Picking out the best libraries in Los Angeles is no small feat, as we’re lucky to enjoy plenty of local havens beloved for their captivating decor, atmosphere, selection, and history. Here you’ll discover some of the most interesting and beautiful libraries in Los Angeles, including branches from Los Angeles County Library and Los Angeles Public Library systems.
1. LA Central Library
LA Central is the main branch of the LA Public Library system, dating back to 1926 in DTLA. This is one of the best libraries in Los Angeles for architecture lovers, notable for the tiled pyramid on the roof and the ornately-decorated rotunda. Explore eight floors of library resources including 255 free public access computers; exhibitions at the Getty Gallery; and the coveted Popular Library, which stocks all the most high-demand books. Leave time to stroll through Maguire Gardens, a 1.5-acre park next door.
🗓️ Hours: Mon-Thurs 10am-8pm, Fri-Sat 9:30am-5:30pm, Sun 1-5pm
📍 Location: Downtown Los Angeles • 630 W 5th St, Los Angeles, CA 90071
2. Powell Library
Powell Library is the main library at UCLA, and one of four original buildings that comprised the university’s campus when it was first constructed. The nearly 100-year-old building was modeled after the Basilica of Sant’Ambrogio in Milan, and is one of the most beautiful libraries Los Angeles has to offer. Famously, Ray Bradbury wrote Fahrenheit 451 in the basement using rented typewriters for 20 cents an hour. “I spent $9.80 and wrote my story; in other words, it was a dime novel,” he said.
Although Powell Library is mostly frequented by UCLA students, it’s also open to the general public. Guests over 18 can get a free access-only card, which lets you use library facilities and services but cannot be used to borrow items. If you want to check out materials, you can get a borrow card for $100 a year.
🗓️ Hours: Mon 9am-5pm, Tues-Thurs 8am-11pm, Fri 8am-6pm, Sat 10am-6pm, Sun 10am-9pm
📍 Location: UCLA • 10740 Dickson Ct, Los Angeles, CA 90095
3. West Hollywood Library
The LA County Library system’s West Hollywood branch dates back to 1913, although it didn’t land in its current location until 2011. Guests vie for a window seat overlooking the park and the sculptural, colorful buildings across the street, but you’ll be just as cozy in a top-floor location beneath the intricate wooden ceiling. The 33,000-square-foot branch includes a robust collection of LGBTQ+ fiction and nonfiction, 28 public computers, and four study rooms available for rent.
🗓️ Hours: Mon-Thurs 11am-7pm, Fri-Sat 10am-6pm, Sun 1-5pm
📍 Location: West Hollywood • 625 N San Vicente Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90069
4. Brand Library & Art Center
Glendale real estate developer Leslie Coombs Brand built the palatial Brand Library as his home in 1904, modeling it after the East India Pavilion at Chicago’s 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition. Upon his death in 1925, Brand left the property to the city of Glendale as a public park and library. It’s now considered one of the most unique and beautiful libraries in Los Angeles County, housing over 110,000 items in the arenas of visual arts and music. Guests can enjoy Brand’s creative temporary exhibitions, access lavish study areas, enjoy live concerts, and borrow from the extensive collections.
🗓️ Hours: Tues-Thus 11am-8pm, Fri-Sat 10am-5pm, closed Sun-Mon
📍Location: Glendale • 1601 W Mountain St, Glendale, CA 91201
5. William Andrews Clark Memorial Library
William Andrews Clark Memorial Library is an oft-overlooked branch of the UCLA library system, mainly accessed by researchers. The gorgeous Beaux Arts building holds collections of rare books and manuscripts, mainly from England and Western Europe, that are centered around Oscar Wilde and his contemporaries. The ornate Reading Room is open for researchers by appointment, but the general public can access the grounds on weekdays. Consider getting in touch for public tour availability if you want to experience the library up close.
🗓️ Hours: The Reading Room is open for researchers Mon-Fri, 11:30am-4:30pm. The grounds are open to the general public Mon-Fri, 9am-4:30pm.
📍 Location: West Adams • 2520 Cimarron St, Los Angeles, CA 90018
6. Hoose Library of Philosophy
Hoose Library of Philosophy is one of the most eye-catching locations on the USC campus. It’s most recognizable for its ornately-decorated main reading room, embellished with Moorish arches and enormous wooden beams criss-crossing a lofty cathedral ceiling. The longer you’re there, the more you’ll notice details including colorful stained-glass windows, twenty-two mosaics depicting philosophical ideas, and decorative paintings. The library is open to the public for academic and research purposes, but only USC students with ID can check out books.
🗓️ Hours: Mon-Fri 9am-5pm, closed Sat-Sun
📍 Location: USC • Mudd Hall, 3709 Trousdale Pkwy, Los Angeles, CA 90089
7. Huntington Library
The illustrious Huntington Library is home to over 11 million items dating between the 11th and 21st centuries. Some of the most storied materials include the Ellesmere manuscript of Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, one of twelve surviving copies of the Gutenberg Bible, and extensive 19th-century photographic repositories documenting the American West.
No visit to the library is complete without leaving time to stroll through the location’s sprawling botanical gardens, which are laid out in 16 themed sections across 130 acres. The first Thursday of every month is their coveted free day, available by reservation on the last Thursday of every month starting at 9am.
🗓️ Hours: Wed-Mon 10am-5pm, closed Tuesdays
📍 Location: San Marino • 1151 Oxford Rd, San Marino, CA 91108
8. Manhattan Beach Library
The Manhattan Beach Library is housed in a sleek glass-walled building with state-of-the-art automated handling systems and plenty of natural light. Despite its modern design, this branch actually joined the LA County Library in 1915 and is one of the oldest continuing libraries in the system. In 2015, the building was remodeled into this 21,500-square-foot space holding areas for kids and teens as well as an 80-person meeting room. If you can snag a chair by one of the west-facing windows, you’re in for a treat with panoramic ocean views just a few blocks from the beach.
🗓️ Hours: Mon-Wed 10am-8pm, Thu-Sat 10am-6pm, Sun 1-5pm
📍 Location: Manhattan Beach • 1320 Highland Ave, Manhattan Beach, CA 90266
9. Memorial Branch Library
Los Angeles Public Library manages this quaint branch in L.A. High Memorial Park, a location honoring the twenty Los Angeles High School alumni who died in World War I. Look for the stained glass window inscribed with their names in the adult reading room. The English Tudor style building opened in 1930 right across the street from L.A. High School, and the two locations have maintained strong ties for nearly a century. Memorial Branch Library may be small, but it has some great resources including public computers and a student zone.
🗓️ Hours: Mon/Wed 10am-8pm, Tues/Thurs 12-8pm, Fri-Sat 9:30am-5:30pm, closed Sunday
📍 Location: Mid-Wilshire • 4625 W Olympic Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90019
10. Ronald Reagan Presidential Library
As one of the best libraries in Los Angeles for U.S. history buffs, the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum is an impressive repository of artifacts from the Reagan administration. Holdings include more than 1.6 million photographs and 60 million pages of documents. You can explore many of these resources in the library’s comprehensive online database, but an in-person visit is in order if you want to step aboard an actual Air Force One aircraft which flew seven U.S. presidents, or view a full-size replica of the White House Oval Office. Note that general admission to the museum costs $16.
🗓️ Hours: 10am-5pm daily
📍 Location: Simi Valley • 40 Presidential Dr, Simi Valley, CA 93065
11. Arroyo Seco Regional Branch Library
Perhaps one of L.A.’s more underrated public library branches, Arroyo Seco is a cozy and cute two-story library with characteristic exposed wooden beams above the spacious main reading room. You’ll find a sizable collection of general-interest materials for all ages, including magazines, CDs, and DVDs.
🗓️ Hours: 10am-8pm Mon-Thurs, 9:30am-5:30pm Fri-Sat, 1-5pm Sun
📍 Location: Highland Park • 6145 N Figueroa St, Los Angeles, CA 90042