Jefferson Parish Library (JPL) is the library system of
Jefferson Parish Jefferson may refer to:
Names
* Jefferson (surname)
* Jefferson (given name)
People
* Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826), third president of the United States
* Jefferson (footballer, born 1970), full name Jefferson Tomaz de Souza, Brazilian foot ...
,
Louisiana
Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...
. It has its headquarters in the East Bank Regional Library in
Metairie, an
unincorporated area
An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...
in the parish.
[Metairie CDP, Louisiana]
" U.S. Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...
. Retrieved on September 29, 2010.
History
Digested from a paper written by Cathy Gontar in 1998
Jefferson Parish, a long, narrow strip of land in southeastern Louisiana, stretches from the southern shore of
Lake Pontchartrain
Lake Pontchartrain ( ) is an estuary located in southeastern Louisiana in the United States. It covers an area of with an average depth of . Some shipping channels are kept deeper through dredging. It is roughly oval in shape, about from west ...
to Grand Isle on the Gulf of Mexico. Adjacent to Orleans and Plaquemines Parishes on the east and St. Charles and Lafourche Parishes on the west, it was named after President Thomas Jefferson, who was responsible for the Louisiana Purchase.
The police jury of Jefferson Parish passed a resolution of library establishment in 1946, and the first public library was opened November 30, 1949.
Branches were opened in major cities and towns. At first, none of the original library buildings were owned by the parish. The headquarters and Gretna Branch were originally at Huey P. Long and Fourth Streets on the West Bank, but later moved to Lafayette Street, and second to Second Street. The Gretna Branch in 1968 was moved out of the headquarters building on Second Street to its current location on Willow Drive. The Metairie, Jefferson, Kenner, Harahan, Marrero, Gretna, and Westwego branches were all opened in December 1949. The first Lafitte Branch opened in the town firehouse, and moved in 1982 to its present location on Highway 45. The one-room Grand Isle Branch opened in January 1950.
The Harahan Branch, built in 1955, is the oldest parish library in operation. The Wagner Branch, named for former Parish Librarian Charles Wagner, opened in 1964. The headquarters building on Causeway Boulevard opened in 1967, with closed stacks. The Grand Isle Branch, destroyed by Hurricane Betsy in 1965, was rebuilt in 1970. The Terrytown Branch on the west bank opened in 1974, and was the largest library in the system until the Belle Terre Branch was built in 1981. The Live Oak Library was built on the unexcavated ruins of the Live Oak Plantation in the early 1980s.
The Rosedale Library on Jefferson Highway was completed in 1987. North Kenner Branch, opened in 1985, became the largest parish library, superseded only by the Old Metairie Branch, which was completed in 1988. West Bank Regional was built and opened in 1990, upon the recommendations of HBW Associates of Dallas, a library consultant firm that did a detailed study of the library system in 1983.
The new Westwego Library opened in 1995, and is the largest branch on the west bank, and fourth largest in the library system. The Lakeshore Branch, located near historical Bucktown, was opened in 1995 as well. The new flagship library of the system is the new East Bank Regional, opened in 1997 with 100,000 feet of public space and a collection of 300,000 volumes.
The Marrero Branch, in a rented building on the west bank and which was recommended for closing by the 1983 library study, closed in 1997. In 1997, when library administration attempted to close the Kenner Library, housed in a small storefront on Williams Boulevard, it was opposed by members of the Jefferson Parish Council. The Kenner Library closed August 1, 1998.
A bookmobile was provided by the State Library, and by 1952 there were 3 bookmobiles, one for each side of the river and one for "colored" service. This service continued until the late 60's when the library began phasing out its 5 bookmobiles. The last two bookmobiles were replaced in 1986 by vans used by current outreach services, serving nursing homes, daycare centers, and qualified homebound individuals on both banks of the river.
The library's catalog and many other internet functions were automated in the late 1980s, and the branches first went on-line in 1990. Public microcomputers were also added for public use in the 90s.
Over the past several years, Hurricanes Gustav, Katrina and Rita extensively damaged several of the libraries:
Belle Terre Library: Hurricane Katrina damaged more than 50% of the library, requiring extensive renovations.
East Bank Regional Library: Minor water damage and wind damage on roof from Hurricane Katrina.
Grand Isle Library: Severe damage from Hurricanes Katrina and Gustav, requiring it to be rebuilt.
Gretna Library: Hurricanes Katrina and Gustav damaged 70% of the library, requiring it to be rebuilt.
Harahan Library: Minor damage from Hurricane Katrina, requiring moderate restoration.
Lafitte Library: Moderate damage from Hurricane Katrina but was badly damaged by Hurricane Rita, requiring it to be rebuilt.
Lakeshore Library: Hurricane Katrina damaged 70% of the library, requiring it to be rebuilt.
Live Oak Library: Hurricanes Katrina and Rita damaged 33% of the library, requiring extensive renovations.
North Kenner Library: Some damage during Hurricane Katrina and damage to 33% of the library from Hurricane Rita, requiring extensive renovations.
Old Metairie Library: Hurricane Katrina damaged 15% of the library, requiring modest restoration.
Rosedale Library: Virtually no damage from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
Terrytown Library: Hurricane Katrina damaged 20% of the library, requiring moderate restoration.
Wagner Library: Hurricane Katrina damaged 40% of the library, requiring extensive renovations.
West Bank Regional Library: Hurricanes Katrina and Rita damaged 35% of the library, requiring extensive renovations.
Westwego Library: Hurricane Katrina damaged 33% of the library, requiring extensive renovations.
Revised: October 2008
For more information about the current status of the Library, view the Director's Status Repor
here
Branches
East Bank:
* East Bank Regional Library (
Metairie, ''
unincorporated area
An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...
'')
* Harahan Library (
Harahan
Harahan is a city in the U.S. state of Louisiana and suburb of New Orleans. The city of Harahan is located in Jefferson Parish; its population was 9,116 at the 2020 census.
Etymology
Harahan was named in honor of James Theodore Harahan, presi ...
)
* Lakeshore Library (Metairie, ''unincorporated area'')
* North Kenner Library (
Kenner
Kenner Products, known simply as Kenner, was an American toy company founded in 1946. Throughout its history, the Kenner brand produced several highly recognizable toys and merchandise lines including action figures like the original series of ' ...
)
* Old Metairie Library (Metairie, ''unincorporated area'')
* River Ridge (
River Ridge, ''unincorporated area'')
* Rosedale Library (
Jefferson Jefferson may refer to:
Names
* Jefferson (surname)
* Jefferson (given name)
People
* Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826), third president of the United States
* Jefferson (footballer, born 1970), full name Jefferson Tomaz de Souza, Brazilian foo ...
, ''unincorporated area'')
* Wagner Library (Metairie, ''unincorporated area'')
West Bank:
* Jane O'Brien Chatelain West Bank Regional Library (
Harvey
Harvey, Harveys or Harvey's may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* ''Harvey'' (play), a 1944 play by Mary Chase about a man befriended by an invisible anthropomorphic rabbit
* Harvey Awards ("Harveys"), one of the most important awards ...
, ''unincorporated area'')
* Belle Terre Library (
Marrero, ''unincorporated area'')
* Cybermobile at Grand Isle Library (
Grand Isle)
* Gretna Library (
Gretna)
* Lafitte Library (
Jean Lafitte
Jean Lafitte ( – ) was a French pirate and privateer who operated in the Gulf of Mexico in the early 19th century. He and his older brother Pierre spelled their last name Laffite, but English language documents of the time used "Lafitte". Thi ...
)
* Live Oak Library (
Waggaman, ''unincorporated area'')
* Terrytown Library (
Terrytown, ''unincorporated area'')
[Terrytown CDP, Louisiana]
" U.S. Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...
. Retrieved on September 28, 2010.
* Edith S. Lawson Library in Westwego (
Westwego)
[Edith S. Lawson Library in Westwego]
" Jefferson Parish Library. Retrieved on September 28, 2010.
References
External links
Jefferson Parish Library
{{coord missing, Louisiana
Education in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana
Public libraries in Louisiana
Buildings and structures in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana