THE NEW LIBRARY OPENS IN MADISONVILLE

The sun beamed on September 5 and so were the smiles on the faces of those who attended the ribbon cutting of the new up-to-the-date St. Tammany Public Library in Madisonville.

Mayor Peter Gitz, Donald Westmoreland, Director of the STPL, Argiro Morgan, President of the St.Tammany Library Board of Control, and Councilman Steve Stefancik

 Many city, parish and state dignitaries attended the ribbon cutting, but the greater number were the citizens of Madisonville, who rushed to find just the perfect book or CD to check out of the new facility.  Over 1500 visitors visited the Open House Celebration on September 7th.

The Children's Area of our new Library

There was not one seat in the large meeting room in the Library where Papillion engaged visiting children with song and story.

The library sits on 1.5 acres of beautiful ground across from the Maritime Museum.  Its vistas are beautiful and inside the settings are comfortable and inviting.  Rows of computer terminals, a large technological lab for classes and demonstrations, a children's area with its own storybook and craft room with its own kid-sized entry door, a colored space for teens, and many quiet nooks for reading, thinking, and contemplating.

Assistant Director of the STPL, Kelly LaRocca, relaxing in the comfortable seating in the Teen area.

The Foundation had a welcoming table and raffled a framed and signed poster by the artist Tammie Morris.  The Junior League of Covington also contributed a wonderful basket of goodies, and two books, one on the Bicentennial of St. Tammany and a Roux-to-Do cookbook.

Rose Manchon and Sharon Lo Drucker, Board Members of the Library Foundation, manned our welcoming table.

And no library of the 21st century can be without the technology we are mastering for creative endeavors, research, and communication.  The Madisonville Branch of the STPL not only has banks of computers for general use and also a full technology lab for training classes in various data resources, Microsoft programs, genealogy search, business and academic research.

Come visit!  You'll be thrilled.

A QUARTER CENTURY OF WAITING - BUT HERE IT IS!

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A QUARTER  CENTURY OF WAITING - BUT HERE IT IS!

Wait until you see it!  The St. Tammany Library will be officially opening its new state-of-the-art library with a gala ribbon cutting on Thursday, September 5th, at 11 AM.  Placed in front of Madisonville's Maritime Museum, the library promises to be a technological and culture resource that can work symbiotically with the Museum.  Both together will be a great cultural resource for our entire parish.

The Library will feature meeting rooms that can be used by community groups. There is a conference room overlooking the serene and beautiful area that soon will feature the Serenity Circle dedicated to the legacy of St. Tammany's internationally acclaimed author, Walker Percy.  Smaller study rooms are available as well as a quiet room for contemplation, writing, and reading.  The walls of the corridor will feature paintings of local artists.  These will be selected later.

There are captivating areas for children and for teens that we know will form a vital link with our excellent school system.

A technological center is there to offer citizens of St. Tammany training not just in the basics of technology but classes to make St. Tammany residents wise to  new data banks, social media, blogs, newsletter skills, and business applications.

And, of course, reference materials, classics, non-fiction books, fiction and the latest best sellers are waiting for you to explore.  Books found in the entire system can be ordered at Madisonville if they are in another branch of our library.

We cannot begin to tell you about every possibility the Madisonville branch affords.  Come see.  On September 7 from 10 AM to 2 PM tours and activities will abound.

Not long ago, the site looked like this:

Now here it is completed.  Isn't it beautiful?  And it is stunning on all four sides - all appropriate to the beautiful area in which it is located.

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DON'T FORGET THESE DATES:

September 5th is the Ribbon Cutting day to be followed by tours of the Library at 11 AM! 

On Saturday, September 7 - from 10 AM until 4 PM - all sorts of activities will take place in the Library.

SEE YOU THERE!

ALA AWARDS THE ST TAMMANY LIBRARY FOUNDATION A COVETED AWARD

The STLF Wins a Baker and Taylor National Award

Two weeks ago the St. Tammany Library Foundation was notified that it received one of three Baker and Taylor Awards given annually to recognize outstanding efforts of Friends and/or Foundations to support libraries by United for Libraries.

We applied for the Award and Grant.  We detailed all of our efforts during the past year.  We cited our growth in membership, our six social events to acquaint our community with the foundation, the establishment of our website and soon-to-be regularly published email newsletter, our dinner with Lt. Governor Jay Dardenne, and our plans to build a patio and garden to honor Covington's internationally esteemed author, Walker Percy.

United for Libraries is a special division of the American Library Association.  Members are Library Trustees, Advocates, Friends and Foundations, united under one umbrella to maximize their efforts to support Libraries.  It is an innovative and visionary organization that enables such groups to share ideas and to learn from others.  The St. Tammany Library Foundation is a member, as is its President.

Winning the Award merits a grant of $ 1,000 and recognition at the United for Libraries Gala Author's Tea on Monday, July 1 at the ALA Annual Convention in Chicago.

How wonderful it is to have our Foundation honored nationally for its support of the St. Tammany Parish Library system!  We are just a fledging Foundation but we have big plans for our future.

Be sure to join the Foundation and be a partner in the many news things we hope to accomplish.