LBReport.com broke the news last week that Main Library’s Director of Library Services Eleanore Schmidt was retiring, but the Press-Telegram’s Paul Eakins has what we believe is the first interview with Schmidt.
Check it out. Schmidt, who came to Long Beach in 1989, fought years ago for a library tax that was shot down by Long [...]

After one last budget study session, Long Beach City Council adopted a new $3.1 billion city budget Tuesday that keeps Main Library open–at least for a while.
“City officials have said they still plan to close the Main Library eventually, opening a temporary site in the meantime and building a new library later,” Paul Eakins writes, [...]

In case you missed it, Sunday Press-Telegram columnist Tom Hennessy weighed in yesterday on keeping Main Library open, for what we believe is his first column on the topic.
We won’t keep you in suspense; he’s in favor of it.
The columnist recalls an event called Celebrate Reading Day, and writes, “… it is difficult for me [...]

Literary superhero Ray Bradbury stands up for threatened Main Library, as the vote to keep it open approaches
With a number of our public officials warming to the notion of keeping Main Library open until real, actual plans can be made for its demise, famed science fiction author Ray Bradbury made what could have been a [...]

Long Beach City Council grapples with Main Library issue
Where does last night’s Long Beach City Council budget study session on closing Main Library leave those of us who live here?
That’s an interesting question–and with just 12 days and one council meeting until the council must approve the Fiscal Year 2008-2009 budget, it’s still impossible to [...]

There’s good news in this morning’s Los Angeles Times for the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, according to reporter Ronald D. White.
“For the longest time, we used to joke that our biggest export was our fine California air,” Eric Caris, assistant director of marketing for the Port of Los Angeles, told White. Not [...]

Mothers, geezers, students and the unemployed explain why we need this place

The large crowd clustered outside the doors of Main Library at 10 a.m. on a Tuesday is mostly just folks–ordinary people—and that comes as something of a surprise, given the city’s claims that Main Library is too big and used only by the homeless.

There’s some interesting background emerging today on the proposed sale of City Hall East–the building at the northeast corner of First Street and Long Beach Boulevard, where Long Beach Police Department relocated a few years ago while its longtime downtown home was remodeled.
According to today’s Press-Telegram, Long Beach City Council on Tuesday will consider selling [...]

Not sure why the level of discourse at last night’s city meeting about closing Main Library seemed so high and lively. Maybe it had something to do with the topic, which hinged on our access to knowledge–and with the fact that the discussion took place just a few feet away from hundreds of classic works [...]

Thursday was a busy day in Main Library history. The city aired its new proposed budget in public meetings at two of our toniest semi-private locations–Long Beach Yacht Club, and the Petroleum Club–at both of which the library could theoretically be discussed.
Then, out of public view, City Manager Pat West met with the so-called Library [...]