Historical Notes — the library’s 65th year

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HISTORICAL NOTES: HERMOSA BEACH LIBRARY
Hermosa Beach Library is now officially a senior citizen.
In July, 1913 it was established as the twelfth branch of the Los Angeles
County Free Library, founded in 1912. The library has now been in
continuous service for 65 years. Librarian Shari Petresky invites the
public to see a display in the 550 Pier Avenue facility to illustrate
some of the high and low spots in the library's history.
In 1913 the library was set up in a storeroom of the Walker
building on the northwest corner of Pier and Hermosa Avenues while the
Municipal Pier was under construction.
The library had various homes on the pier over the next 40
years. First was a tower room in Pier Auditorium. The next move was
downstairs to a north room in the auditorium. Then in 1927 the library
took over a former "dance parlor" on the south side of the pier -- a very
pleasant location from all accounts. The south windows looked out over
the beach to the Palos Verdes hills and Catalina. On the north side
the view was of fishermen, tourists and bathers going to and from the
pier. The roof was described as "tiled with living pigeons."
The halcyon days were interrupted by a fire's breaking out
in the men's room January 13, 1938. There was no phone, of course; so
a 12-year-old reader ran two blocks to summon the volunteer fire
department. The library was not seriously damaged and remained on the
pier until August, 1957 when it was moved to larger and more acdessible
quarters in the former Post Office on Hermosa Avenue.
Five years later, in August, 1962 the library made its final
move, this time to the 6,400-sq. It. building it now occupies at 550 Pier
in the Civic Center complex.
From the handful of books in the 1913 storeroom, Hermosa Beach
Library's collections have grown to include approximately 28,000 books,
144 magazine and newspaper subscriptions, 109 albums and 984 single
dises, as well as periodicals on microfiche cards, pamphlets, college
catalogs and other useful materials characteristic of the modern library.
There are over 8,000 registered borrowers, checking out more than
100,000 books and periodicals a year.
(more )

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Hermosa Beach Library -2-
People
Friends
Contemporary library services in Hermosa Beach include
information, reference and referrals, voter registration, story hours,
film and other special programs, and delivery of books and magazines to
convalescent facilities and the homebound.
The first "custodian" of the Hermosa Beach Library was Mrs.
Mary Montgomery. Mrs. Fern Rhein was appointed in 1923, and Kathryn
Kerber (Dittmar) came along as an assistant in the 30's to start a
career that was to last over 40 years with this one library.
Mrs. Rhein was succeeded by Mrs. Dorothy Olney, whose
15-year tenure was from 1949 to 1964, followed by Carlotta Hoye,
Judith Trolander, Lucille Chitwood, Alice Lovelace, and the present
incumbent, Shari Petresky. Famous patrons of the library over the years, who have
given their books and written letters of appreciation to the staff,
include Senator Alan Cranston, the late Assemblyman Charles Chapel,
and authors Charles Windas and Leonard Wibberley.
The Friends of Hermosa Beach Library were organized in
1959. Over the years their gifts to the library have included a
world globe, a display case, the Californiana book collection,
library scholarship funds, and the Harvard Classics. The group
organized and contributed to the F. W. Flake Memorial Record
Collection in 1967. Mrs. Delma Peery is president of the Friends
this year.
Nina Wilson 8/78