Harlan Kirgan
Morris Pickney of Eunice was reading a newspaper at the Eunice Library on Thursday.
Also in the room was Ken Waldman, a touring artist based in Alaska, catching up on his email and working on a project.
Pickney said visiting the library to catch up on the news is a routine for him.
Waldman, who was staying at Lakeview Park for the Blackpot Festival in Lafayette, said libraries are great for a traveling artist, but he was especially appreciative of the Eunice Library’s 8 a.m. opening time.
Finally, it was looking like business as usual at library that officially reopened on Oct. 21.
The library was closed on July 10 after the Eunice Board of Aldermen approved breaking it away from the Opelousas-Eunice system created in 1967.
The breakup wasn’t completely amicable.
The morning after the Eunice Board voted to split on July 9, the doors to the library were locked.
A note on the door of the library stated, “... due to City Council & Mayor’s decision. We will gladly fill your library needs in Opelousas until 8-1-19.”
Eunice Mayor Scott Fontenot said computers were gone. But there was more missing such as checkout system for books.
But the recovery came. There was soft opening in August.
But last week was the first full week of operations. The hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to noon Saturdays. There is a new phone number, 337-457-7077.
Fontenot said there have been some cosmetic improvements.
The walls have been cleaned and painted and LED lighting has been added on the first floor.
The mayor failed to mention one improvement that longtime employee Bobbie Bordelon was quick to point out.
The carpet had been professionally cleaned for what she believed was the first time in 13 years.
Bordelon is joined by Alliz Clark and Amber Guillory in being reemployed in the library.
The changes are more than cosmetic.
Fontenot said two new office computers have been installed along with new firewall protection for all the computers and server.
“We have plans to do more and we are going to keep it growing,” Fontenot said.
“They have to manually install every book in the computer system,” he said.
“If somebody comes to check out a book and it is not in the system it is entered real quick,” he added.
In some cases, the librarians use an old paper type system for book checkouts.
And, library cards should be coming in any day, he said.
“We’re investing some money to buy some best sellers for the the shelves,” he said.
Eventually, Fontenot said he would like to see the library be able to offer ebooks.
A grand opening for the library will be held, he said.
An unofficial library board has been helping him, he said. They include city Board members Connie Thibodeaux and Germaine Simpson; and Gabe Ortego, Cinderella Hayes and Rickey Coutte.