W.A. Clark Memorial Library

W.A. Clark Memorial Library Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from W.A. Clark Memorial Library, Library, 2520 Cimarron Street, Los Angeles, CA.

We are thrilled to celebrate the opening of our Spring exhibit today with its curators, the students of the Winter 2026 ...
05/12/2026

We are thrilled to celebrate the opening of our Spring exhibit today with its curators, the students of the Winter 2026 Ahmanson Seminar. These UCLA undergraduates have put together a fantastic look into the London home life of the eighteenth century. If you are interested in seeing their exhibit for yourself, you can find the link to book a tour in our bio. You can also see the exhibit at any of our upcoming events in the coming weeks.

Last year, we had the great pleasure of hosting . They made a vlog about their time here featuring some interesting obje...
04/14/2026

Last year, we had the great pleasure of hosting . They made a vlog about their time here featuring some interesting objects from our collections. Check it out via the link in our bio!

They’re finally here! We are so excited to have our brand new book pillows at the Clark. These are wonderful tools that ...
04/07/2026

They’re finally here! We are so excited to have our brand new book pillows at the Clark. These are wonderful tools that are more supportive for the books and easier to use.

We are saddened to share the news that former librarian and Head of Reader Services, Carol Sommer, died unexpectedly on ...
03/16/2026

We are saddened to share the news that former librarian and Head of Reader Services, Carol Sommer, died unexpectedly on Sunday, February 8th. Carol was at the Clark Library for almost 30 years, working in a variety of roles including cataloging, preservation, archival processing, and reader services before retiring in 2011.

Born and raised in San Diego, Carol attended San Diego State University as an undergraduate. She received two master's degrees from UCLA, one in English and the other in Library Science and interned at the Clark Library while in school. She worked for the actor, magician, and book collector Ricky Jay for a few years before returning to the Clark Library where she spent the rest of her professional career. While at the Clark, she met and married Simon Varey in 1985 who was a visiting Fellow. Tragically, Simon passed away in 2002 from an aggressive cancer. Carol returned to San Diego after retirement, living with her two children, Laura and Max Varey.

Carol's legacy lives on at the Clark where we have frequent reminders about her organizational skills, love of good conversation, and her professional interest in miniature books, English literature, and the occult. Details about a memorial service are forthcoming. Further information can be found on the link in our bio.

The opening of our new exhibition is this Friday! If you haven't gotten your tickets, visit the link in our bio to celeb...
02/09/2026

The opening of our new exhibition is this Friday! If you haven't gotten your tickets, visit the link in our bio to celebrate with us.

Portrait of Horace Walpole by John Giles Eccardt, from the National Portrait Gallery

Today is Jane Austen's 250th birthday! We are celebrating here at the Clark by bringing out our first edition copy of Se...
12/16/2025

Today is Jane Austen's 250th birthday! We are celebrating here at the Clark by bringing out our first edition copy of Sense & Sensibility. Go read some Austen today!
Call number: PR4034.S41

While it doesn’t snow here in Los Angeles, we can still long for a snow day like the one beautifully described in Whitti...
12/16/2025

While it doesn’t snow here in Los Angeles, we can still long for a snow day like the one beautifully described in Whittier’s “Snowbound.” It is a timeless long poem telling the story of a family stuck inside as a blizzard roars around them. You can find another copy of this cozy book for a fireside read or visit our precious little copy at the Clark. Pictured above are the beautiful illustrations done by Charles Capon and a favorite quote that captures the atmospheric wonder of Whittier’s writing.
We hope you and your family stay cozy wherever you are this winter season.

Call number: Press Coll. Anthoensen 051

Looking for a new cookie recipe for the holidays, look no further! This manuscript from 1726 features a gingerbread rec...
12/09/2025

Looking for a new cookie recipe for the holidays, look no further! This manuscript from 1726 features a gingerbread recipe that looks perfect for the colder winter weather. The commonplace book featured here was collected by Helen Brackenridg in 1732 but these early recipes were likely from another author. Try it out and tell us how it goes!

It is officially the holiday season at the Clark, and we are starting off the celebrations with a treasure from our shel...
12/01/2025

It is officially the holiday season at the Clark, and we are starting off the celebrations with a treasure from our shelves. Our first edition of A Christmas Carol features John Leech’s brilliant illustrations, created on steel engraved plates and colored by hand. In the image above, Leech brings to life Scrooge standing face to face with the Ghost of Christmas Present in vivid color.

Dickens captures its spirit perfectly in his preface:
“I have endeavoured in this ghostly little book, to raise the ghost of an idea, which shall not put my readers out of humour with themselves, with each other, with the season, or with me. May it haunt their houses pleasantly and no one wish to lay it. Their faithful friend and servant, C. D., December, 1843.”

Care to come read in our reading room? You can find instructions on how to make an appointment through the link in our bio, and you can find this particular book under this call number: PR4572 .C51 *

Come visit the new exhibition now on view by appointment at the Clark! "PARALLEL READING: Book Design and California Mod...
09/22/2025

Come visit the new exhibition now on view by appointment at the Clark!

"PARALLEL READING: Book Design and California Modernism" is presented by the William Andrews Clark Memorial Library and the MAK Center for Art and Architecture. This exhibition examines the intersections of graphic design, fine press traditions, and modernist aesthetics in early 20th-century Los Angeles.

Tracing influences from the British Arts and Crafts movement, French Art Nouveau, and Viennese Secession to the Humanist Revival and the Book Beautiful, Parallel Reading explores how these transatlantic currents shaped regional sensibilities in book design. The exhibition foregrounds the contributions of key figures such as Bruce McCallister, Jake Zeitlin, Merle Armitage, and Ward Ritchie, while highlighting aesthetic dialogues between the circles of William Andrews Clark and architect Rudolph Schindler.

Curated by Johanna Drucker (Distinguished Professor Emerita, UCLA), this exhibition situates Los Angeles as a critical site in the development of modernist print culture.

📍 William Andrews Clark Memorial Library
📅 On view now by appointment. Please see our link in bio for information about how to make an appointment to view our library.

Address

2520 Cimarron Street
Los Angeles, CA
90018

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when W.A. Clark Memorial Library posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share

Category