Don’t judge a book by its covers they say and Cerritos Library lives true to these words. At a glance, the library is an aberration from the future. Dressed in bands of thick titanium plates glinting gold in the sunlight, the library’s exterior is a physical manifestation of the stereotypical image associated with architecture of the future. The illusion still lasts at the onset of the library with swaying palms rooted in soil within the building’s interior, open skylights drenching the gallery in natural light to lose yourself in the pages of a well worn novel.

Strolling further in, you’re transported into the underground palace of the little mermaid. The filtered blue light casts tinted shadows on your face as placid sharks the size of your forearm drift past between the fronds of anemone and stiff branches of coral. Ariel’s wonderland is set adjacent to a piece from the Jurassic, the terrifying maw of a dinosaur gaping in anticipation of closing around your bare neck. This marks the start of the children’s section labeled across an entry of open books. On the opposite end, one would seemingly trip and walk into a Gentleman’s Book Club from 19th Century Europe. The Old World Reading Room is constantly lit by mellow lamplight casting a welcoming glow upon the wooden furniture and upholstery that invite readers to let hours slip past unnoticed within their comfortable embrace.

The themed spaces don’t just end there. The Cerritos has amassed unique collections which explore the expression of human thought in the all its forms, written, spoken and artistically expressed on a myriad of media. Interesting relics of print which can rightfully be considered works of art sit alongside the works of spotlighted artists to reveal the nuances of human expression to anyone who dares to explore. Slipping through corridors as you would through the pages of a book, take a leap into exhilarating worlds in the comfort of an armchair at the Cerritos Library.