The East Baton Rouge Library Board of Control invites the community to the Dedication Ceremony of the South Branch Library at 3 p.m. on Sunday, August 10 at 2210 Glasgow Avenue. A reception and tour will follow, including enjoyable activities for all ages. The reception is sponsored by Patrons of the Public Library and the Southside Civic Association.

Celebratory remarks will be made by Mayor-President Emile “Sid” Edwards, Councilwoman Jennifer Racca (District 12), State Librarian Meg Placke, Library Board President Candace Temple, Library Board Treasurer Kathy Wascom, Executive Library Director Katrina Stokes, Rouzan Developer John M. Enquist, Brian Falcon of GFP Architecture & Interior Design, and Ratcliff Construction President Rob Ratcliff. Special VIP guests include Library Board of Control members Donald Luther, Jr. (vice president), Nicole Allmon-Learson, Councilman Daryl Hurst, Ronnie Pierce, and Delores Watts.

Mayor-President Sid Edwards expressed his enthusiasm for EBRPL’s newest location. “The opening of the South Branch Library reflects our commitment to expanding access to education, technology, and community resources for every resident. This is an exciting addition to the Rouzan area and a win for families, students, and lifelong learners in Baton Rouge.”

Construction of the new branch was completed in 14 months within the Rouzan TND. The groundbreaking was held on October 24, 2023, the Library took possession of the property in January 2025, and patrons were welcomed to the branch on March 24, 2025. A total of $11.3 million was budgeted for the project.

During the project, City-Parish Architectural Services and Library staff worked with architects from GFP Architecture & Interior Design and Multistudio, as well as the general contractor from Ratcliff Construction Company. Funds for this pay-as-you-go project were amassed over time as part of the Library’s 10-year dedicated property tax.

“Ratcliff Construction is proud to have been a team member on the South Branch Library. This

architecturally significant project will be a true community asset for many years to come, and we are grateful for the spirit of teamwork, trust, and camaraderie exhibited by all team members,” stated Rob Ratcliff, president of Ratcliff Construction.

Executive Library Director Katrina Stokes shared, “With the formal dedication of the long-awaited South Branch Library, we are proud and honored to continue to meet the needs of the community to provide this essential ‘third space’ for learning and engagement.”

The new Library includes:

• 18,800 square feet total

• Dynamic, dedicated spaces for children, teens and adults

• Books, AV materials, and periodicals for all ages

• Library of Things includes circulating board games and a seed library

• Public computers for all ages, laptops for free computer classes, online public library catalogs

• Free Wi-Fi throughout the building and the courtyard

• Two AWE Early Literacy Workstations for young children

• Self-checkout stations as well as full-service checkout

• Meeting/assembly room that can be divided into 3 separate spaces

• Five collaborative work/study rooms

• Quiet reading room

• Furnished courtyard surrounds “Virgil,” our heritage oak tree

• Courtyard accessibility from each wing of the library

• Dedicated parking and protected overhang for convenient drop-off

• Bike Racks and Bike Repair Station

Designed around a magnificent heritage live oak tree, this cozy and inviting Library will offer the public a carefully selected collection of popular browsing materials for all ages and interests, including new books, audio books, music, DVDs, Blu-rays, magazines, and newspapers. Book transfers and reservation pickups will also be available.

Technology is also a strong feature of the new South Branch, with robust WiFi, public computers with free access to the Internet (including the EBRPL Digital Library) as well as Microsoft Office, and two special AWE Early Literacy Workstations for preschoolers. In addition, the Library offers free public printing of up to 20 black-and-white pages per day, mobile printing through the PaperCut App, black-and-white and color copiers and fax-on-demand.

For more information about the South Branch Library, please visit www.ebrpl.co/southbranch.