale Public Library: a bit of a drive from Santa Monica, the Glendale libraries are notable
especially for the
Brand Art & Music Library, which
offers an outstanding collection and
frequent live events. |
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Law Libraries
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Every county courthouse
contains a law library which is open to
the public. Check their hours carefully
before planning a visit. |
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Los Angeles County Law Libraries: Includes hours, locations, and
the catalog for the public law libraries
in the area. Research help is also
available by online chat and e-mail, and
there is a selection of links to other
law sites. |
PublicLawLibrary.org: This site, by
the Council of California County Law
Librarians, has a directory of public
law libraries, a legal research primer,
a link to online chat with law
librarians, and other tips for legal
self-help. |
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Academic Libraries
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The stellar college and
university libraries in our area welcome
the public for research. However, their
primary mission is to serve their
students and staff, so the amount of
assistance they can provide other users
may be limited. Limited borrowing
privileges are available for an annual
fee. Look over the policies of the
specific library you are interested in;
phone them before going if anything is
unclear. |
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UCLA: One of the world's greatest
public universities and very convenient
to Santa Monica. Among the major notable facilities
are the
Arts Library,
Biomedical Library,
East Asian Library,
Film and Television Archive,
Law Library,
Management Library,
Music Library,
Research Library, and
Science and Engineering Library.
Click here for library card information |
USC: the libraries at this major
private university are divided into five
groups:
the Arts & Humanities and Graduate
Research Center,
the Science & Engineering Center,
the Specialized Libraries and Archival
Collections Center,
the Undergraduate
Center, and
the Urban, Public and International
Affairs Center. For library card
information,
click here. |
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Santa
Monica College: SMC are proud of
their
high transfer rate to the University
of California and California State
University systems and they offer a wide
range of
community and continuing education
classes.
Community borrower cards are very
affordable. |
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Special Libraries
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These specialized
libraries generally keep their materials
in closed stacks and do not circulate
them. Hours may be limited. As with the
academic libraries, levels of public
access vary. Check their policies
online or call. |
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Los Angeles County Museum of Art: Available to the public by appointment, the library at LACMA contains over 150,000 books and 30,000 auction catalogs. It is primarily a resource for the museum staff, but can support most types of research in art. |
Getty Museum Research Library: The Getty Library is a major art research center, with over 800,000 books, over 2 million photographs, and notable collections of artist books, periodicals, and
archival materials.
Access policies can be seen here. |
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Huntington Library: Access to the
Huntington libraries is limited to
qualified scholars. However, a visit to view their beautiful
gardens, rare book exhibits, and
paintings is still highly recommended. Members of the public without
academic credentials who are interested
in rare books will find access easier at
the
Clark Library, which is affiliated
with UCLA but located off campus. |
Amateur Athletic Foundation Sports
Library: One of the world's largest
sports libraries, covering amateur and
professional competition with a special emphasis on the Olympics.
Materials do not circulate, but the
public is encouraged to visit and use
the collection. Selected materials are
being digitized and made available
online in the
Digital Archive. |
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Academy of Motion Picture Arts and
Sciences Margaret Herrick Library: One of the world's greatest collections of films and
film materials, including many unpublished items, archives, etc. |
Museum of
Television and Radio: Contact their staff at LAreference@mtr.org or (310) 786-1000 to discuss your project; no information about collections and services is online. |
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Family
History Center: Located at the Mormon Temple in Westwood, this is the foremost genealogical site in the area. |
Braille Institute: Braille materials, talking books, and
descriptive videos. These materials
circulate and can be delivered to
many public libraries, including our
Ocean Park branch. |
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Institute for the Study of the American
West (formerly the Autry Museum of
Western Heritage) and
Southwest Museum of the American Indian
Braun Research Library. These collections are housed together, forming one
of the premier facilities for research on the
West in history and the arts. |
Jet Propulsion Laborartory: Affiliated with Cal Tech and NASA, JPL is a fantastic science resource
in general, with strong primary materials on space, technology,
and the history of space exploration. |
OpenWorldCAT
Use this form for a
simple author, title, or keyword search
of the
OCLC WorldCAT library network.
This catalog lists the combined holdings
of over 9000 library systems, including
most of the public and academic
libraries in the US and many in other
countries. If you find the item you want
is listed at
a library you can visit, it is best to
go to that library to use or check out
the item. Otherwise, come to any SMPL
location and request it through
Interlibrary Loan.
Click here
for details of our
Interlibrary Loan process.
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