Former bank building to become new DeQuincy Library

Marjorie Harrison, the new Director of the Calcasieu Parish Public Library System, will be the guest speaker at the DeQuincy Rotary Club meeting at noon on Thursday, March 28 at El Tucan’s Restaurant. She will speak about the expansion plans for the DeQuincy Library branch.

The Calcasieu Parish Public Library is renovating three newly acquired buildings in the DeQuincy, Iowa, and Vinton areas to help expand library services and is now seeking the public’s input to help plan what services, programs, and spaces they would like to see inside these new facilities.

Residents can share their ideas at the local community meetings:

Monday, Apr. 1 at 10 a.m. at the Fontenot Memorial Library, located at 1402 Center St., Vinton.

Tuesday, Apr. 2 at 6 p.m. at the DeQuincy Library, located at 102 W. Harrison St.

Denelle Wrightson, a library and design consultant will facilitate these meetings and all ages are invited to participate.

In 2013, the Calcasieu Parish Public Library Board of Control adopted a strategic plan with a “Library as a Place” initiative and began working on assessing and prioritizing capital improvements. In early 2017, the Buildings and Properties Committee of the Board began exploring expansion opportunities in the Vinton, DeQuincy, and Iowa areas.

About a year later, Capital One banks in each of these regions became available for purchase and the library soon invested in these buildings as part of its expansion.

“Our communities are growing and library use is increasing,” explained Calcasieu Parish Public Library Director, Marjorie Harrison. “In 2018, more than 56,000 items were checked out from the DeQuincy Library alone. In addition, over 5,600 individuals attended programs at our Iowa branch and more than 2,000 people held library cards in Vinton!”

“With the acquisition of these new properties, residents can expect community meeting rooms, additional restrooms, larger collections, more computers, and adequate parking accommodations,” added Christy Comeaux, Public Information Officer for the Library. “But we feel the importance for input from the community residents to help plan what other exciting spaces that they feel are necessary in their libraries. It’s in their community and they know their community best.”

For more information on the meetings, visit www.calcasieulibrary.org or call 337- 721-7147.

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