Greetings from What is California? HQ, where this week we chat with Greg Lucas, the California State Librarian.
I don’t think it’s any exaggeration to say that Lucas has the absolute coolest job in California. I met with him this summer at the State Library in Sacramento, where we chatted in a conference room that was probably bigger than my house, outfitted and adorned with photos, artwork, books and other artifacts from the Library’s collection.
That was just steps away from Lucas’ office in the library, which is itself a stunning reflection of an adventurous and accomplished life rooted very, very deeply in California. (And just upstairs from the chambers of the California Supreme Court, on which Greg’s father Malcolm Lucas served as the chief justice from 1987 to 1996.)
I sincerely recommend arranging a visit to the State Library however and whenever you can. There’s an amazing reading room that’s seen some nifty new renovations. There are tours and events and exhibitions and even a Shakespeare First Folio the Sutro Library outpost in San Francisco. Lucas will tell you about that, too.
It was one surprise after another in our chat—just another reminder how much greatness and wonder hides in plain sight all over California. Check out the show notes for this episode to learn more about everything we cover—and it’s a lot. As well as the California State Library and its offerings and how to visit.
Quick clarification: Lucas references a State Highway 106 over the Sonora Pass. For the record, the road over the pass is State Highway 108.
Thanks for listening! Keep your eye on the bear! 🐻 ❤️
Episode Notes
Greg Lucas is the California State Librarian.
The more I see of California, the more I realize how special we are. I’ve been to European countries. I’ve been to South American countries. I’ve been to Malaysia. I’m fairly well-traveled. I’ve yet to find a country that has everything California has. [...] We forget sometimes how extraordinary a place this is.
Notes and references from this episode:
@GregLucas20 - Greg Lucas on Twitter
California State Library - Visitor’s center
“Malcolm Lucas, former California chief justice, dies at 89,” by Bob Egelko, SFGate
Gov. George Deukmejian - California Governors’ Gallery / State Library
Stanislaus National Forest / Highway 108 Corridor - USDA
Episode 1: Gov. Jerry Brown - What is California?
“Kevin Starr, author of California histories and former state librarian, dies at 76,” by David Zahniser and Matt Hamilton
Mary Coin, by Marisa Silver
Migrant Mother, by Dorothea Lange
California: The Great Exception, by Carey McWilliams
Gov. George Pardee - California Governors’ Gallery / State Library
“California Democratic Heavyweight John Burton Exiting the Political Stage,” by Scott Shafer, KQED
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Produced, hosted and edited by Stu VanAirsdale
Theme music: Sounds Supreme
Twitter: @WhatCalifornia
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