Altadena Library District Marks a Century With Saturday Celebration at Bob Lucas Branch

The Altadena Library District will mark 100 years as an independent library district Saturday, Nov. 7, with a celebration at the Bob Lucas Memorial Library and Literacy Center in Altadena.

The anniversary commemorates the district’s formation in December 1926, although library service in Altadena dates back to 1908. The three-hour program will bring together children’s activities, a public ceremony and a look at local library history.

Author Blair Imani will lead a family storytime at 11 a.m. in the branch’s children’s area, according to the district’s Oct. 31 newsletter. A children’s time-capsule craft and a book giveaway will follow. The district said the books will be available while supplies last.

At noon, the district plans a ceremony with local historical organizations, elected officials and other guests. A historical exhibit and sweets will follow. The library lists the morning storytime and craft for families, with the noon ceremony and other activities for all ages.

Imani, a historian and educator, is the author of books including “Modern HERstory: Stories of Women and Nonbinary People Rewriting History” and “Making Our Way Home: The Great Migration and the Black American Dream,” according to publisher Penguin Random House.

The district’s published history traces Altadena’s first library to a collection of donated children’s books in a three-room schoolhouse on Calaveras Street in 1908. The community later developed an adult collection and additional library locations. In December 1926, Altadena established an independent special district to oversee locally governed library service.

The centennial is being held at Bob Lucas while the district’s Main Library, at 600 E. Mariposa St., is closed for renovations that began Feb. 1. The Lincoln Avenue branch reopened in August 2025 after a 16-month renovation that expanded the building by 1,000 square feet and added a children’s area, a literacy classroom, tutoring rooms and an outdoor reading garden.

The Bob Lucas site dates to 1957, when it was known as the Arroyo Seco Branch Library. It closed after Proposition 13 was passed in 1978, then reopened under its current name in 1991. The branch houses the district’s literacy services.

NEED TO KNOW: The Altadena Library 100th Anniversary Celebration is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 7, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Bob Lucas Memorial Library and Literacy Center, 2659 Lincoln Ave., Altadena. For details, visit altadenalibrary.org or call (626) 798-8338.