Access to the Library catalog, My Account, Libby, Hoopla, and some third-party services will be unavailable on Wednesday, June 3 starting at 9 pm due to server maintenance. Services are expected to resume in the early morning hours of Thursday, June 4.
The book for May is The Henna Artist by Alka Joshi. For adults.
Copies of the book are available at the Customer Service Desk.
The book for May is The Henna Artist by Alka Joshi. Escaping from an arranged and abusive marriage, seventeen-year-old Lakshmi makes her way alone from her 1950’s rural village to the vibrant pink city of Jaipur. There she becomes the henna artist, and confidante, most in demand to the wealthy women of the upper class. But trusted with the secrets of the wealthy, she can never reveal her own.
Gardena Library was born under the sponsorship of the Wednesday Progressive Club before the Los Angeles County Free Library was founded in 1912.
In 1914, Gardena Library became a branch of the new County System. Only a few months later, the library was transferred to the jurisdiction of the Los Angeles City Library Board due to annexation. It was not until August 1951 that Gardena Library came back to the County System.
The present building was dedicated on December 5, 1964 and re-named Gardena Mayme Dear Memorial Library on May 30, 1992 in honor of the late Mrs. Mayme Dear for her many years of dedicated volunteer services to the library.
The Gardena Mayme Dear Library features an enclosed Japanese Garden designed by Takuma P. Tono, professor of landscape design at Tokyo Agriculture University. The 150-year-old stone lantern in the garden was a gift of Gardena's sister city, Ichikawa. A mosaic mural above the main entrance depicts the development of books and printing.
The library was closed for refurbishment in 2008 and reopened in January 2009 with a fresh contemporary interior and new furniture. The Teen Space was dedicated in February 2011.
