Access to all library services will be unavailable on Thursday, May 7, 2026, starting at 11 pm due to server maintenance. Services are expected to resume in the early morning hours of Friday, May 8.
Join us for a community reading program of exceptional scope – one book for all of the west coast. This special book club will feature discussion about They Called Us Enemy by George Takei. For adults
About One Book, One Coast
One Book, One Coast brings together library systems across California, Washington State, and Oregon for a shared community reading program that celebrates literacy, learning, community, and civil discourse.
Learn more about this initiative at LACountyLibrary.org/one-book-one-coast/
AGE GROUP: | Older Adults | Adults |
EVENT TYPE: | Lectures & Conversations | Books, Poetry, & Writing |
TAGS: | One Book One Coast | Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month |
Norwalk Library started out in July, 1913 as the 17th branch of the Los Angeles County Free Library through the efforts of a committee of the Commercial Club. The collection of 500 books was housed in a second floor room of the Stiffler Building at 537 E. Front Street. In 1919, Hattie Sproul, a member of the city's founding family, supervised the library.
When oil was discovered in nearby Santa Fe Springs in the 1920's there was a population boom in Norwalk; the library's collection and circulation also increased to the point that it needed a building of its own. In January, 1926, the library moved to new quarters built by Charles Stage at 13620 S. San Antonio Drive.
In 1956, a year before the city was incorporated, a new library building was opened across from the old one on San Antonio Drive. In just 13 years, the collection outgrew that facility despite the addition of a wing to accommodate the expanding children's department.
The city inaugurated the opening to public service of the 39,000 square foot building at 12350 Imperial Highway in July 1969. The Library was dedicated on Saturday, July 19, 1969
