History
The Angelo M. Iacoboni Library was founded in 1954 — the same year that
Lakewood officially incorporated as a city. Originally the library was located
in the Faculty Shops in Lakewood Center near what was then the City Hall. The
library moved to a larger building in 1959 and was rededicated in 1965 as the
Angelo M. Iacoboni Library, after Lakewood's first mayor. The library moved
to its present location in 1973. It became a
depository for federal documents
in 1970 and a depository for California
documents in 1973. An active Friends
of the Library group was formed in 1972 and supports the Angelo M.
Iacoboni Library and the George Nye, Jr. Library,
which is also in Lakewood.
On February 12, 2001, the Angelo M. Iacoboni Library reopened for service
following several months of renovation. The project was a joint effort of
Fourth District Supervisor Don Knabe, the City of Lakewood and the County of
Los Angeles Public Library. The remodeled library has a new look with a
redesign of the interior, improved lighting, technology upgrades, and a newly
constructed Friends of the Library
Bookstore.
Collection
The current collection contains approximately 253,404 books including Arabic, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Spanish; and over 200 magazine and newspaper subscriptions. The large audiovisual collection, includes DVDs, books-on-CD, music CDs, and videos. The children’s audiovisual collection features many informational DVDs and videos to supplement the school curriculum. The library also has a DVD rental collection sponsored by the Lakewood Friends of the Library that contains current feature films that can be rented for a small fee. The collection includes magazines and newspapers in microfilm/fiche and federal and state government publications. Government publications feature census data, tax forms, topographical maps, information about local schools, crime statistics, data on local governments, information for small business owners, and a collection of reports about California’s water resources. Many of the government publications are available online and can be accessed either from a home or library computer. There is also a local history collection providing an in-depth look at Lakewood’s history, development, and government, as well as a selection of documents from other local communities. New to Iacoboni Library is our Young Adult section. It contains the latest fiction and non-fiction books, as well as a graphic novel section and classic teen novels.
Services
The Angelo M. Iacoboni Library is a busy resource library serving a
diverse community. Services provided are reference services; online
library catalogs that provide access to the entire County Library
collection and to online reference databases; public access Internet
computers; a microform reader/printer;
Federal and State Documents Depository
collections; a Government Services computer; children's programs and
a self-check machine. A public meeting room is available on a rental basis.
The Children’s Department offers a wide variety of services to Lakewood’s children including two weekly preschool story times, special events, and an annual Summer Reading Program. Also of interest is the Parent/Teacher Collection. Computers are available exclusively for children on weekdays between 3:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. for homework assistance. New residents in the community will find a wealth of information to help acquaint them with the area, including bus schedules, school information, information about local organizations, information about shopping and dining at the nearby Lakewood Mall, and information about local government, including local parks and recreational activities. Senior citizens can find information on retirement planning, relocating to another area, health care, and retirement career opportunities, along with a collection of books in large print and books-on-tape and CD.
Friends of the Library
The Friends of the Lakewood Libraries is an active community group which supports the Iacoboni and George Nye, Jr. libraries in the City of Lakewood. The organization sponsors special programming and recruits volunteers. It also raises funds from local sources to help support activities at both libraries. The Friends operate a Book Store within the library, offer gift items to purchase from their boutique, sponsor the annual Taste of Lakewood, and hold semi-annual book sales. Membership is open to all who are interested in promoting the libraries in the community. Information about the Friends’ activities and membership applications are available at the Lakewood libraries.
Facilities
Located in the City of Lakewood civic center, the library has an area of
25,000 square feet. The Community Meeting Room has a capacity of 125
(available on a rental basis). The library is the larger of the two libraries
in the city, the other library being the
George Nye, Jr. Library.
Political Representatives
Local Links
 |
Bellflower Unified School District
URL: http://www.busd.k12.ca.us/
Links to schools and educational resources.
|
| |
Cerritos College
URL: http://www.cerritos.edu/
General information on Cerritos College, which serves the cities of Artesia, Bellflower, Lakewood, Hawiian Gardens and Norwalk.
|
| |
Lakewood Online
URL: http://www.lakewoodcity.org
City issues, public information, calendar of events, council agendas. Updated twice a week. Invites active citizenship via two-way links with city government for local news and submission of city service and information requests.
|
| |
Long Beach Unified School District
URL: http://www.lbusd.k12.ca.us/
Links to the school district and other educational resources in the local community.
|
| |
Paramount Unified School District
URL: http://www.paramount.k12.ca.us/
Links to schools and educational resources.
|
| |
Press Telegram
URL: http://www.presstelegram.com
Online local news and information service from the Long Beach Press Telegram, a local newspaper that serves the area. Includes local sports and entertainment news.
|
|
