Altadena Library District Director Passes Away; 67

The Altadena main and branch Public Libraries will be closed on Friday, December 7 to commemorate the life of its late Director Barbara J. Pearson.

Pearson died at the age of 69 on Saturday, December 14 at 10:00 p.m. She had been at Pomona Valley Hospital recuperating from pneumonia.

“The suddenness of her passing took us all by surprise. It was truly a shock to her family, friends, and those who worked with her,” said Acting Director Pauli Dutton. “We all expected her to recover and return.”

Pearson served as the library’s director for the past nine years. She was able to update the library’s integrated system, modernize the interior of both main and branch libraries and renovate the infrastructure with new wiring to expand the library’s public computers from 10 to 40.

“She was a creative visionary, a dynamic leader and a good friend who cared deeply about the library and all of us,” Dutton said. “She will be deeply missed and mourned.”

The late diretor also began the library’s Art on Millionaire’s Row annual arts and crafts fair and salon. She had also worked hard on planning and raising funds to update the main library facility to bring it into ADA compliancy but passed before this goal could come to fruition.

Previous to her position at Altadena, Pearson also served as chief librarian for the city of Burbank Public Library where she oversaw the construction of Buena Vista Library Branch which was labeled a high-tech yet homey example of excellent library design and quickly became a popular destination for its community and librarians throughout California.

Pearson also served as the library director for the city of El Segundo for 10 years where she was credited with leading a library renovation and expansion project.

She graduated from UC Santa Barbara with a master’s in library science from UCLA and later worked at Covina Public Library, Honnold Mudd Library for the Claremont Colleges and Ontario City Library.

She also served as a network administrator for the Online Computer Library Center’s Pacific Division, where she handled public library contracts and coordinated scheduling for telecommunications hook-ups.

She is survived by her daughter, two sisters and a grandson. In honor of Pearson, the Board of Library Trustees voted to name the library’s meeting hall the Barbara J. Pearson Community Room.

Pearson’s life will be celebrated on Friday, December 27 at Our Lady of the Assumption, 435 N. Berkeley Ave., Claremont. Condolences may be sent to her daughter Kathleen Flynn, in care of Altadena Main Library, 600 East Mariposa St., Altadena.