Mayor Eric Garcetti announced that 18 Los Angeles Public Library branches will be open for curbside service. (photo courtesy of Mayor Eric Garcetti’s office)

On July 2, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti launched Library to Go, opening 18 Los Angeles Public Library branches for curbside pickup and drop-off across the city.

“Our libraries are anchors of academic achievement and lifelong learning, and by bringing curbside pickup to these beating hearts of our communities, we will reopen doors of creativity, discovery and imagination for all of us,” Garcetti said. “Learning to live with COVID-19 means finding new ways to reconnect us with critical public resources, and Library to Go will provide Angelenos with access to this civic and cultural treasure.”

With Library to Go, patrons will be able to pick up materials they requested, but were unable to collect when LAPL closed in March due to COVID-19. They will also be able to place new holds using the online catalog and pick up books and other materials at one of 18 branches in neighborhoods across Los Angeles, including the Central Library, Exposition Park Regional Branch, Fairfax Branch, Los Feliz Branch, Pio Pico-Koreatown Branch and Silver Lake Branch. 

Once materials have been reserved online, Angelenos will receive an email or telephone call with instructions on scheduling an appointment for pickup. When collecting library materials from tables located outside the libraries, patrons will be required to wear masks and wait in a physically distanced holding area. All materials will be isolated for 72 hours before being returned to shelves or being reissued, as recommended by public health experts.

“We are thrilled to be launching the Library to Go pickup service,” City Librarian John F. Szabo said. “We know that Angelenos love their libraries and have missed them. And while we have remained very much connected online through extensive virtual programming and our wonderfully diverse e-media collections, there is just something magical about being able to bring home new library books. We look forward to seeing our patrons again soon.”

Materials checked out before the LAPL closed due to COVID-19 have been extended to Sept. 30. The due date on items checked out through Library to Go will follow the standard borrowing schedules of three weeks for books and audiobooks and one week for DVDs and CDs.

In December, Garcetti announced that LAPL would be ending late fines for all library patrons, which went into effect this spring, making LAPL the largest public library in America to eliminate overdue fines.

For information, visit lapl.org/library-to-go.