Wednesday, September 9, 2026

What the Altadena Libraries Run on a Thursday, With the Main Library Still Closed

Altadena’s library service runs out of two buildings, a mobile van and an off-site notary desk this Thursday, Sept. 10, with the district’s Main Library at 600 E. Mariposa St. closed for renovation as of Feb. 1.

The Bob Lucas Memorial Library and Literacy Center at 2659 Lincoln Ave. is open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., the latest closing of any Altadena Library District building as of Sept. 8. Its direct number is (626) 798-8338. The branch reopened in August 2025 after a 16-month renovation that expanded it by about 1,000 square feet and added a children’s area and a literacy center. The Altadena Library at Loma Alta Park, 3330 N. Lincoln Ave., is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The district opened that site in May 2025 in the park’s Social Hall, a unit of the Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation system.

Three of the six programs on the district’s Thursday calendar run out of Bob Lucas. Baby Storytime and Play is set for 9:30 to 10:15 a.m. in the Bob Lucas Children’s Room. The district describes it as books, songs and rhymes that encourage development and bonding, followed by a 20-minute playtime, for children from birth to walking. English as a second language classes follow from 10:30 a.m. to noon in the Literacy Center and are open to adults 18 and older. The district describes the classes as aimed at basic English fluency and holds them Mondays through Thursdays. The Heartthrob Hangouts Book Club meets from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. in the Literacy Center for a discussion of “Heart the Lover” by Lily King.

The district also sends its Curiosity Connection Volume 2 mobile library out on Thursdays. On Sept. 10 it stops at Webster’s Community Pharmacy, 2333 Lake Ave., from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., and at Prime Pizza, 1900 Allen Ave., from 2:30 to 5 p.m. Residents can browse books, sign up for a library card and ask about upcoming programs. The district publishes each week’s stops on its own calendar.

Notary service is free, but it is not offered at either library building on Thursdays. On Thursday, Sept. 10, the district’s notary works from 3 to 5:30 p.m. at the Eaton Fire Collaboratory, 540 W. Woodbury Road. Notary service returns to Bob Lucas on Wednesdays from 3 to 5:30 p.m. The district recommends an appointment but accepts walk-ins, at (626) 798-0833, extension 118.

The Altadena Library District is a separate agency from the Pasadena Public Library, with its own card, its own catalog and its own board of trustees. The district does not accept returns of items borrowed from Pasadena libraries. Its calendar and branch hours are at https://www.altadenalibrary.org/, and its main number is (626) 798-0833.

Thursday, Sept. 10. Baby Storytime and Play, 9:30 to 10:15 a.m.; English as a second language classes, 10:30 a.m. to noon; Heartthrob Hangouts Book Club, 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. Bob Lucas Memorial Library and Literacy Center, 2659 Lincoln Ave., Altadena. For more call (626) 798-8338 or visit https://www.altadenalibrary.org/. Tickets: No admission charge is listed for these programs; the district states there are no fees for its English as a second language classes.