Stop Medicaid fraud
March 29, 2016
Faye Pizani
March 30, 2016
The Lafourche Parish Library’s innovative programs and growing community use are behind the system receiving the James O. Modisette Award for Public Libraries.
The state presents the award every two years, if merited, in recognition of continued improvement in public library service. Most often the honor is presented on the heels of a major construction project, according to Laura Sanders, Lafourche library director.
Lafourche last received the Modisette in 1955.
Sanders said the library system’s focus has been on a different type of building – “a solid foundation of services, community interaction and staff involvement.”
“This is a testament to the work of the entire staff,” she said. “It’s truly been a group effort.”
The Lafourche library had just completed construction and renovations of its nine public library branches when Sanders was hired as director three years ago. “The previous director and board did a magnificent job of getting the buildings,” she said. “My role was to help develop them.”
With the work of the system’s 71 full-time and part-time staff, Sanders said the Lafourche library looked to each community to learn what was most needed. Key to growing use of the branches was expanding programs and services. The director said attendance at library offerings has increased 20-30 percent yearly. The period on which the judging is based – 2013-14 – saw a 16 percent jump in library visits; a 63 percent climb in the number of programs; and a 43 percent increase in attendance compared to the previous year.
“We asked people what they wanted in the surveys and ran with it,” Sanders said. “They told us they wanted more adult classes, baby storytime and education programs. We’ve really been focusing on education; anything that will help kids and develop future readers.”
Mac computers and iPads, STEAM and STEM robotics and a 3D printer are available. And PlayStations and game rentals are attracting what Sanders terms “reluctant readers.”
“Our goal is for the library to be a place for all ages to come and be entertained, educated and to enrich their lives,” she said. “We’re truly more than just books. We offer a variety of materials and audio books and, with the interlibrary system, if we don’t have something you are looking for, we can generally find it within a day or two.”
The judging period includes a contentious moment for the jail. Talks of moving dedicated library funds to build a new jail put the system in the Lafourche Parish Council’s crosshairs. Ultimately, the move was nixed and a jail tax was later approved.
“I hope it shows voters that the trust they put in us was well-founded,” Sanders said. “This is a big win for everybody: Lafourche, the council, our library board. It’s a win for all of us. It shows that we’re on the right track.” •
