PRESS RELEASE

Long Beach, CA – The Long Beach Public Library (LBPL) is participating in the California State Library Parks Pass Program to provide public library cardholders with free day-use vehicle entry passes to over 200 participating state park and beach locations. The California State Parks and California State Library have partnered to provide public libraries across the state with an allotment of California State Library Parks Passes to advance safe and equitable outdoor access for all Californians. A limited number of Parks Passes are now available for checkout at all LBPL locations.

“With summer just around the corner, it’s wonderful that our library system is working to help eliminate barriers to accessing our state parks and beaches so that our residents can enjoy California’s amazing open spaces, said Mayor Robert Garcia.”

Each LBPL cardholder may checkout one Parks Pass at a time for a period of seven days. Passes are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Holds for a Parks Pass can be placed through the Library’s online catalog. The pass is valid for entry of one passenger vehicle, with capacity of nine people or less, or one highway licensed motorcycle at participating state parks and beaches. Participating state parks and beaches can be found using the interactive map feature. The Parks Pass Program began statewide this month and is a three-year pilot program. 

“Research shows that spending time in the outdoors is associated with better mental and physical health, and that many Californians face barriers to accessing their parks,” said Christine Hertzel, Acting Library Services Director. “California has a wealth of state parks and beaches, and many public libraries are likely within driving distance of one. Through this partnership, we can help our residents explore the outdoors and generate positive impacts in the area of health, natural resource stewardship, and historical and cultural connections.”

More information about the new Parks Pass programs under the State’s Outdoors for All Initiative is available at parks.ca.gov/CaliforniaOutdoorsForAll. A list of ineligible locations can be found here.

About the City of Long Beach
Home to approximately 470,000 people, the multiple award-winning and innovative City of Long Beach offers all the world-class amenities of a large metropolitan city while maintaining a strong sense of individual and diverse neighborhoods nestled together along the California coast. As a full-service charter city, Long Beach is home to the Queen Mary, Aquarium of the Pacific, several museums and theaters, a highly-rated school district, Long Beach Airport, the Port of Long Beach, as well as many award-winning City departments such as Health, Parks, Recreation and Marine, Development Services and more. The City also has a highly-respected university and city college, two historic ranchos, five hospitals, five golf courses, 171 parks, miles of beaches, marinas, bike paths, and a Bike Share program.

For more information about the City of Long Beach, visit http://longbeach.gov/. Follow us on social to keep up with the latest news: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

About Long Beach Public Library
Long Beach Public Library, founded in 1896, serves a diverse urban city of close to half a million people. The Long Beach Public Library system includes the Billie Jean King Main Library and eleven neighborhood libraries and a vibrant online presence. In summer of 2017, the Long Beach Public Library was awarded the National Medal for Library and Museum Services in recognition of successful community-collaborations, innovative STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) and literacy-focused programs to the residents of Long Beach. With an emphasis on providing free and equal access to information and support for learning for a lifetime, the Library offers books, media, databases, Internet access, Family Learning Centers, makerspaces, and a variety of events ranging from story times to educational and cultural programs.

For more information, visit http://www.lbpl.org, “Like” the Long Beach Public Library on Facebook, and follow along on Twitter and Instagram.