Bookish Biomes: Assembling Nature’s Histories at the Clark Library

The Clark Library preserves and provides access to over 130,000 books, manuscripts, and artworks dating from the 15th century to the present. But there is a library of living things on the five acres of green space outside the library’s building, too. This event will bring together both our indoor and outdoor collections, as we explore nature’s histories – and its present!

Participants will learn about bees and beekeeping from the Bruin Beekeepers, go on bird walks with experienced guides from Los Angeles Birders, learn about how people in the past studied and collected the natural world through our library collections, and talk to representatives from other nature- and garden-minded local groups. Attendees will also be able to make their own field notebooks, participate in a Clark Library bioblitz to help expand our knowledge of the library’s outdoor collections, trade plant cuttings and seeds with other attendees, plant seeds to take home from our heirloom seed library – and more!

All ages are welcome! Registration is free, but limited; please fill out the form below. Guests are welcome to bring a lunch and picnic on the Clark grounds, and to explore all of the day’s activities at their own pace. The Clark can be reached via LA Metro and LADOT Dash public transit, and free parking and bike racks are available on site; please see here for more information and directions.

More information:
What is a BioBlitz?
As defined by the National Geographic Society, “A BioBlitz is an event that focuses on finding and identifying as many species as possible in a specific area over a short period of time. At a BioBlitz, scientists, families, students, teachers, and other community members work together to get a snapshot of an area’s biodiversity.”

What is iNaturalist?
iNaturalist is a crowd-sourcing tool for documenting organisms in the natural world. It’s a particularly great tool for collecting BioBlitz data and makes it easy to photograph and document discoveries.
https://www.inaturalist.org/
Here are some of the things iNaturalist users have already seen at the Clark Library. What else can we find? https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/clark-library-biodiversity

Do I need to bring anything?
No! Supplies for all of the day’s activities will be provided for participants – except for the Propagation Station and Seed Swap, which will depend on you! You are welcome to bring seeds or plant cuttings (preferably already with roots growing) that you’d like to share and swap with others at the event.

The event is free to attend and will be held in-person at the Clark Library. Registration will close on Wednesday, May 15 at 5:00 p.m. Walk-in registrants are welcome as space permits.

Image: Beauties and wonders of vegetable life or, rambles in parks, forests, conservatories, orchards, gardens, fields and heaths. London: Religious Tract Society, 1866. Clark call number Armstrong B383