Building Resilience After the Eaton Fire
Pasadena Public Library
Innovation Synopsis
When the Eaton Fire disrupted the Pasadena community in January 2025, the Pasadena Public Library transformed the Jefferson Branch Library into a lifeline for families—reimagining its space as a hub for learning, healing, and connection. In response to the emergency, Jefferson Branch Library became a cornerstone of recovery- creating a safe, structured hub for learning, care and connection while playing a critical role in supporting families and youth. Library staff stepped beyond their usual duties, fulfilling a variety of disaster response roles addressing trauma, providing innovative childcare alternatives, and offering structured, safe educational experiences during the crisis in collaboration with the Pasadena Unified School District and local first responders. The result was a model of library-led innovation that turned emergency response into lasting community resilience.
Challenge/Opportunity
Due to the Eaton Fire, library programming was modified and expanded to meet the community’s urgent needs. Families were in immediate need of childcare because schools and childcare programs were destroyed by fire. The Pasadena Public Library recognized this as an opportunity to reimagine its services—transforming the library into a flexible community hub for learning, care, and recovery. The following schedule demonstrates the library’s innovative and collaborative response:
January 8 – February 4, 2025: Jefferson Branch Library closed to the public for emergency use
January 14–31: Library hosts the Pasadena LEARNS program for displaced students
January 15 to 23: Fire and Police Departments lead Mental Health Programs
January 30 to present: PUSD Early Childhood Education Classes relocated to Jefferson
February 3-27: Altadena Library District staff relocated to Jefferson due to power outages affecting the area, ensuring uninterrupted access to vital library services for the community.
Key Elements of Innovation
At the height of a crisis, Pasadena redefined what a library could be. Jefferson Branch Library became an emergency childcare center for nearly 200 children per day. The library offered a safe, structured environment where children engaged in educational games, the arts, and other activities while their families dealt with the emergency.
Throughout the crisis, PUSD and library staff came together to lead learning programs designed to bolster emotional resilience and academic progress. The library combined efforts with the Fire and Police Departments, who visited the library multiple times to demonstrate firefighting equipment; explain fire safety through child-friendly, game-like analogies; foster discussions to help children process their emotions and promote well-being and emotional resilience.
This cross-agency model showcased the library’s ability to respond nimbly to disaster, creating a center for community resilience, trauma recovery, and innovative learning.
Achieved Outcomes
The Jefferson Branch Library became a cornerstone of community recovery, serving 2,628 children through emergency learning programs in January 2025. Additionally, 533 people attended wellness sessions provided in partnership with the Fire and Police Departments. These programs were vital for addressing trauma, providing childcare alternatives, and offering structured, safe educational experiences during the crisis. Since January 2025, four pre-kindergarten classes (58 students), have been relocated to Jefferson due to the fire.
Today, the Pasadena Public Library, Fire Department, and Police Department continue to operate collaboratively at Jefferson. This innovative, cross-agency environment has redefined how public institutions can share space and resources in times of crisis—creating a lasting model for coordinated emergency response, community well-being, and recovery-centered service delivery.
