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Winn Parish Library: A Proud Past, A Promising Future

The Winn Parish Library had its beginning as a part of the South’s first Tri-Parish Library on June 12, 1937. The Louisiana Library Commission, (now the State Library of Louisiana) under the supervision of Miss Essie Mae Culver, directed the project. Winn, Grant, and Jackson were the three parishes involved, with facilities in each of the Parish seats and bookmobile service. The project was well received and enjoyed such local enthusiasm that each of the communities was offered its own library to be funded locally with only a small amount of continued state aid. In 1940, only Winn voted in favor of having its own Parish library, with an initial five year, two mill tax. Although the millage rate has been adjusted over the years, the library continues to be funded in five year increments.

From 1940 to 1944, the library was run from a donated building near its present location on West Main Street, in the heart of Winnfield’s business district. In 1944, an old Army post library building was obtained, again via donation, and was moved to Winnfield. That same year a one mill, 10 year building tax was passed that would fund a new headquarters facility. The acquisition of the old army building was a stroke of good luck, allowing the new building tax to accumulate and accrue interest until the community was ready to build nearly ten years later.

By 1950, the Winn Parish Library consisted of eight branches in addition to the headquarters and six bookmobile routes. It was in this period that Winn Parish Library began to enjoy the highest per capita circulation in the state, a legacy that remains to the present day. On August 1,1953, the construction of the new library building was started with the firm of C. Scott Yeager and Associates of Alexandria as the architects. The modernistic, tan brick building was finished in the following spring. Service began in May, 1954, with formal dedication the following November. The entire library building project in 1953-54 was financed for less the $50,000. Rubie Hanks served as Parish librarian from 1944 until her retirement in 1964. During Mrs. Hanks’ tenure, Winn Parish Library received a number of awards for awards for library publicity, design, and service. Nine librarians have served the Winn Parish Library since its beginning: Mary Harris (1937-1940), Sallie Farrell (1940-1942), Margaret Wesiman (1942-43), Marian Taylor (1943-44), Rubie M. Hanks (1944-1964), Vivian Maxey (1964-1983) Steven Standefer (1984-87), Janice Simpson (1988-1990) and Mary Doherty (1991-present).

Between 1955 and 1970, library service in Winn Parish became quite sophisticated. Four of the eight outlying branches were closed during this period, but this had little effect on library outreach. Circulation continued to climb, with 240,000 books, magazines, and records reaching borrowers in 1969. When the 1970's got underway, the Winn Parish Library could no longer afford to run bookmobile service. The last bookmobile had been purchased in 1965 and needed to be replaced. Inquiries revealed that a new one would cost nearly five times that of the one in service. Until this time, the library had been able to support a bookmobile without additional tax revenues. This was no longer the case; taxpayers were both unable and unwilling to make any additional contributions. The six bookmobile routes were discontinued in the fall of 1971, with a corresponding drop in circulation form an annual rate of 240,000 to about 170,000. Interestingly, per capita figures still remained the highest in the state.

In the meantime, Vivian Maxey had taken over as parish librarian, replacing Rubie Hanks when she retired. By this time, the library had only four branches, and new buildings were built near the school campuses of Atlanta, Calvin, Dodson, and Sikes. Interlibrary loan was developed, popular literature collections were expanded, and efforts were made to improve cooperation between the parish library and the parish schools.

In 1986, due to concerns over the buildings’s structural condition, the Board of Trustees decided to close the building until repairs could be made. For several months, materials were circulated from a little-used room in City Hall while necessary structural repairs were made to the existing facility, and the former bookmobile garage was remodeled for staff workrooms and storage for books. The Board reviewed construction alternatives and determined that there existed no viable option for obtaining funds for a new building. While repairs corrected the conditions, this remodeling effort did nothing to alleviate the crowded and inadequate facility, nor allow for a physical arrangement that would enhance the user’s library experience and allow the staff to offer services commensurate with public library development.

In 1993, the Winn Parish Library received $100,000 (matching funds) through a grant from Library Services Construction Act (LSCA) for renovations to the library. The funds provided for handicap accessibility and energy efficiency of the building: heating/cooling, rewiring and lighting, insulated windows, ceiling insulation, new rest rooms, and replacement of the flat roof design with a metal roof. While the renovations made the building more attractive, the existing facility is inadequate to meet the growing demands placed on the Winn Parish Library. The building constructed in 1954 can no longer sufficiently house the rapidly growing book collection and varied services offered to the citizens of Winn Parish.

In 1995, Winn Parish Library was revolutionized by computer technology: online computer catalog, automated circulation, and Internet access. After months and months of retrospective cataloging, the plug was pulled, figuratively and literally on the old check out system, and automated checkout began on February 27, 1997. With the recent gift from the Gates’ Foundation, the library now has a technology center consisting of four additional public access computer workstations and printers at the main library, with two workstations at the Calvin and Atlanta branches, one each at Dodson and Sikes branch.

Winn Parish Library is experiencing growing pains. In November, 1998, the Winn Parish Police Jury voted to place two tax propositions on the ballot: one for a renewal of five mills for five years for maintenance, operation and support of Winn Parish Library, and another proposal for a 3 mill, ten year additional tax for the maintenance, operation, construction, and support of the library. The voters will decide if present library facilities are adequate. For a library with a proud past and promising future, the choice is clear.