Technology and sustainability were at the forefront of design considerations on East Baton Rouge Parish's $35-million, 126,000-sq-ft main library. The new building includes a north wall made almost entirely of glass to take advantage of natural lighting and a sloped roof that will capture rainwater for plants. The library houses at least half a million books and more than 130 public computers.
"The East Baton Rouge Parish Library has been steadily working through a 30-year capital improvements plan (CIP) and had already built new or replaced existing branches throughout the parish," explains Mary H. Stein, assistant library director. "All projects were built on the pay-as-you-go plan, which means no bonds or indebtedness. The main library was saved for the end of the CIP schedule."