Malaga Cove Library

This smaller library is a wonderful alternative to the larger Peninsula Center library. I come here about once a week. When I was researching for my Europe trip I was here almost every day. It’s quiet and the outside is quite pretty. There’s multiple areas to get work done and a small children’s area. Older folks will come here to play chess, that’s cool. There’s a computer room and you can even rent a labtop for a couple hours. Though it’s not a huge library there’s plenty of books and I found several to help me with my trip. It’s hardly crowded besides the computer room sometimes. They have book sales and their own free parking lot in the back. There is also street parking for 2 hours. Just make sure not to park for over 2 hours cause you will get a ticket.
On any given day you will see peacocks roaming the premises. Peacocks are more scared of humans which is good cause I’m scared of most animals. Anyway, support your local libraries!

This library is beautiful. It’s on the small side but has gorgeous facility. It would be a very quiet place to read a book. I love the grass area and fountain outside.

Wack hours for such a fancy library
10a — 5p Monday to Saturday
Closed Sunday
Fancy chairs and seating: some wide leather couches, fancy wooden leather seats.
Table and Outlet wise, the tables don’t have outlets (this place is a little too classy for that) but some chairs have outlets near them on the wall.
Newspaper and magazine selection is diverse and extensive.
WIFI is free county (Ranchos palos verdes).
Ookla Speedtest:
Ping: 18 ms
Download Speed: 1.76 Mbps
Upload speed: 0.86 Mbps
Parking: parking lot to the side and there is unmetered 2 hour street parking M-​F 9a-​5p.
Architecture is really nice with several fancy water fountains outside.
Definitely one of the classier libraries though you need to be unemployed or rich to have the time to frequent it.

The library is beautiful and very comfortable. Watch it when you drop off returns in the box outside. I’ve been charged when I have dropped off in a time manner.

Beautiful from the outside. Looks like there were shops and a fountain to check out. Can’t wait to check this place out another time!

I was so sad today when I took my grandkids to Malaga Library and they had a bunch of butterflies trapped in netting so they could show Butterfly books, most had already died. I asked why is this display necessary? They were barely moving. So sad and unnecessary.

This would be a nice library except that one of the librarians is a literal motor mouth. With the fact that there’s really just one big room available for tables and doing work, it’s a disaster. Nothing can get this guy to stop talking to his coworkers, on the phone, whatever.
So — not a place to go if you really need to concentrate.

This has got to be the nicest library in the county, and who cares if it does not have computers, you go to a library to read BOOKS NOT SURF THE INTERNET if you want computers, go to the Torrance main library, this is a GOOD OLD FASHIONED LIBRARY !! AND INHOPE IT STAYS THIS WAY !!!

This small library is charming with the nice rest area and the fountain next to it. I like the whole setting and the peacocks that come with it. They have origami classes, chess club and other fun activities for the kids all year around. You can drop used books here in the big bin so they can be sold in the main library’s monthly book sale.
Some years ago, I returned a few picture books, one of them didn’t get checked in as I found out on-​line. Called them, she said she couldn’t find it. A month later, I was going to just pay the fine, then I thought let me take a look. So I went in their children’s section, it took me two mins to find that «unreturned» book. The lady had nothing to say to me after she saw me pulling out that book from the shelve like a magic. After that I rarely borrow any books from here, and I made sure they checked in the books while I’m returning.
Same thing happened with my local library once. Well, item doesn’t get checked in is a bummer for a borrower. I have learned to expect mistakes like that, especially with the large libraries. As a patron, one would think as long as one returns the material as the way it was borrowed, the rest should take care itself. Not true, things could go wrong from there…

I have spent most of my life in PV and the surrounding area and this library is one of my favorites. Sure they don’t have as big of a selection as the Peninsula Center branch but the ambiance and the ease of getting whatever you are looking for is what makes me come back. They also have a summer kids program every few days where they have activities, storytime, etc.

The building that houses this library is so beautiful. It’s so nice to have a library in a historical building.
The library has a decent selection of books and helpful librarians. Unfortunately, they do charge for DVD and audiobook rentals. (Torrance library district offers these for free)

Pretty small library. We went for the used book sale and it was slim pickings. Got a few items for cheap, but the main PV library is much much better. Although the grounds are beautiful, there’s a cool fountain to sit by outside.

This place not only has tons of books and magazines and what not, it also has a BEAUTIFUL view of Palos Verdes and the BEACH! My mom actually read about the Malaga Cove Library in a AAA magazine called «Westways». The article about it describes how nice and peaceful and pretty this library is (it’s actually a pretty gigantic place) and how beautiful the view is when looking out of one of its many huge windows.
Now I don’t usually go around talking about how AMAZING libraries are (it’s a LIBRARY for crying out loud! how amazing can a library get?!) But seriously, this library is pretty dang awesome. On the outside, it basically looks like a huge mansion on top of a hill with a nice waterfountain in the front. On the inside, it’s a three story library full of books, computers, magazines, DVDs, CDs, and whatever else a library has. It’s such a huge place, there’s even individual rooms you can hang out in. There are also lots of comfy couches and chairs to lounge in, too. If you’re looking for a nice place to study, this is the perfect place to go!

This library does not have a large collection of books, the computers are a little old. There is a lot of study space and the librarians are very helpful.
The building has a lot of character and is multiple levels. Parking is on the side but the entrance looks like a normal driveway.
In the basement are the monthly book sales. Boos are pricier than other local sales, but there is a good selection of books.
Be careful when driving in the area as there are a lot of local peacocks, many that hang out on the library grounds and the wall of the parking lot.

This is one of the most charming libraries I’ve ever been too. There are not a lot of books or computers, but there is some nice study space upstairs.
The feel of this place is amazing. It has old Spanish architecture, and makes you feel like being studious!
I’m pretty sure this place helped me pass intensive Latin my last semester at UCLA

Five stars for what it is. What it is not: a modern library with rows of new computers and zillions of books. What it is: an old Spanish style building high on a hill, surrounded by eucalyptus trees that are sometimes adorned with screeching peacocks.
The library is just off Palos Verdes Drive W, across from the tall bluffs that overlook the ocean. The building and its beautiful old fountains were erected in 1930 at a cost of $ 60,000. It is now on the National Historic Register. Original furniture remains, like Spanish claw foot leather couches.
The multi-​level space has an art gallery, now showing exquisite landscape paintings of the surrounding area. They tell me this is the best show they’ve ever had; it’s certainly one of the nicest shows I’ve ever seen, anywhere.
Speaking of art, I recently spotted a magnificent watercolor in a battered, broken old frame with the original wavy discolored mat… hanging in the Malaga Cove Library. I inquired about the painting, done by Henry L. Richter (I learned later it is one of his few portraits, of an old man with a bushy white beard reading the LA Times). The library staff knew little about the beautiful, somewhat valuable painting, suggesting to me it might be a poster! I may have to launch a campaign toward reframing the piece, or just donate the cost myself. They wouldn’t sell it to me and I want to preserve it so I can continue to enjoy it.
In the basement of the old library earlier today, as I perused a used book sale, I noticed there was not a hint of mildew or mold in any of the cavernous rooms — remarkable considering the age of the structure, the fact that it is built into a hill & its proximity to the ocean. The library must be as charmed as it is charming.

Five stars for what it is. What it is not: a modern library with rows of new computers and zillions of books. What it is: an old Spanish style building high on a hill, surrounded by eucalyptus trees that are sometimes adorned with screeching peacocks.
The library is just off Palos Verdes Drive W, across from the tall bluffs that overlook the ocean. The building and its beautiful old fountains were erected in 1930 at a cost of $ 60,000. It is now on the National Historic Register. Original furniture remains, like Spanish claw foot leather couches.
The multi-​level space has an art gallery, now showing exquisite landscape paintings of the surrounding area. They tell me this is the best show they’ve ever had; it’s certainly one of the nicest shows I’ve ever seen, anywhere.
Speaking of art, I recently spotted a magnificent watercolor in a battered, broken old frame with the original wavy discolored mat… hanging in the Malaga Cove Library. I inquired about the painting, done by Henry L. Richter (I learned later it is one of his few portraits, of an old man with a bushy white beard reading the LA Times). The library staff knew little about the beautiful, somewhat valuable painting, suggesting to me it might be a poster! I may have to launch a campaign toward reframing the piece, or just donate the cost myself. They wouldn’t sell it to me and I want to preserve it so I can continue to enjoy it.
In the basement of the old library earlier today, as I perused a used book sale, I noticed there was not a hint of mildew or mold in any of the cavernous rooms — remarkable considering the age of the structure, the fact that it is built into a hill & its proximity to the ocean. The library must be as charmed as it is charming.