Why the LA Public Library acquired a book publisher

Libraries change; they are adapting to technological changes and expanding their services to help communities in need. Los Angeles Public Library employees now learn how to respond to child abuse and threatening behavior, are trained in using Narcan to revive overdose victims, and have panic buttons on their desks. The Los Angeles Times reported this last year. The library system is “a place where John Lithgow can be found reading next to a person not in the North Hollywood branch,” Jeffrey Fleishman wrote in that article.

At this moment when the Los Angeles library system is redefining itself, it has taken an unusual step. The library system, which operates 73 branches and houses more than eight million books, announced last month that it had acquired a local book publisher, Angel City Press, which was run by a married couple.

I spoke with John Szabo, Los Angeles' city librarian since 2012, about the acquisition and the library's changing role in the community. Here's our conversation, lightly edited:

Why did the library purchase a printing press?

A few years ago, Paddy Calistro and Scott McAuley, the owners of Angel City Press, approached us and said they were retiring and wanted to donate the press to the library. While it is certainly a small company, The Press also feels to me like it is a Los Angeles institution, and one that has had a wonderful mission: to publish these incredibly high-quality, beautiful, well-researched books about Los Angeles and South California. .

We really thought about it for a long time, but also thought about our mission and the role of the library. And it really seemed like a good fit, and like something that would help us do what we already do, which is preserve and tell stories about Los Angeles and Southern California.

This may be a stupid question, but what exactly does it mean to have a press? Does this mean that the library is publishing new books?