About the Library

The Cerritos Library is operated by the City of Cerritos and serves the informational, educational, professional, recreational and general interest needs of the community. The award-winning Cerritos Library is the world's first "Experience Library," incorporating themed spaces to stimulate patrons' imagination. Cerritos Library offers an extensive collection of physical and digital resources, museum-quality exhibitions and an exciting collection of artwork.

Awards and Recognition

The Cerritos Library was named “Best Public Library” by “Reader’s Digest” in 2004; a “Best Library for Children” distinction from “Los Angeles” magazine in 2008; and has attained a five-star rating in the “Library Journal’s” national rating of public libraries.

First Floor

Entrance/Main Street

When patrons enter the Cerritos Library, they encounter a welcoming space called "Main Street." A video wall enlivens this area with program and service announcements. The highlight of the entrance is a spectacular 15,000-gallon saltwater aquarium with a viewing area that is 10 feet high and 21 feet wide.

Children's Area

The Children's area has a "Save the Planet" theme. The entryway is framed by giant books with classic children's book titles. One side of the saltwater aquarium, framed in titanium, can be viewed from the Children's area. 

The Children's area offers thousands of books. Special sections are dedicated to parenting, award-winning books and such genres as science fiction and mystery novels. Children's books are also available in such languages as Chinese, Gujarati, Hindi, Tamil, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, Tagalog, and Vietnamese. 

A special feature of the Children’s Library is Stan, a 40-foot-long authentic replica of a Tyrannosaurus Rex fossil. Stan was acquired by the City of Cerritos from the Black Hills Institute of South Dakota.

A lighthouse, rainforest tree, space shuttle model and geologic time line are also exhibited in the Children's Library. The "Wetlands" workstation area offers computers with internet access and iPads with educational apps.

The Children's area also has a Little Theater and Arts Studio which are used for programs such as Storytime and Arts and Crafts.

Old World Reading Room

Across from the Children's area, Main Street leads to the Old World Reading Room.  This room features leather-bound classic books and new books. The Old World has rich, dark colors with comfortable, inviting furniture. A fireplace with a fire hologram adds to the room's peaceful appeal for patrons who would like to sit and read a book.

Music Room, Local History Room, Bookstore and City Hall After Hours

The Cerritos Library is dedicated to the First Ladies of the United States of America. Former First Lady Patricia Nixon lived in the community when she was a child and teenager. A Music Room with a collection of CDs, Local History Room, Friends of the Library Bookstore and City Hall After Hours area are located just past the Old World Reading Room.

The Circulation Desk is also in this area. Patrons can visit the Circulation Desk or can check out materials at convenient self-checkout stations located throughout the Library.

Great Room

Main Street then leads to the Great Room. The Great Room features Arts and Crafts Style furnishings and is an inviting location for readers, offering rocking chairs, sofas and lounge chairs. Each lounge chair has a port so patrons can plug in a laptop computer and access a high-speed Internet connection. The floor lamps have an access panel at arm height that opens to power and a port connection. Collections of current magazines, newspapers and paperback novels are located in this area.

Art Deco Room

Adjacent to the Great Room is the Art Deco Room with the multimedia collection of DVDs and Blu-Ray Discs of feature films, documentaries and instructional materials. The Art Deco Room's portal design was inspired by the Pan Pacific Theater. The room provides a beautifully designed space patrons to read, study or work in small groups. Study tables include data ports so patrons can plug in and use their laptop computers. The room features display cases with changing exhibitions.

Teen Studio

A wall of etched glass separates the Art Deco Room from the Teen Studio, a dedicated, multi-purpose space where teens can participate in activities that encourage their educational, creative and personal development. The Teen Studio offers state-of-the-art technology, group and individual study areas and the Cerritos Library’s young adult collection.

Second Floor

Reference Desk

The second floor of the Library, called 21^st Century, can be reached by elevators or an escalator. The Reference Desk is located at the top of the escalator and resembles a time machine. A mural etched on metal on the front of the desk depicts images spanning from the beginning of time through the imagined distant future.

Study Rooms are located near the Reference Desk. One of the study rooms is equipped with Access Plus adaptive technology hardware and software. Dozens of computers with broadband access and popular software programs are located in the 21^st Century. Patrons can also use the adjacent Print Center to print, scan and fax documents. The 21^st Century also features café-style tables for patrons to sit and converse.

Adult Collections

The Non-Fiction Collections are located beyond the Reference Desk.  The fixtures and furnishings in this area continue the futuristic theme.  All of the tables are equipped with ports for computer access.

World Traditions Area

A staircase from the 21^st Century leads to World Traditions area. World Traditions continues the Art Deco theme from the first floor, but with an Asian influence, in a style known as Shanghai Art Deco. World Traditions features the adult Fiction Collection and materials in foreign languages.

Third Floor

Conference Center

The third floor Conference Center offers a Board Room, Hi-Tech Training Lab and multipurpose Skyline Room. The 3,200-square-foot Skyline Room is an elegant space that can accommodate up to 250 guests and may be used for banquets, meetings and presentations. It can be divided into two rooms and is adjacent to a catering kitchen and green room. 

The Skyline Room Terrace offers panoramic views of Cerritos.

The 1,200-square-foot Hi-Tech Training Lab provides computers for 27 people in tiered seating. A computer workstation for an instructor and a display monitor are also available. 

The 500-square-foot Board Room provides a perfect space for small meetings of up to 15 people. The Board Room has a round configuration, a stylish wooden table with ports for computer access, and comfortable seating. Wood paneling around the room conceals a display monitor.

Architecture

The Cerritos Library’s architecture blends traditional and futuristic elements. As the first floor of the Library offers traditional library services, the architectural design is also traditional. The first floor design features concrete framing the structure in the Pavilion architectural style that was used in the earlier phases of the Library. As the second and third floors of the Library are future-oriented, the exterior is wrapped in a golden skin of titanium. The Library is the first titanium-clad public building in North America. Titanium expresses the concept of change as it has subtle color shifts from reflecting the angle of the sun and atmospheric conditions. Titanium also allows for a fluid architectural design with compound curves. The material suggests the Library's "Save the Planet" theme as it does not have a negative impact on the environment and is maintenance free. The building was designed by Charles Walton and Associates.