Natchitoches Parish Library Director Jessica McGrath spoke to the Lions Club at its meeting Jan. 23. She said that while there are 125,000 items in their collection, the library is so much more than books. It provides programs for all ages and brings books to its patrons with the Book Mobile and School Mobile.
It also circulates tablets, overhead projectors, Halloween costumes, wifi devices and computers.

With technology evolving, the library has over 50 public access computers and offers computer classes or one-on-one sessions. New features include wireless printing and 3-D printing, which Library staff member Alan Niette demonstrated for the Lions members.

The Library also offers an array of online databases, which include:

La legal forms
Overdrive and Hooplah
Pronunciator: learn a language
Chilton

“We’re experiencing a shift in public libraries,” said McGrath. “They’re being viewed more as a center of life in the community. However, its greatest asset is the staff. We’re just grateful that the Natchitoches community values the library.”