• Building size: 14122 sq. ft.
• Meeting Room: Capacity 65
• Children's area with Family Place
• Teen Space
• Book Drop for returning items accessible 24 hours

nearby libraries

• Carson Library
• Masao W. Satow Library
• Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library
• Hawthorne Library
• Woodcrest Library
• A C Bilbrew Library — (Temporary Location)

getting here

• Local Transit:
  
  Gardena Bus Line 1
  Gardena Bus Line 2
  
• Gardena Special Transit: available to senior citizens (elderly) and physically disabled (handicapped) residents of Gardena, Hawthorne and the unincorporated Alondra Park and Del Aire areas of Los Angeles County
• Medium parking lot available next to the building.

• Non-English Language Collection(s):
  
  Chinese Books for Kids and Adults
  Chinese DVDs for Adults
  Japanese Books for Adults
  Japanese DVDs for Adults
  Korean Books for Kids and Adults
  Korean DVDs for Adults
  Spanish Books for Adults
  Spanish Books for Kids
  
• Other Special Collection(s):
  
  Large Print
  
• Children's Special Collection(s):
  
  Baby and Toddler Storytime Kits
  Family Place Collection
  
• Online Collections - Available 24 hours:
  
  Online research
  Downloadable Audiobooks from OneClick Digital
  Downloadable eBooks and Audiobooks from Overdrive
  Downloadable Music from Freegal
  Streaming Movies, Audiobooks & Music from Hoopla
  

your local papers

• Daily Breeze
• Los Angeles Times
• Gardena Valley News

Find more magazines and newspapers.

• In person and telephone research assistance
• Photocopier

children's services

• Live Homework Help
• Homework Center
• Family Place
• Storytime Kits

teen services

• Live Homework Help
• LearningExpress Library (username = 13-digit library card number, password = create your own)

online services

• Email a Librarian
• Online Catalog
• Research Databases
• Downloadable Audiobooks, eBooks and Music

Gardena Mayme Dear Library has:

• Public computers: 8
• Children's computers: 4
• Early literacy computers: 3
• Free Wi-fi

Computer policies for the County Library

friends of the library

Gardena Valley Friends of the Library is a volunteer-run organization that supports the library and library events - join today to get involved!

Gardena Valley Friends of the Library provides these service(s) to support the library:

• Friends of the Library DVD Rentals
• Friends of the Library Book Sale

library history

Gardena Library was born under the sponsorship of the Wednesday Progressive Club before the Los Angeles County Free Library was founded in 1912.

In 1914, Gardena Library became a branch of the new County System. Only a few months later, the library was transferred to the jurisdiction of the Los Angeles City Library Board due to annexation. It was not until August 1951 that Gardena Library came back to the County System.

The present building was dedicated on December 5, 1964 and re-named Gardena Mayme Dear Memorial Library on May 30, 1992 in honor of the late Mrs. Mayme Dear for her many years of dedicated volunteer services to the library.

The Gardena Mayme Dear Library features an enclosed Japanese Garden designed by Takuma P. Tono, professor of landscape design at Tokyo Agriculture University. The 150-year-old stone lantern in the garden was a gift of Gardena's sister city, Ichikawa. A mosaic mural above the main entrance depicts the development of books and printing.

The library was closed for refurbishment in 2008 and reopened in January 2009 with a fresh contemporary interior and new furniture. The Teen Space was dedicated in February 2011.

political representatives

• U.S. Congressional District 43: Maxine Waters
• California State Assembly District 66: Al Muratsuchi
• California State Senate District 35: Steven Bradford
• County Supervisorial District 2: Mark Ridley-Thomas

local links

• California State University, Dominguez Hills: This site offers class schedules, admission information, distance learning and other useful information about the California University System.
• City of Gardena: Information on the city including history, services, departments, elected officials, budget, city council, local news and weather.
• Daily Breeze: Online local and regional news articles and classifieds from the South Bay Daily Breeze, a local newspaper that serves the area.
• El Camino College: Information on admissions, class schedules, community education programs, campus events, employment opportunities and more for this local community college in the South Bay area.
• Gardena One-Stop Employment and Business Center: One of several South Bay career guidance centers that offers free job training, retraining/transition services for dislocated workers, assessment of transferable job skills, workshops to develop interview skills, and assistance in the preparation of a professional resume.
• Gardena Valley Japanese Cultural Institute: Serves the needs of the Japanese American community of the South Bay area through educational, cultural and social programs
• Los Angeles Unified School District: Includes information about the school district of interest to students, parents, and teachers. Includes the school district profile and list of schools for the local community.