2018

Mental Health in Fiction and Memoir

Saturday, May 19 is our second annual Pasadena Mental Health Day. Please join us at Central Library to learn more and find out about quality mental health services and resources […]

image of open book and math equations

This year we are celebrating STEAM at PPL, and across the City of Pasadena. We’ve got lots of great STEAMy things planned to get you immersed in science, technology, engineering, […]

Celebrating Shakespeare in April

Tradition has it that William Shakespeare was born on April 23, 1564, based on baptismal records we have. April 23 also happens to be the date that he died in […]

Fantastic Libraries in Fiction

  April 8-14 is National Library Week. In honor of the occasion, we’re celebrating fantastic libraries in fiction. Come on in to the library, check out some books, and work […]

(Nothing) Lost in Translation

  April is a month when we celebrate poetry. Consider the difficulty of translating anything between two languages, and then add the nuance and complexity of poetic language-song lyrics, for […]

WASPs on the runway

Our 2018 One City, One Story book, Rise of the Rocket Girls, is the riveting true story of the women who launched America into space. While Rise of the Rocket […]

"Shadows from the Walls of Death" wallpaper sample book by Dr. Robert M. Kedzie

We’re inspired by an article on Atlas Obscura about preservation issues for Shadows from the Walls of Death, a sample-book of wallpaper with deadly properties, owing to the use of a wildly […]

Jesse Owens on the medal stand, Berlin Olympics 1936

The 2018 Winter Olympics are over, but to say farewell and celebrate Black History Month, here are some books that examine the lives of some ground-breaking African-American Olympians from previous […]

Mae Jemison

  It’s Black History Month and since the library is focusing on STEAM initiatives this year, we’re celebrating both by taking a closer look at some of the amazing African […]

The Alienist: A Book List

  We’re inspired by the series premiere of “The Alienist” on TNT, adapted from Caleb Carr’s novel about grisly serial murder in gritty, corrupt turn-of-the-century Manhattan; and a trio:  police reporter, […]