All LA County Library locations will be closed on Wednesday, January 1, 2025 in observance of New Year's Day. Libraries will close at 5 pm on December 31. Our digital library is open 24/7.
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Gardena Mayme Dear Library

Library Hours

  • Monday Closed
  • Tuesday 12 pm - 8 pm
  • Wednesday 12 pm - 8 pm
  • Thursday 10 am - 6 pm
  • Friday 10 am - 6 pm
  • Saturday 10 am - 6 pm
  • Sunday Closed

Holiday Closures

Get to Know This Library

About Gardena Mayme Dear Library

About Gardena Mayme Dear Library

Our Services

Our Services

Children's Services

Teen Services

Our Computers

Our Computers

  • Public Computers: 8
  • Children's Computers: 1
  • Laptop & Hotspot Kits: 8
  • Express Computers: 8
  • Homework Center Computers: 4
  • Early Learning Computers: 2

Our Community

Friends of the Library

Gardena Valley Friends of the Mayme Dear Memorial Library. a volunteer-run organization that supports the library and library events

Gardena Valley Friends of the Mayme Dear Memorial Library. provides the following services to support the library.

  • Friends of the Library Book Sale

Library History

Gardena Library was born under the sponsorship of the Wednesday Progressive Club before the Los Angeles County Free Library was founded in 1912.

In 1914, Gardena Library became a branch of the new County System. Only a few months later, the library was transferred to the jurisdiction of the Los Angeles City Library Board due to annexation. It was not until August 1951 that Gardena Library came back to the County System.

The present building was dedicated on December 5, 1964 and re-named Gardena Mayme Dear Memorial Library on May 30, 1992 in honor of the late Mrs. Mayme Dear for her many years of dedicated volunteer services to the library.

The Gardena Mayme Dear Library features an enclosed Japanese Garden designed by Takuma P. Tono, professor of landscape design at Tokyo Agriculture University. The 150-year-old stone lantern in the garden was a gift of Gardena’s sister city, Ichikawa. A mosaic mural above the main entrance depicts the development of books and printing.

The library was closed for refurbishment in 2008 and reopened in January 2009 with a fresh contemporary interior and new furniture. The Teen Space was dedicated in February 2011.

Political Representatives

Local Links

  • Daily Breeze: Online local and regional news articles and classifieds from the South Bay Daily Breeze, a local newspaper that serves the area.
  • Gardena One-Stop Employment and Business Center: One of several South Bay career guidance centers that offers free job training, retraining/transition services for dislocated workers, assessment of transferable job skills, workshops to develop interview skills, and assistance in the preparation of a professional resume.
  • El Camino College: Information on admissions, class schedules, community education programs, campus events, employment opportunities and more for this local community college in the South Bay area.
  • City of Gardena: Information on the city including history, services, departments, elected officials, budget, city council, local news and weather.
  • Los Angeles Unified School District: Includes information about the school district of interest to students, parents, and teachers. Includes the school district profile and list of schools for the local community.
  • Gardena Valley Japanese Cultural Institute: Serves the needs of the Japanese American community of the South Bay area through educational, cultural and social programs

Staff Picks (All Ages)

A monthly list of noteworthy titles selected by our Collection Development Services team.

See More Booklists

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