Regular Library Hours: Mon & Tue: 12-9pm Wed & Thu: 10am-6pm Fri & Sat: CLOSED Sun: 1-5pm
The mission of the Monterey Park Bruggemeyer Library is to meet the cultural, educational, and informational needs
of the residents of the City of Monterey Park by providing free and open access to its resources and services.
The mission of the Monterey Park Bruggemeyer Library is to meet the cultural, educational, and informational needs
of the residents of the City of Monterey Park by providing free and open access to its resources and services.
May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month
Officially proclaimed "Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month" by President Barack Obama, this month the 
Monterey Park Bruggemeyer Library will celebrate some of the cultures, traditions, and history of Asians Americans and Pacific Islanders in the United States.
The library is an integral part of the Asian Pacific American community in the city of Monterey Park and has been a proud presenter of many Asian Author Book Talks and programs that expound more on historical events that depict many omitted events from American History books. Working together with many Asian Pacific residents, historians and authors, the library has presented diverse programs that have depicted many Asian historical explorations and migration struggles and exhibited stunning Asian Art and Cultural displays. Currently on display this month in the lobby entrance of our library are the striking and vivid talents of several Asian children artists. These beautiful pictures of art are a true testament to the diversity of informational, entertaining and educational resources the library has to offer for this month. One look at these talented young artists will change your appreciation for only viewing Picasso, Monet, or Van Gogh imageries.
The library also boasts an International Collection from Asian to Pacific Islander books as well as many other cultural expressions. The International Collection will bring realization to any reader the need to explore more about other cultures and become more actively engaged in the ever changing fabric of the American landscape.
Please join us this month in two very significant presentations related to Asian Pacific American cultures. Our first presentation will be on Tuesday, May 1 titled, Chinese Sailed to America Before Columbus by author Charlotte Harris Rees. In commemoration of the Chinese Exclusion Act, on Sunday, May 6th in the Friends Room at 2 p.m., the library will proudly present A Portrait of Pride Book II. Guest speakers from the Chinese Historical Society of Southern California will talk about their new book and the Chinese American Legacies-First 160 Years in America.
-Norma Arvizu, Interim City Librarian
Lecture Series
Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month Program
Book Talk
Sunday, May 6
2 pm Friends Room
Guest speakers from the Chinese Historical Society of Southern California will talk about their new book, Portraits of Pride II Chinese American Legacies-First 160 Years in America. The book published by the Chinese Historical Society of Southern California features over 30 essays about outstanding Chinese Americans in many fields. Books are available for purchase at the event.
2 Films during the month of May
To celebrate Asian Pacific American Heritage Month in May, Monterey Park Bruggemeyer Library will present two Taiwanese films sponsored by TECO (Taipei Economic and Cultural Office, Los Angeles). Both films will start at 2:00PM in the library's Friends' Room on the 2nd floor. Admission is free to the public..
On May 16th (Wednesday), we will be showing a Taiwanese movie "Blue Brave: The Legend of Formosa in 1896".
On May 20th (Sunday), we'll be showing another Taiwanese movie "Our Island, Our Dreams".
The Friends of the Monterey Park Library will provide light refreshment for audience at the screenings. We welcome you and your family to come join us.
Speak Up for the Library! Why the Library is Important to Me
In celebration of National Library Week, April 8 - 14, the Monterey Park Bruggemeyer Library is asking patrons to tell us why the library is important to them.
Do you come to the library to check out the latest bestsellers? Enjoy story times with your children? Research job opportunities? Access the Internet? Receive homework help? Please tell us! Your responses might be posted here or on our website.
Comment cards are available at public desks. You can also e-mail the library at Library@montereypark.ca.gov. Thank you!
Why is the Library Important to Me Testimonials
“It is a resource for doing research and a place to do community service. I am really happy that I participated in the tutoring program and can help someone learn to read and write.” -Thanh Lieu
“The library is important to check out books and to learn. We have fun and enjoy ourselves as we are learning.”-Abuela. (Translated by Norma Arvizu)
“The library provides an opportunity for my daughter to enjoy a wide variety of books that would not otherwise be available to her as books are expensive and my daughter is not yet in a school with a library.”
The library gave me a great chance to meet my dear teacher. I can learn how to become a Citizen and improve my English skills and understand the American Culture.-Jean Ming Zeng
The library is helpful to us. It provides a clean, quiet, and comfortable space for learning. I come to the library to learn English. After I take some ESL classes, I have made some progress and learned more words. I thank all the volunteers and staff. –Si Ying Chen
“I love being able to check out the latest books. It would be too expensive to buy them. I just wish the library could be open for longer hours. I would spend more time there. It’s like a second home.” -Thanh Lieu
“The library is a very important aspect of my daily life. It provides a place that’s peaceful and quiet for someone like me. The library also has a wide range of classics that I can checkout during my free time which helps me get rid of my boredom. Thus, the library is very important to me and City Council should not cut the funding for something that is very beneficial to me and society.”- anonymous
Three Good Reads
Suspense and thriller readers will enjoy
Richard North Patterson’s new book,
Fall From Grace. The mysterious, violent death of a prominent New England patriarch exposes
a nest of dark family secrets in bestselling author Richard North Patterson’s twentieth compelling novel.
Mast
er of domestic suspense Harlan Coben delivers his trademark combination of page-turning thrills and
unrivaled insight into the dark shadows that creep into even the happiest communities in his new book, Stay Close.
Elizabeth George is the bestselling author of sixteen suspense novels. Her new book, an Inspector Lynley mystery, Believing the Lie 
reveals a tangled web of dark family secrets
with the investigation of an accidental drowning. Is it an accident? Or a murder?
These three good reads are available at the
Monterey Park Bruggemeyer Library.
Community Clean Up
City Council Member Teresa Real Sebastian honored the Junior Friends of the Library at the City Council presentation meeting on March 20th in the City Hall Council Chambers. They were presented with a certificate for their community service for the Community Clean Up Day at Cascades Park on February 18, 2012. The 13 Library Junior Friends honored include:
Victor Lee, Carmen Thai, Sylvia Thong, Melissa Huang, Michelle Li, Lynette Ma, Mary Wang, Angie Li, Cindy Tang, Guang Li, Joyce Peng, Erin Braden, Darren Braden (Teen Librarian)
Interested in volunteering?
You may be able to volunteer only briefly or you might be able to make a longer commitment. We will do our best to accommodate everyone who wants to give their time. Anyone who is interested in volunteering must complete an application which can be picked up from any of the library’s information desks or downloaded from this website. Here is a link to more information: http://montereyparklibrary.llwip.org/support/volunteer. If you have any questions, please contact Gwen Kishida, Volunteer Coordinator, at (626) 307-1269. We hope that you can get involved with the library!
Transforming Life After 50 Study
The Monterey Park Library received a grant from the California State Library to make a study of the baby boomer generation (ages 47-65) in the surrounding community. The research provided information regarding this generation's demographics, interests, education, etc.
Employment Development Department Outreach
EDD is currently conducting a public outreach campaign designed to raise customer awareness and encourage usage of new and online Unemployment Insurance (UI) services.
View their poster
Click EDD Debit Card resource page
