In March 1933 , the Carnegie Library suffered considerable damage in the 1933 Long Beach earthquake which struck the area . The board authorized Catching Brothers Company to make the necessary repairs to the Carnegie building . 1934 saw the library lose its librarian of 23 years when Bertha Reynolds ( formerly Proctor ) resigned . She had seen the library grow from the small building at Walnut Avenue and 3rd Street to the Carnegie Building at Walnut Avenue and 8th Street , and now the library was outgrowing that facility . A preliminary set of plans was submitted to the Library Board by Architects McClelland , McDonald , and Markwith of Los Angeles , but the advent of World War II held up construction until 1949 . Margaret Kemp served as temporary librarian until Floyd Jorgensen filled the job in 1937 . When he left for the military , Lylyan Mossinger took over and served until 1959 . On Friday , July 13 , 1951 , the Carnegie Library closed its doors after almost 40 years of service . When the doors closed , the library had a total of 42,000 volumes . On Sunday , September 30 , 1951 , the new library building at 525 Main Street was dedicated by Mayor Vernon Langenbeck . The library was built at a cost of $ 140,000 . Members of the Library Board at the time of the dedication were Pearl M. Jones , president , Berta Tovatt , J. K. McDonald , Edith Vavra , and G. H. Hasson
1933 Long Beach earthquake
1933 Long Beach earthquake
Huntington Beach Public Library