The list of reasons for using public transportation just keeps growing: saving energy, protecting our environment, having fewer traffic jams. Now Bay Area commuters have an even bigger incentive to ride public transportation. The Contra Costa County Library has begun a partnership with Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) to provide an automated book “vending machine” for its patrons. The new “Library A Go Go” machines will appear first in county BART stations in April, then......

Incredible detail and artistry can be seen in this giant Koran If old and rare books are your thing, you're in luck this weekend. The 41st California International Antiquarian Book Fair opens at 2pm today and runs through Sunday. Ever wanted a first edition of Raymond Chandler's The Big Sleep? Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451? The first three Harry Potter books? This is your chance! Over 200 exhibitors from all over the globe will be......

Some things just naturally go together. Take, for instance, caffeine and the written word. So the inclusion of coffee shops in libraries makes perfect sense. The Santa Monica Public Library opened in January 2006. The Library surrounds an idyllic Southern California modern open-air courtyard where you will find the coffee shop, The Bookmark Café. At the time the library was being planned, the public was surveyed on a number of issues, and the response was......

Did you know LACMA has a research library? Well, they do. It is open to the public by appointment, and materials don't circulate. They do what museum libraries do best -- serve the curatorial staff, provide information about items in the museum's collections, and help collectors research the art market. This Thursday and Friday, December 13th and 14th from 12-4 p.m., the LACMA Research Library will be holding its first annual holiday book sale.......