Our Views: New library is on track

We’re glad that construction seems to be on track for Baton Rouge’s new Main Library, the headquarters library of the East Baton Rouge Parish Library.

The new $35 million library could be open to the public by late fall, library officials said during a recent tour of the library site. The new library is being built behind the existing Main Library at 7711 Goodwood Blvd. Construction has limited parking at the existing library, which already boasts a busy parking lot on many days of the week. High traffic at the Main Library underscores the significant use that the library gets from patrons. The parking lot seems especially full on Sundays, a popular time for students researching homework projects and using the library’s computers.

The current Main Library, built in 1968 and renovated in the 1970s and 1990s, is showing its age, and it’s rather cramped, too, with little room left for new collections. The new Main Library building should give the library plenty of room to grow. We look forward to its opening before the end of the year.

Comments

1) Comment by anniegurl - 12/03/2013

Hello Baton Rouge -- judging from the actions of our governor and our local citizens, schools are NOT a place for learning anymore and that's just one more reason to support your local library... If you don't want to drive on BR's pothole-laden streets in order to take your kids to the library, that's your choice. If you do risk the potholes to go to the library and your kids just get on facebook while they're there -- that's also on YOU. If you want to stay home and let your kids google their way to ignorance, that's good too -- the library will still be there for you when you're abandoned by your ignorant and ungrateful children. They'll have large print books to accommodate your failing eyesight and free movies to entertain you on your fixed income. They'll even come to visit you in the nursing home (unlike your kids). Just keep hatin'...

2) Comment by Gradstudent1 - 09/03/2013

Hello Baton Rouge, I'm glad you have the money to buy hand held devices and e-books for your children. Many parents can not afford to do so. And you probably think your kids are doing just find Googling all the information they need for school. Obviously you, and your children, are unaware of the vast amount of information out there that is not freely available on your hand held devices. Libraries, such as public and academic ones, provide subscription databases that are unavailable when you Google. If your kids are planning on going to college they better get used to using a library to use databases. Hey, you don't even have to leave your house because with a FREE library card you can access the databases on your devices. EBR libraries even now have Zino which allows patrons free access to many magazines. However, a librarian can guide you to the most reliable sources and save you a lot of time. Libraries also offer a tremendous amount of programs that are informative, educational, and fun. And for me, browsing through stacks of books to find the perfect read can not be accomplished with a hand held device. And lets not forget free meeting rooms. If more kids will read with a hand held device, that's great, but don't think they can replace a library -a physical and virtual one.

3) Comment by Hello Baton Rouge - 04/03/2013

Right, because schools aren't a place for learning.

4) Comment by BRLA1982 - 03/03/2013

Hello Baton Rouge, you totally miss the point of a library as a public space for learning. You just go ahead and keep your kids safe in your house away from everyone else.

5) Comment by Hello Baton Rouge - 03/03/2013

Im glad to see millions in tax money being spent on new libraries. Our children have no way on earth to get the information contained in a library by just sitting home all day. Its not like the book wizard can magically let them snap their fingers and have these books appear on some sort of fancy hand held device. We should get out and maneuver around the pot-hole laden streets to take our children to libraries and hope they don't sit there chatting on facebook when we think they are doing research.

6) Comment by BRLA1982 - 02/03/2013

I love the outdoor terrace balcony idea and media room.

7) Comment by [e-mail] - 02/03/2013

More libraries means less community activists.