New Orleans Public Library

The New Orleans Public Library (NOPL) is the public library service of the city of New Orleans, Louisiana, United States.

Main Branch, New Orleans Public Library, on Loyola Avenue.

History

The Lee Circle Main Library around the time of its opening in 1908

The system began in 1895 in the Fisk Free and Public Library in a building on Lafayette Square.[1] Abijah Fisk was a merchant who, over fifty years earlier, had left his house—at the corner of Iberville and Bourbon Streets—to the city for use as a library. Subsequent donations had resulted in libraries and collections not completely free and open to the citizenry. An 1896 city ordinance proposed by Mayor John Fitzpatrick combined the Fisk collection with a newer municipal library. It eventually became known as the New Orleans Public Library.

On January 18, 1897, the library opened its doors to the public. At that time the collection comprised over 35,000 volumes. A significant portion of the collection was obtained from the Fisk Free and Public Library and the Public School Lyceum and Library. The first librarian was William Beer who concurrently worked as a librarian at another library in New Orleans: the Howard Memorial Library.[1] Beer resigned from NOPL to focus on his work at the Howard Memorial Library in 1906. His successor was Henry Gill.[1]

A turn-of-the-20th-century donation of $50,000 from businessman Simon Hernsheim allowed the library to begin building a significant collection. In 1902 the city received $250,000 from Andrew Carnegie to build a new main library and three branches. By 1908, the new main library was open at Lee Circle and branches were open at Royal Street & Frenchmen in the Faubourg Marigny neighborhood, on Pelican Avenue in Algiers, and on Napoleon Avenue near Magazine Street uptown.[2]

By 2005, NOPL had a dozen branches in addition to a newer (1960) main library on Loyola Avenue. The branches included Algiers and Napoleon, mentioned above, although renamed.[3]

Effects of Hurricane Katrina

Flood-damaged interior of M.L. King Branch before it was gutted

NOPL was severely impacted by Hurricane Katrina on 29 August 2005. Damage to branch locations ran from two windows broken at the Cita Dennis Hubbell Branch in Algiers to complete destruction of the Martin Luther King Branch in the heavily damaged northern section of the Lower 9th Ward. Photographs of branch building damage are available on the library's website.[3]

With the devastation of the city and the crippling of city government, NOPL was forced to lay off 90 percent of its employees.[4] All libraries were closed for over two months. The 19 remaining staff members, when they were able to re-enter the city, began surveying damage and salvaging assets.

Two branches—Hubbell and Nix (on Carrollton Avenue uptown)—reopened with limited services (no circulation) on 31 October 2005. Part of the Main Library also reopened. Library administrators began looking for outside sources of funds to begin hiring additional staff.

Branches

From the 4 libraries in 1908, the New Orleans Public Library system continued to expand. In 2005, the system included three regional, three major and six neighborhood branches; as of 11 June 2008 the system had ten branches, including temporary branches.[3]

Former branches in the 20th century

From 1908 to 1959, the main branch was on Lee Circle; it was demolished after the opening of the current main branch. The Marigny Branch on Frenchmen & Royal at Washington Square, one of the original Carnegie Branch libraries, was severely damaged during Hurricane Betsy in 1965 and demolished. From 1915 to 1965 there was a Central City branch at Dryades & Philip Street, originally the main "Colored" library during the era of racial segregation. A former Mid-City branch was on Canal Street at Gayoso.

The Latter Memorial Branch, in an old St. Charles Avenue mansion

Summary of branch changes from 2005 to date

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Kraus, Joe Walker (1952). William Beer and the New Orleans Libraries, 1891-1927. Publications Committee of the Association of College and Reference Libraries. Retrieved 28 February 2015.
  2. ↑ "NOPL Centennial Exhibit". New Orleans Public Library. Retrieved 2006-07-27.
  3. 1 2 3 "Branch libraries". New Orleans Public Library. Retrieved 2008-06-11.
  4. ↑ "Hubbell Library history". Hubbell Library. Retrieved 2006-03-05.
  5. ↑ "Algiers library to close Saturday". New Orleans Times-Picayune. 2008-05-22. Retrieved 2008-06-11.
  6. ↑ https://www.facebook.com/hublib/posts/10152807213370408 "Hubbell Library Facebook page". 22 May 2013. Retrieved 27 May 2013.
  7. ↑ http://theadvocate.com/news/6625405-123/latter-library-to-close-amid
  8. ↑ http://villagegreenlibrary.org/content/rosa-keller-library Village Green at the New Orleans Public Library. Retrieved on 2010-07-09
  9. ↑ http://belfercenter.ksg.harvard.edu/publication/17456/community_identifies_rosa_f_keller_library_as_priority_project.html?breadcrumb=%2Fproject%2F54%2Fbroadmoor_project Belfer Center, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. Retrieved on 2010-07-09
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