The Altadena Library: An Unexpected Source for Music Discovery

I am a relatively new resident to Altadena, and I gotta tell ya, I'm pretty hooked.  I discovered a whole new reason to love Altadena today, and that is the selection of music at the Altadena Public Library.  A gloomy Thursday morning seemed like as good a time as any to finally venture over to the main branch, a mere 5 blocks from my house. 

Once I finished admiring all the mid-century decor and furnishings inside, I  headed over to the modest musical CD selection.  It was only a two-sided shelving unit, essentially one aisle, but I was pleasantly surprised by what I discovered once I pulled open the drawers.  The new arrivals section had a lot of good choices, including the Decemberists latest album, The King is Dead.  I delved a little deeper and ended up checking out 3 CD's, including American Roots Music: Highlights, The Band: Greatest Hits and Atlantic Rhythm and Blues: 1947-1974. 

 I enjoy perusing iTunes for music in pajamas with a glass of wine just as much as the next gal (TMI?), but  the short song previews they provide aren't always enough for me to commit to buying.  Having a free resource, like the Altadena Library, that allows me to delve deeper into various genres, and is a great way to try on music, so to speak.  Sometimes it takes a few listens to really appreciate a song, and this is a great no-cost way to do just that.

There are also some great music-related reads on the shelves, including the book on my nightstand right now, Life, the Keith Richards autobiography.  You can also check out a decent selection of sheet music for piano and guitar, however as a ukulele player, I felt slightly under-represented with only one book on the shelf that applied to my instrument of choice.

The library also takes donations of used CD's, and depending upon their condition, they will end up on the shelves for other patrons.  So if you are going completely digital with your music collection, you can drop off those archaic little discs, and I will be glad to check them out!   

Altadena Main Library

600 E. Mariposa St.

(626) 798-0833