An Era Ends at Venice’s Public Library

Lucille Cappas has been the manager of Venice’s public library longer than the Abbot Kinney Memorial Branch has existed.

“When I began here 28 years ago, Venice’s library was on California Ave.,” she said.

The old Spanish style building had dark oak paneling and a fireplace with an Emily Dickinson line carved along the top, “There is no frigate like a book, To take us lands away.”

The solid building was erected in 1930. It came through the 1933 Long Beach earthquake without a crack. Still the structure was small, and out of the way. Today it is being used as the Vera Davis McClendon Youth and Family Center.

Cappas oversaw the move to the new, larger , between North and South Venice Boulevard in 1995. The airy, modern building is better suited for the high tech demands of the 21st century.

“I see this branch as a true community center,” Cappas said.

Today, the Venice branch offers a range of activities from toddler story time to movie nights. There are banks of computers, racks of bestsellers and paperbacks, a music collection and an adult literacy program.  A group of regulars uses the wi-fi internet and computers.

Anybody with a library card can access the catalog online and order books from all over the city of Los Angeles for local pick up. The library will even send an email reminder when books are ready and when they are due back. Best of all, the services are free.

Cappas’ ties to Venice run deep. As a child, she lived on the peninsula. “Back then it was not a particularly nice neighborhood,” she told me. “It was filled with oil wells and smells.”

Cappas is particularly proud of her branch’s . Many of the acquisitions are funded by the periodic Friends of the Venice Library book sales, a great place to upgrade one’s personal library or to cull books gathering dust. The next one is scheduled for Saturday, June 4 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Although I had seen Cappas around for years, I got to know her better when I produced a piece on the Venice Centennial for Fox 11 News. Cappas generously allowed me to scan as many photos of old Venice as I cared to use from the branch’s extensive archives. Nearly every photo in my piece is from the library.

It isn’t always easy dealing with the public, especially when they range from the affluent to the indigent. But although Cappas enforces the rules, she has always approached her work with a pleasant, helpful demeanor and a ready laugh.

“She has a great connection with community and she’s been a great boss," said librarian Neil Citrin who has worked with Cappas for the past 12 years.

Librarian Sergio Graciano concurred. "She's the best boss I've ever had," he told me.

Eva Mitnick, acting manager of youth services for the Los Angeles Public Library, told me that she found it hard to believe that Cappas was retiring.

"As a Venice resident for most of my life, I can hardly imagine the Venice Branch of the Los Angeles Public Library without Lucille," Mitnick said. "I worked for her as Children's Librarian for nine years and saw firsthand how she shaped the library and its friends' group to be a vibrant part of the Venice community." 

When I asked Cappas what she will miss the most when she retires, “My coworkers and the patrons, who have made this job worthwhile," Cappas said.

Our library manager's last day will be Friday, June 17. As a long-time library patron, I have been grateful for her help over the years. Her presence will be missed.