The Research Library is a special collection of the Los Angeles Maritime Museum. Originally acquired by donations from local and California coastal shipbuilding companies, shipbuilders and industries, selections from the Library’s collection of manuscripts, architectural drawings, maps and charts are available for viewing by researchers. The collection of manuscripts has value for research in the…

The History and Genealogy Department of the Los Angeles Public Library maintains a variety of resources related to the history of Los Angeles. The History Collection includes hundreds of books related to social, cultural and political aspects of Los Angeles’ storied history; the department also maintains both the California Subject and Biography Indexes, retrospective databases indexing selected…

Our core rare book collections include California history, Mexicana, bullfighting, Pacific voyages, food and wine, costume, travel in North America, Europe and the Near East, history of the book and printing, ornithology and Native American culture and history. 

The Museum of Social Justice is located in La Plaza United Methodist Church, on the site of the oldest section of Los Angeles. The Museum’s historical collection consists of documents, photographs, artifacts, and other materials created by La Plaza Methodist Church at the beginning of the twentieth century. The collection features over 2000 photographs that capture the work of the founders of the…