# Cerritos Library

The Cerritos Library is the civic library for the City of Cerritos, California, United States. It was rededicated on March 16, 2002, with the new moniker and the current futuristic design. It feature an exterior clad with titanium panels. It was an affiliate with the Smithsonian Institution since 2000.

## History

In the 1970s, a series of developments, including a new library, were planned. A debate of whether or not to join the County of Los Angeles Public Library system and share a branch with neighboring Artesia or to create a separate facility happened. In the end, with the then-city manager, the city built its own municipal library on the corner of Bloomfield and 183rd Street in June 1972. The building was dedicated on October 13, 1973, in honor of First Lady Patricia Nixon. The site was designed by local contractor AJ Padelford & Son using blueprints from architect Maurice Fleishman.
The Cerritos Library at the time was 18,000 square feet (1,700 m$^2$) and housed 45,000 books. In addition, the library also had a children's area, theater and law library. Three years later, Cerritos joined the Metropolitan Cooperative Library System.
In 1986, the city earmarked $6.6 million to remodel the building and added another 21,000 square feet (2,000 m$^2$) to the area. The children's area was tripled to 7,000 square feet (650 m$^2$) to include a medieval mural and a 15,000-gallon saltwater aquarium. The Cerritos Library won an Award of Excellence by the American Institute of Architecture and the American Library Association.
In the spring of 2000, the western half of the Cerritos Library was torn down to make way for the new Cerritos Millennium Library. Jim Nardini of Charles Walton Associates acted as the project architect in the library. Judy Van Wyk and the Design Studio provided the interior design. The library was built by CW Driver Contractors of Los Angeles; the $40 million library was completed in 2002.

## Features

The 1999 book The Experience Economy is the inspiration for the designs. The Guggenheim Museum Bilbao served as inspiration for the layout and the exterior of the building.
Under the leadership of Library Director Waynn Pearson, the Cerritos Millennium Library was expanded to 88,500 square feet (8,220 m$^2$) on three stories and added 300,000 books to its collection, a conference center, a lecture hall with personal computers and over 200 computer workstations. The children's library includes the saltwater aquarium, which was expanded to a 15,000-gallon tank. The library has its own intranet. Its public areas have computers and Ethernet.
Themed after the 19th-century European elements, the Old World Reading Room contains leather-bound books, a fireplace, study spaces, and chandeliers.
The third floor of the library houses a Board Room as well as the Skyline Room banquet or reception hall.

## Illuminations

In November 2006, in recognition of the city's 50th anniversary, the city created a book-shaped sculpture near the front entrance to the library. The sculpture, designed and built by artist Terry Braunstein, is called Illumination and contains heritage photos of the city and mosaics depicting life in the city. The sculpture is 10 feet tall. The base of the sculpture contains lights that are turned on at night.

## Awards and recognition

* Best Public Library in 2003 "Best of L.A." issue of Los Angeles
* Best Public Library in 2003 by L.A. Parent Magazine
* Best Public Library in 2004 by Reader's Digest
* American Library Association/American Institute of Architects "Award of Excellence"
* Thea Award in 2003 by the Themed Entertainment Association
* Special Mention Library of the Year in 2004 by Library Journal
* Best Library for Children in 2008 "Best of L.A" issue by Los Angeles
* Five star rating in March 2009 Library Journal - America's Star Libraries