Thursday, December 30, 2010

Welcome to the Lafayette Public Library in Lafayette, Louisiana. We serve Lafayette Parish, including these municipalities - Lafayette, Broussard, Carencro, Duson, Scott, and Youngsville, unincorporated Milton, and the unincorporated areas of Lafayette Parish. Our library website is here. Our online catalog is here.

We currently have 10 library locations around the city/parish.

We have a major library expansion project underway. On November 5, 2002, the voters of Lafayette Parish approved a $40 million bond issue for the purpose of constructing, acquiring and improving public library buildings in the Parish, and acquiring the necessary land, equipment, library books and furnishings for these libraries. Our goal is to provide a library within 3.5 miles of 95% of the Lafayette Parish residents.

Over the next decade, we will be building new regional libraries around the parish and renovating the 35 year old Main Library building.

The North Regional Library opened on September 29, 2007. Details about the opening and location can be found on our blog. The facility is 12,564 square feet. Here's our construction blog for this project.

The South Regional Library officially opened on April 14, 2009.   The facility is 37,600 square feet. Here's our construction blog for this project.

The Main Library renovations will be underway beginning in 2011.  The Library staff is in the process of moving services and collections to the temporary Downtown Library at 538 Jefferson Street.  Once we have completely moved out, renovations can begin to the 63,000 square foot, 3-story Main Library facility.  Here's our construction blog for this project. From the blog, you can access a fly-by of the proposed exterior and interior changes. We've also posted preliminary furniture/floor plans on the blog. The architect is MBSB Group (Allen Bacque, principal).

The Library Board approved the Building Program for the East Regional Library in December 2010.  The library is planned on several acres of land on the city/parish park that includes the Fabacher Field Baseball complex.  Here's our construction blog for this project.

Property search and site selection will continue in 2011 for the future West Regional Library. We are refining our target area and hope to post an RFP for property later in the year. Here's our construction blog for this project.