Our History
History of the Pointe Coupee Parish Library
The Pointe Coupee Parish Library was established on April 27, 1941, after three decades of efforts to provide organized library services to the people of Pointe Coupee Parish. From its beginnings as a private reading room in 1910, the library evolved through community initiative, federal assistance, and public support into a modern parish-wide system serving generations of residents.
Timeline
History of the Pointe Coupee Parish Library: Timeline
Early Library Services
In 1910 the Adrienne Lawrence Library and Reading Room was established by Mrs. Ferd C. Claiborne, née Adrienne Lawrence of New Orleans. After moving to New Roads upon her marriage to Mr. Claiborne, Mrs. Claiborne brought with her an extensive collection of books and made them available to the public for a nominal monthly fee. The Library and Reading Room operated in a store building at 303 E. Main Street, a location later occupied by Raymond’s Pharmacy.
Following the discontinuation of this library, several years passed before library service was reestablished in the parish. In 1934, Mrs. Claiborne, Mrs. Alan Wurtele, and members of the Book Club of New Roads combined their collections to establish a new library with assistance from the Works Progress Administration (WPA). The library occupied space in the rear of what was then Hebert’s Jewelry Store at 102 E. Main Street. Miss Eloise Herring, later Mrs. E. H. Cotton, served as the first librarian, earning one dollar per week.
In 1910 the Adrienne Lawrence Library and Reading Room was established by Mrs. Ferd C. Claiborne, née Adrienne Lawrence of New Orleans. After moving to New Roads upon her marriage to Mr. Claiborne, Mrs. Claiborne brought with her an extensive collection of books and made them available to the public for a nominal monthly fee. The Library and Reading Room operated in a store building at 303 E. Main Street, a location later occupied by Raymond’s Pharmacy.
Following the discontinuation of this library, several years passed before library service was reestablished in the parish. In 1934, Mrs. Claiborne, Mrs. Alan Wurtele, and members of the Book Club of New Roads combined their collections to establish a new library with assistance from the Works Progress Administration (WPA). The library occupied space in the rear of what was then Hebert’s Jewelry Store at 102 E. Main Street. Miss Eloise Herring, later Mrs. E. H. Cotton, served as the first librarian, earning one dollar per week.
As the collection and patronage increased, the library soon outgrew its quarters. In 1938, it moved above what was then Weill’s Department Store in the Gosserand Building at 116 W. Main Street. The collection continued to expand through the contributions of the Book Club, whose members donated one book per year, as well as through fundraising activities and additional assistance from the WPA.
Establishment of the Pointe Coupee Parish Library
A major step toward establishing a permanent parish library came during the construction of the annex to the Pointe Coupee Parish Courthouse in 1939–1940. Mrs. August Bondy, née Annie Hayes, president of the Book Club of New Roads, persuaded the Police Jury to collaborate with the Louisiana Library Commission in establishing a Demonstration Library in the new courthouse annex.
In 1941, the Police Jury unanimously voted to appropriate $800 for the project. The Louisiana Library Commission agreed to provide up to $12,000 worth of books, professional library assistance, and a bookmobile to extend library service to rural areas of the parish.
The Police Jury became the governing authority of the new library and leased a portion of the Hurst property on the west side of Court Street, opposite the Courthouse Annex. Library headquarters and a garage for the bookmobile were constructed on the property.
The official opening of the Pointe Coupee Parish Library Reading and Circulation Room in the Courthouse Annex took place on April 27, 1941. The chairman of the Louisiana Library Commission, J. O. Modisette, presided over the opening.
The first Library Board of Control consisted of Mrs. August Bondy, Mrs. Gilmer L. LaCour, Mrs. George Pitcher, Mrs. A. N. Smith, and Hon. Henry A. Rougon, president of the Police Jury, serving ex officio.
Public Support and Financial Development
As the year of the Demonstration Library project ended, the Library Board asked the Police Jury to call an election to establish a one-mill tax for continued library operations. Although a motion was passed to hold such an election, it was subsequently rescinded because of the demands and priorities associated with World War II.
Instead, the Police Jury appropriated $6,500 for library expenses in 1942. For nearly two decades thereafter, the Library Board continued to request a dedicated tax for library support. Each year until 1961, however, the Police Jury determined that a tax election was inappropriate and continued to provide financial support through direct appropriations.
A significant milestone came in 1961, when Pointe Coupee Parish voters approved a three-mill tax for ten years for library maintenance, together with a one-mill tax for five years for real estate and facilities. This provided the financial foundation for a major expansion of library facilities and services throughout the parish.
Expansion of Library Facilities
The 1961 tax approval made possible the development of permanent library facilities. The heirs of Mr. and Mrs. Ferd Claiborne, together with the Town of New Roads, donated lots at the corner of Claiborne and Napoleon Streets for construction of a new library headquarters. The children of Mr. and Mrs. J. W. Campbell donated a lot for a branch library in Morganza. The Pointe Coupee Parish School Board provided sites on the high school campuses in Innis, Livonia, and Rougon for branch libraries serving those communities.
Construction of the new New Roads headquarters began in October 1966. One year later, the 8,700-square-foot facility opened to the public. The building included a reading room, community meeting room, kitchen, bookmobile port, work areas, and staff kitchen and lounge.
The library’s growth and accomplishments were recognized in 1963, when the Pointe Coupee Parish Library received the prestigious Modisette Award for Public Libraries. The award honored a Louisiana parish library that had demonstrated the greatest progress during the preceding year.
Service During an Era of Segregation
The Pointe Coupee Parish Library also played a significant role in expanding access to library services during the era of legal segregation. Beginning in 1962, the library extended service to African Americans through bookmobile visits to schools.
In 1963, the library established the Rivers Frederick Branch near the northwest corner of New Roads and 11th Streets. The branch was named in honor of Dr. Rivers Frederick, a native son of Pointe Coupee Parish who became prominent in medicine and insurance in New Orleans.
The Rivers Frederick Branch operated for several years before being discontinued, after which library service in New Roads was consolidated at the headquarters at 201 Claiborne Street.
Modernization and System-Wide Growth
In 1995, the New Roads headquarters underwent an extensive renovation and expansion. Two years later, in 1997, the library implemented a system-wide computer network, marking an important transition into the digital era.
The library continued to expand its physical presence throughout the parish. New branch facilities were constructed in Innis in 2012 and Livonia in 2021. Each facility encompasses approximately 10,000 square feet, with the Innis branch also featuring a large meeting room in an adjacent building for community use.
Throughout its history, the Pointe Coupee Parish Library has continually adapted its collections and services to changing technology and public interests. In addition to books and periodicals, the library’s resources have included microfilm copies of the Pointe Coupee Banner, Pointe Coupee Parish assessment rolls, and Freedmen’s Bureau reports. Over the years, the collection and circulating services expanded to include audio recordings, music CDs, DVDs, Playaways, Kindle devices, online databases, laptops, and other forms of digital media.
Preserving Pointe Coupee's History
The library’s commitment to preserving the history of the parish was significantly strengthened in 2009 with the inauguration of the Pointe Coupee Parish Library Historic Materials collection.
This ongoing initiative has brought together photographic, documentary, and audiovisual materials reflecting more than three centuries of Pointe Coupee’s history. Tens of thousands of items have been collected, preserved, and digitized, with materials continually being added to the library’s website. Through this work, the library serves not only as a center for reading and education but also as an important repository of the community’s collective memory.
Programs and Community Services
Throughout the generations, the Pointe Coupee Parish Library has provided a wide range of programs and services to residents and visitors of all ages. Longstanding programs include the Summer Reading Program, Children’s Story Hour, and the RELIC Reading Program. The library has also provided study rooms for tutoring and ACT preparation, along with public computers, photocopying, faxing, and other services that meet the educational, informational, and communication needs of the community.
The library also provides facilities for community functions and has served during times of crisis. It has provided critical communication and accommodation services during natural disasters, including the temporary refuge in Pointe Coupee Parish of evacuees from Hurricane Katrina.
A Continuing Legacy of Service
The history of the Pointe Coupee Parish Library is a chronicle of community commitment, public investment, and continuing adaptation. What began in 1910 with a private collection of books made available to the public developed, through the dedication of civic-minded residents, library professionals, public officials, and community organizations, into a comprehensive parish library system.
The continued support of Pointe Coupee Parish voters through renewal of the millage dedicated to library services has provided a foundation for the system’s growth. Equally important have been the successive members of the Library Board of Control and the dedicated library staff who have guided the institution through changing times while maintaining its commitment to education, information, culture, and community service.
For more than a century, the Pointe Coupee Parish Library has evolved alongside the community it serves. Its history reflects the changing ways people read, learn, communicate, and preserve their heritage. Its enduring mission remains rooted in the same principle that inspired the parish’s earliest library advocates: making knowledge and information accessible to the public.
Pointe Coupee Parish Librarians / Directors
1941 Elizabeth Cammack
1944 Lelia Branch Foster
1946 Dora L. “Dodie” Beridon
1948 Clara Griffon
1949 Catherine O’Toole
1952 Elizabeth Mandell Holloway
1973 Edna Morrison Scatterty
1979 Mary E. Loupe
1993 Melissa Kraemer Hymel
2026 Tyler Laurent Rockforte
