"My children love the story time," Aguilar said in halting English, with the help of her oldest son, Marco, a fifth-grader.
Beyond the books and the CDs and the computers, these new libraries also provide a more intangible benefit, said Humberto Camacho, a longtime Pico-Union resident who emigrated from Mexico more than 50 years ago.
"Hope is a very important thing for areas like ours," said Camacho, a retired union leader who heads the local neighborhood council. "People see things happening -- the new schools, the new library -- so they think things are getting better, and they better get out and get jobs to help their kids."
"Now people feel like they are part of the community," he said, "even if they are not citizens."
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Neighborhood involvement
As part of a $317-million program, the Los Angeles Public Library is adding 47 branches, bringing the city's total to 72. The new ones are designed to be large, high-tech and inviting.
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Building communities
Many new branches, designed with input from the neighborhoods they serve, have become landmarks and have helped to strengthen the sense of community in Los Angeles.
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Branch: Pico-Union
Size: 12,500 square feet
Monthly circulation: 14,094
Completed: May 2004
Fact: Originally given a modern design, the branch was redesigned to resemble an old Carnegie branch at the request of the community.
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Branch: Arroyo Seco
Size: 14,000 square feet
Monthly circulation: 13,519
Completed: June 2003
Fact: Inspired by early 20th century park architecture with dark wood and river stones, the branch also preserves a beloved mural that was on a wall of the old branch, which was torn down.
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Branch: Chinatown
Size: 14,500 square feet
Monthly circulation: 37,950
Completed: February 2003
Fact: The second-busiest branch in the city, the ultramodern library is bigger than most thanks to the financial support of the local community and has more than 35,000 Chinese-language materials.
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Branch: Canoga Park
Size: 12,500 square feet
Monthly circulation: 17,612
Opened: August 2004
Fact: It is the sixth new library to open in the West San Fernando Valley since 2002.
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Sources: Los Angeles Public Library; American Library Assn.
