Access to all Library services will be unavailable on Thursday, July 23, 2026 starting at 9 pm due to server maintenance. Services are expected to resume in the early morning hours of Friday, July 24, 2026.
Join us for a book discussion and light refreshments! This month, read The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot. Copies of the books are available at the library. For ages 18+.
Refreshments generously provided by the Friends of the Hawthorne and Wiseburn Libraries.
"Her name was Henrietta Lacks, but scientists know her as HeLa. She was a poor Southern tobacco farmer, yet her cells--taken without her knowledge--became one of the most important tools in medicine. The first "immortal" human cells grown in culture, they are still alive today, though she has been dead for more than sixty years. HeLa cells were vital for developing the polio vaccine; uncovered secrets of cancer and viruses; helped lead to in vitro fertilization, cloning, and gene mapping; and have been bought and sold by the billions. Yet Henrietta Lacks is buried in an unmarked grave. Her family did not learn of her "immortality" until more than twenty years after her death, when scientists began using her husband and children in research without informed consent."-- Provided by publisher.
AGE GROUP: | Older Adults | Adults |
EVENT TYPE: | Books, Poetry, & Writing |
TAGS: | Book Club | African American & Black History Month |
Initially, the Wiseburn Coordinating Council, formed in 1952, was instrumental in securing the services of the Los Angeles County Mobile Library for 2 years.
They later petitioned Los Angeles County Supervisor Kenneth Hahn and County Librarian John Henderson for the establishment of a permanent Wiseburn Library in the Del Aire area. A small County Library facility (20' x 60') staffed with one librarian was opened on January 4, 1956 in a store front building, next door to a bar, at 11936 Aviation Blvd.
Despite its popularity, it was closed after several years and not replaced due to lack of suitable housing. Continued community efforts and the support of Supervisor Hahn, eventually resulted in an unprecedented tri-governmental agreement and the dedication of the present structure on February 12, 1966.
The Wiseburn School District currently owns the building, and leases it to the County of Los Angeles Public Library for use as a public library.
