The Palos Verdes Library District (PVLD) is an independent special-purpose library district serving the 70,000 residents of the Palos Verdes Peninsula in Southern California. PVLD is governed by an elected Board of Library Trustees that consists of five members who voluntarily serve without monetary compensation. PVLD's three libraries - Peninsula Center Library, Malaga Cove Library, and Miraleste Library - serve the cities of Palos Verdes Estates, Rancho Palos Verdes, and Rolling Hills Estates, California and the community of Rolling Hills, California.

Each year the three branches of the PVLD record a door-count of over 600,000 and circulate nearly 850,000 items out of their collection of 381,000+ items. The PVLD employs 81 employees as of March 2007 (37 full-time and 44 part-time).

Services offered

PVLD's website offers access to a wealth of information including historic photos of the Palos Verdes Peninsula, information about early Japanese farmers on the Peninsula, databases and full-text magazine and newspaper articles, downloadable audio and e-books, information about upcoming events and programs, and downloadable video.

It offers interlibrary loans and a passport acceptance agency. The Peninsula Center Library has three notary public staff persons.

PVLD partners with the Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District to improve the quality of education for Palos Verdes students, with the Palos Verdes Peninsula Chamber of Commerce to support local businesses, and with other local organizations to enhance the quality of life on the Palos Verdes Peninsula.

Volunteers

The Peninsula Friends of the Library is an all-volunteer membership organization founded in 1961 to enhance the services and programs of the Peninsula libraries. Its membership fees, along with funds raised through book sales and the Library Shop at Peninsula Center Library, and other events are used to provide ongoing support for many services and programs including:

• Special purchases of items for the library collections, furnishings, and equipment.

• Sunday Hours at the Peninsula Center Library

• Internet access at all libraries

• Summer Reading Program

• Library Update newsletter

Children services

The Palos Verdes Library District offers thirteen storytimes a week throughout the district. The storytimes, aimed at a wide range of ages, are conducted by professional librarians who read stories and incorporate songs, movement, and puppets. There are also craft programs and programs designed especially for school-aged children including the Miraleste Teen Book Club.

Adult services

The district also offers computer classes on the Internet, computer basics, e-mail, an online catalog, online databases, knitting club, chess club, and a history discussion group at the Malaga Cove Library.