The library, named for longtime volunteer librarian Carole Reynolds, houses one of the most significant museum collections of books on California art and history. The non-circulating collection documents painting, sculpture, drawing, prints, photography, architecture, design, and performance from the early nineteenth century to the present. The library’s holdings comprise more than 4,000 books and exhibition catalogs and more than 2,000 ephemera including artist files, with a focus on California art.

Longtime volunteer and friend of the museum Carole Reynolds passed away on August 11, 2020. She was 96. Carole’s volunteerism at Laguna Art Museum began more than thirty years ago, in 1984. Seven years later she took on the responsibility of volunteer librarian, and, in the years that followed, she built an outstanding library of art, which included books, journals, and clipping records. In 2011, the library was named in her honor. Carole was also a docent for eighteen years, a founding member of the Arts Council, and an assistant to the Art Rental Gallery, where she arranged studio visits. In the community, Carole was president of the Friends of the Library, member (and one-time chair) of the Laguna Beach Art Commission, and co-founder of Community Art Project. As a devoted librarian, she set up the library at the Laguna College of Art + Design, selecting a core collection of 10,000 volumes, a requirement to assure the school’s accreditation.

Carole Reynolds graduated from Beverly Hills High School and Stanford University, and held a MS in Library Science from Immaculate Heart College. Carole and her late husband, Jack, lived in a charming historic home above Victoria Beach, where they enjoyed hosting friends for wine and cocktails at sunset.