LOUISIANA STATE LIBRARY PLAN FOR THE CADDO BOOKMOBILE DEMONSTRATION. To provide service for the areas of Caddo Parish excluding the city of Shreveport and those towns and communities now served by library branches the Louisiana State Library will lend two bookmobiles and thousands of books to the Caddo Parish Library Extension so that nobody has to go far for the books he wants and needs. The State Library will operate the system for a year's trial period. During that time the expense is borne by the state with the local parish continuing the operation of the existing branch system. At the end of the demonstration period, if the bookmobile service is to be continued, it becomes the responsibility of the parish to support this service. If bookmobile service is continued after the demonstration year, the State Library will leave the book collection on indefinite loan and the two bookmobiles will be left in the parish to be replaced by locally owned ones over a period of years. Financing the Bookmobile Demonstration. The State Library provides for one year books, magazines, two bookmobiles, some office supplies, travel expenses and staff. Funds for this demonstration are made possible by the Library Services Act of 1956 which provides funds for extending and strengthening library service in rural areas. The Caddo Police Jury will continue to provide funds for service through existing branches. Service. Two bookmobiles will provide books and magazines for persons in areas without access to library branches. One bookmobile will provide service for white citizens and the other will provide service for Negroes. Book Collection. Eight thousand books will be sent to Caddo Parish. These books, including titles for children and adults, will be recreational and informational and will be selected with the specific needs and interests of Caddo citizens in mind. There will be books to help the businessman, club woman, farmer, cattleman, home maker, professional man and woman. Books will be available on house plans, farm machinery, pasture lands, gardening, carpentry, interior decoration, electric wiring, salesmanship. There will be books on current affairs, biographies of our famous men and women, books of travel. Magazines on a wide variety of subjects will be supplied. Library Picture in Louisiana. At the present time there are forty-seven bookmobiles in operation in in the forty-six parish libraries in Louisiana. Jefferson Parish operates four, Orleans two, East Baton Rouge two, Iberia two, St. Martin two, Union two with one bookmobile in each of the remaining thirty-three parishes. Only seven of the parish libraries including Caddo do not have bookmobile service. KA/jl LSL 10/15/57
