A Message to the Palisades Community

Dear Friends of the Palisades Library,

Those of us in Pacific Palisades are still attempting to fathom the tremendous destruction that’s occurred in our beloved hometown. The loss of so many homes, businesses and community institutions, such as our beautiful branch library, is nearly beyond our ability to comprehend.

But as we deal with the shock of losing so much, we will move forward with the confidence that we will rebuild our lives and our community for the better. The Palisades Library is at the very heart of our community and the Friends of the Library has been the primary means of support for the programs that have added so much to the civic life of Pacific Palisades.

We are sincerely touched that even in the midst of dealing with so much loss, patrons of the library and members of the Friends have been reaching out offering their support. In fact, we’ve heard from people from all over the world who have seen news of our library’s total destruction and want to help.

The board of the all-volunteer Pacific Palisades Library Association—half of whom have lost their own homes in the fires—met on January 14th and agreed that given the enormity of the loss our patrons have suffered, now is not the time to be asking you to contribute to the Pacific Palisades Library Association. However, since so many of you have asked, please know that the best way to keep your resources in our community is to visit our website by clicking here. But please know that while your support is appreciated, right now our highest priority is your safety and well-being.

To that end, long-time Senior Librarian Mary Hopf stands ready to continue to serve as a trusted and kind informational resource for Palisadians. Mary is currently working from the West L.A. branch and can be reached at mhopf@lapl.org. She can connect you with a variety of resources to help aid in your recovery from this disaster.

We will rebuild our beloved library and we will work with every organization that we can—the Los Angeles Public Library, the Library Foundation and our local community stakeholders—to help restore the beating heart of our community.

Thank you for your continued support of our community and the Pacific Palisades Library Association.

Heartbrokenly yours,

Laura Schneider, President
Friends of the Palisades Library