The New Orleans Public Library (NOPL) is the public library of the city of New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. Succeeding earlier libraries in the city, it opened in 1897. Three branches were added by 1908. Carnegie library branches were added in 1911 and 1915. By 2005 a dozen branches were open. The main library is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

History

The system began in 1895 in the Fisk Free and Public Library in a building on Lafayette Square. Abijah Fisk was a merchant who, over fifty years earlier, had left his house—at the corner of Iberville and Bourbon Streets—to the city for use as a library. Subsequent donations had resulted in libraries and collections not completely free and open to the citizenry. An 1896 city ordinance proposed by Mayor John Fitzpatrick combined the Fisk collection with a newer municipal library. It eventually became known as the New Orleans Public Library. On January 18, 1897, the library opened its doors to the public. At that time the collection comprised over 35,000 volumes. A significant portion of the collection was obtained from the Fisk Free and Public Library and the Public School Lyceum and Library. The first librarian was William Beer who concurrently worked as a librarian at another library in New Orleans: the Howard Memorial Library. Beer resigned from NOPL to focus on his work at the Howard Memorial Library in 1906. His successor was Henry Gill. A turn-of-the-20th-century donation of $50,000 from businessman Simon Hernsheim allowed the library to begin building a significant collection. In 1902 the city received $250,000 from Andrew Carnegie to build a new main library and five branches. By 1908, the new main library was open at Lee Circle and branches were open at Royal Street and Frenchmen in the Faubourg Marigny neighborhood, on Pelican Avenue in Algiers, and on Napoleon Avenue near Magazine Street uptown. In 1911 and 1915, further Carnegie branches opened at 2940 Canal St and Dryades and Philip respectively. By 2005, NOPL had a dozen branches in addition to a newer (1960) main library on Loyola Avenue. The branches included Algiers and Napoleon, mentioned above, although renamed. The main library is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a contributing building in the New Orleans Lower Central Business District, as part of the district's 2006 expansion.

Effects of Hurricane Katrina

NOPL was severely impacted by Hurricane Katrina on August 29, 2005. Damage to branch locations ran from two windows broken at the Cita Dennis Hubbell Branch in Algiers to complete destruction of the Martin Luther King Branch in the heavily damaged northern section of the Lower 9th Ward. Photographs of branch building damage are available on the library's website. With the devastation of the city and the crippling of city government, NOPL was forced to lay off 90 percent of its employees. All libraries were closed for over two months. The 19 remaining staff members, when they were able to re-enter the city, began surveying damage and salvaging assets. Two branches—Hubbell and Nix (on Carrollton Avenue uptown)—reopened with limited services (no circulation) on 31 October 2005. Part of the Main Library also reopened. Damage to the NOPL system is estimated at $26–30 million. Library administrators began looking for outside sources of funds to begin hiring additional staff.

Branches

From the four libraries in 1908, the New Orleans Public Library system continued to expand. In 2005, the system included three regional, three major and six neighborhood branches; as of 11 June 2008 the system had ten branches, including temporary branches. By early 2017, there were fourteen branches open, with one additional branch scheduled to re-open in 2018.

Former branches in the 20th century

From 1908 to 1959, the main branch was on Lee Circle; it was demolished after the opening of the current main branch. The Marigny Branch on Frenchmen & Royal at Washington Square, one of the original Carnegie Branch libraries, was severely damaged during Hurricane Betsy in 1965 and demolished. From 1915 to 1965 there was a Central City branch at Dryades & Philip Street, originally the main "Colored" library during the era of racial segregation. A former Mid-City branch was on Canal Street at Gayoso.

Summary of branch changes since 2005

City Archives of New Orleans

The City Archives of New Orleans date to 1769 and the Spanish established official archives in 1773. The archives have been held by the New Orleans Public Library since 1947. The archives include court documents, maps, newspapers, and photographs. The archives are part of the "City Archives & Special Collections". The city's archivists have written about the city's mayors and newspapers. A blog and Facebook page provide updates on the archives. It also has a YouTube channel. The City Archives have hosted exhibitions performances, and speakers. In the 1980s city records were transferred to microfilm. In 1871 City Ordinance 1035 AS established a keeper of the City Archives whose duties included allowing "no book, paper or archives of any kind to be taken thence, except upon the order of the Mayor, with due receipt being taken therefor showing description of the article so temporarily withdrawn." In 1904 documents were loaned for the Louisiana Purchase Exposition. In 1946 documents were transferred from City Hall to the Howard Annex of the New Orleans Public Library.In 1961 they were moved to the newly built main library. In 1976 the City Archives published a Property Guide to assist residents with information on property histories. In 1989 a Genealogy Guide was published by the archives staff. The Guide to the Early Records (1760-1861) in the New Orleans City Archives Collection was published in 1992. Mrs. E. D. Friedrichs was Custodian of the Archives in 1938. She was assisted by Marie Clark. E. D. Friedrichs A.M. M.D. E.D. was a physiologist and hygienist. She wrote and helped compile "Administrations of the Mayors of New Orleans, 1803-1936" with biographical sketches of the Mayors of New Orleans, a W.P.A. project. E. D. Friedrichs was the son of dentist George J. Friedrichs who was killed when he was hit by trolley in New Orleans and trapped under it. Charles F. Youngman was an archivist in the City of New Orleans Archives who wrote about the city's historical newspapers. His "sketches" of newspapers are held in the New Orleans City Archives.

Archive holdings

The archives include:

Charles F. Youngman's "sketches" of the city's newspapers