Glendale Public Library

The Glendale Public Library is located in Glendale, California, and serves a diverse community of over 200,000 people. GPL has a total of 7 branches, in addition to the large Central Library, including the unique Brand Library & Art Center. GPL was 100 years old in 2007, and hosted many events and offered new services throughout the year in celebration. In July of 2016, the City of Glendale temporarily closed down the library as a result of its major renovation plan. It was later reopened on May 1, 2017.CollectionsAccording to internal calculations, as of June 30, 2005, GPL owned well over 700,000 volumes of print materials, with a majority being housed at the Central Library. Not included in those totals are a wealth of currently uncataloged items of local historical importance GPL also owns a large body of non-English print materials,, as well as a "Genocide Memorial Collection" of works pertaining to many of mankind's worst moments.HistoryLibrary services in Glendale were first provided in 1906. The women of the Tuesday Afternoon Club, a social and philanthropic organization, raised money through a series of lectures to fund a library collection. The library opened in a renovated pool room at Third and E (Wilson and Everett) Streets with seventy books, soon supplemented by a State Traveling Library of fifty more, and served a population of 1,186.In 1907, the City Trustees passed Ordinance 53 which established and supported a library which "...shall be forever free to the inhabitants and nonresident taxpayers of the City of Glendale..." The first year the library had 251 books, 165 registered patrons, and a budget of $248.88. In 1913, a Carnegie grant of $12,500 made possible the construction of the main library at Louise and Fifth (Harvard Street). The building was completed and dedicated November 13, 1914. The building was enlarged in 1926. Between 1940 and 1942, two side wings were added, one becoming a children's library called the Hans Christian Andersen Room and the other housing Readers' Service.