East Baton Rouge Parish Library

What East Baton Rouge Parish Library does

East Baton Rouge Parish Library is a government-owned public library system serving East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, operating as an administrative arm of the City of Baton Rouge/Parish of East Baton Rouge government under a 7-member appointed Library Board of Control. Founded in 1939 from a small collection of donated books, it has grown into a 15-branch system plus two bookmobiles, employing more than 550 full-time and part-time civil service staff and serving 337,943 active cardholders (with community guide references to over 300,000 active cardholders). The system holds over 2 million items across physical and digital collections, including unique holdings such as the Baton Rouge Room Archives and in-house Ancestry.com access.

The library operates an Integrated Library System (ILS) for catalog and circulation management, complemented by a digital library platform offering e-books, e-audiobooks, streaming video (including Bibliotele Spanish-language content), and more than 100 research databases accessible via the Libby app and library website. Service delivery is organized into specialized departments: Kids, Teens, Adults & Seniors, Small Business, Career Center, Outreach & Bookmobile, and Special Collections. Supporting technology infrastructure includes public access computers with CIPA-compliant filtering, free Wi-Fi (branded "Wi-Fi 2 Geaux"), makerspaces, mobile printing (PrinterOn), and patron notification systems (Library Elf). Strategic integrations include Google Analytics, Google AdWords, Facebook Ads, EBSCO Discovery, and the LocalHop website platform.

The library is funded primarily through a dedicated property tax millage (9.5 mills under a 10-year continuation approved June 27, 2026, following expiration of the previous millage in 2025), with all core services provided free to parish residents holding library cards. Minimal ancillary revenue is generated through printing/copying fees ($0.10/page black-and-white, $0.50/page color) and meeting room rentals to non-profits. The business model is fundamentally tax-funded rather than commercial, with no venture, equity, or external investment structure; a 7-member board governs and a Library Director (Katrina Stokes) oversees operations. Distribution occurs exclusively through physical branches, bookmobiles, digital platforms, and institutional partnerships with schools, Head Start centers, senior facilities, the Juvenile Detention Center, and civic organizations. The library has been recognized ten times as a Star Library by Library Journal.

Name

East Baton Rouge Parish Library

Legal name

East Baton Rouge Parish Library

Website

https://ebrpl.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1939

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Government-owned public library system serving East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, operating 15 branches plus two bookmobiles with 550+ staff, 2M+ items, and free services funded by a 9.5-mill property tax.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Library Services

NAICS

Libraries and Archives (51921), Libraries and Archives (519210), Web Search Portals, Libraries, Archives, and Other Information Services (5192)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Library Operations & Community Branch Management (EDAEAGAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Library User Services & Information Support (Reference, Research Help, Instruction Support) (EDAEAGAL), Library Collections & Cataloging Services (Acquisitions, Metadata, Circulation) (EDAEAGAE), Library-Based Learning Programs (Public Libraries) (EDAAAFAA), Public Libraries & Information Services (BPAIACAO), Interlibrary Loan (ILL) & Resource Sharing Operations (EDAEAGAK)

Keywords

• Public library services
• Community library system
• Digital library access
• Children's literacy programs
• Career and small business resources

Headquarters

HQ city

Baton Rouge

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices16 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Property Tax Millage: Primary funding source through dedicated property tax millage. The library operates under a 10-year millage continuation proposal at 9.5 mills, with two rollbacks over the 10-year period. Previous millage expired in 2025 and was replaced by new proposition passed June 27, 2026.
2. Free Services with Library Card: Core services are free to all East Baton Rouge Parish residents with library cards, including book borrowing, computer access, programs, and digital resources. Funded entirely by public tax revenue.
3. Printing and Copying Fees: Minimal fees for printing beyond free allocation: residents receive $2.00 free black-and-white printing, then 10 cents per page B&W and 50 cents per page color. Out-of-parish patrons pay 10 cents B&W and 50 cents color.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

East Baton Rouge Parish Library is a public library system that provides free access to information, resources, materials, technology, and experiences to East Baton Rouge Parish residents. Core offerings include a 2 million+ item physical collection across 15 branch locations, a comprehensive digital library with e-books, audiobooks, and research databases, dedicated programming for kids, teens, adults, and seniors, a Career Center, Small Business services, Special Collections archives, makerspaces, and bookmobile outreach services funded by a dedicated property tax millage.

Product overview

The East Baton Rouge Parish Library is a public library system operating as a unified service with 15 physical branch locations and a comprehensive digital library. The core offering includes physical collections available for borrowing, supplemented by an extensive digital library with e-books, audiobooks, and research databases accessible through Libby. Service delivery spans dedicated departments for Kids, Teens, Adults & Seniors, and Special Collections, alongside specialized services including a Career Center, Small Business Services, Outreach & Bookmobile, Makerspaces, and Research Databases. All services interconnect through a shared integrated library system (ILS) for unified patron management and catalog access.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Physical Library Collections
• Digital Library
• Kids Department Services
• Teen Department Services
• Adults & Seniors Services
• Small Business Services
• Career Center
• Special Collections
• Outreach & Bookmobile Services
• Makerspaces
• Research Databases
• South Branch Library
• Printing and Faxing
• Meeting Rooms
• Wi-Fi 2 Geaux
• The Source Newsletter

Quantifiable outcome

• 337,943 active cardholders served
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Preschools and Day Care CenterscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010Preschool Literacy Bookmobile delivers materials to preschools and daycares, presents storytimes, and provides information for parents and caregivers. The 37-foot bookmobile contains thousands of print titles for preschoolers plus materials for adults and teens.
• Juvenile Detention CentercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2004Library's Outreach Center provides deposit collection of print and non-print resources to help educate and enrich lives of at-risk youth ages 10-17. Resources focus on realistic fiction and career/goal-setting non-fiction appropriate for facility guidelines.
• Senior Centers and Retirement HomescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2003Bookmobile makes regular visits to over 40 senior centers and retirement homes, delivering library materials with special profiles for each resident. Library staff provide booktalks and presentations on various topics of interest.
• Head Start CenterscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLibrary places deposit picture book collections at Head Start Centers for 3-5 year olds and Early Head Starts for 2 year olds. Books are selected by Children's Services for appropriate age and developmental level. Library staff visit sites to model reading techniques and help parents get library cards.
• Louisiana Center for the BookminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartners in Louisiana Young Readers' Choice (LYRC) Award program, a reading enrichment program underwritten by Capital One with additional support from Perma-Bound Books.
• MoveBR (Baton Rouge Economic Development)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerSmall Business video library featured on MoveBR economic development platform to highlight local small businesses and library business resources.
• Local Schools (Public, Private, Parochial)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHundreds of school visits annually including 'Get Your Library Card' visits for early grades, spring booktalks for 9th graders, summer reading promotions, and research talks for various grade levels.
• Civic OrganizationsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInformational visits to Rotary Club, Lions Club, Kiwanis Club, support groups, church study groups, women's groups, professional organizations, and parenting groups.
• GFP Architects and Interiors / MultistudiominorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCollaborative architecture firms that designed the new South Branch Library, a collaborative 18,800 square foot facility.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• King County Library System: Large Washington-state regional library system serving a comparable suburban population with similar digital lending, outreach, and programming models. Directly comparable to EBRPL's operational structure.
• Broward County Libraries: Large county library system with multiple branches, bookmobile services, and digital platforms. Comparable in scale, governance structure (county-funded), and service breadth.
• Charlotte Mecklenburg Library: Large urban-county library system with extensive branches, makerspaces, and career/small business services. Closely comparable to EBRPL's diversified service portfolio.
• New Orleans Public Library: Louisiana's largest urban public library system. Comparable in core services (collections, digital lending, programming, special collections) and operates under a similar public-funding model in the same state.
• Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County: Urban-county library system with extensive branch network, makerspaces, and community programming. Comparable in scale, governance (county-funded), and service breadth to EBRPL.
• Harris County Public Library: Texas county library system with similar multi-branch footprint, outreach vehicles, and programming portfolio. Operates at comparable scale and serves a diverse urban/suburban population.
• Jefferson Parish Library: Another Louisiana parish library system with multiple branches serving a comparable suburban-parish population. Directly comparable in funding model (property tax millage), service offerings, and operational scale to EBRPL.
• Lafayette Public Library System: Louisiana municipal/parish library system offering similar collections, digital services, and community programming. Closely comparable in service scope and operating environment to EBRPL.
• Hillsborough County Public Library: Large county-wide public library system with multiple branches and bookmobile/outreach services. Comparable scale and service breadth to EBRPL's 15-branch parish system.
• Cuyahoga County Public Library: Highly-rated Ohio county library system consistently recognized for service quality. Comparable in operational scale, branch count, and programming depth.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/ebrplteens
• Facebookfacebook.com/ebrpl
• Instagraminstagram.com/ebrplteens
• Xx.com/ebrpl
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/east-baton-rouge-parish-library-system---main-library

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles23 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about East Baton Rouge Parish Library