Palos Verdes Library District is an independent special district which was formed in April 1928 under the provision of Sections 19600-19734 of the California Education Code and encompasses the entire approximate 28 square miles of the Palos Verdes Peninsula.
The purpose of forming the special library district was to permit residents of unincorporated towns and villages to create for themselves an independent, locally controlled library district supported by property taxes and governed by a locally elected Board of Library Trustees responsive directly to the service needs of the community. Since 1928, the Board of Library Trustees has utilized local revenues to create for the Palos Verdes Library District community a public library system which has served as a model for public libraries throughout the country.
Currently, Palos Verdes Library District provides library services to the cities of Palos Verdes Estates, Rancho Palos Verdes, Rolling Hills, Rolling Hills Estates, and to a small unincorporated Los Angeles County area, all of which lie within Palos Verdes Library District's boundaries and represents a population of approximately 68,000 people.
In 1983, the City of Rancho Palos Verdes annexed the Eastview area lying to the east of the Peninsula. In April 1987, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved annexation of this area to Palos Verdes Library District, and in May 1987, the Board of Library Trustees adopted the resolution approving the annexation. This added 723.5 acres to Palos Verdes Library District and an additional 8,000 residents. In November 1989, the Board of Library Trustees adopted Resolution 89-2 approving the annexation of Bridlewood Circle in Rolling Hills Estates, adding approximately 35 households.
Peninsula Center Library, which is the main library, was completed in 1967 and enlarged in 1995. It is located on Silver Spur Road in the City of Rolling Hills Estates. Palos Verdes Library District also has two branch libraries, Malaga Cove Library and Miraleste Library. Malaga Cove Library, adjacent to Farnham Martin Park in the City of Palos Verdes Estates, was designed by Myron Hunt and built in 1929. It was designated as a historical landmark in 1980 by the Rancho de los Palos Verdes Historical Society and placed on the National Register of Historic Places and the California register of Historical Resources in 1995. In July, 1999, Farnham Martin Park was deeded to the City of Palos Verdes Estates. Farnham Martin Park, designed by landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr., was added to the National and State registers in 1996. Miraleste Library was completed in 1970 and is adjacent to the Miraleste Intermediate School in Rancho Palos Verdes.
Palos Verdes Library District is governed by a Board of Library Trustees which derives its authority from the Education Code and consists of five elected members who must be qualified voters and residents of the Palos Verdes Library District. They serve without pay for four-year staggered terms and may be re-elected.
The Board of Library Trustees meets on the third Thursday of each month at Peninsula Center Library (or Malaga Cove Library or Miraleste Library if scheduled) to conduct its business, which includes making and enforcing all regulations necessary to govern Palos Verdes Library District, appointing the District Director, setting the yearly budget, and appropriating the funds necessary for Palos Verdes Library District operation. The Board of Library Trustees delegates administrative duties to the District Director who operates under policies set by the Board of Library Trustees.
Although Palos Verdes Library District is politically independent of the Board of Supervisors of Los Angeles County, the County does collect property tax revenues on behalf of Palos Verdes Library District and provides selected services for a fee, such as conducting elections.