St. Martin Parish School Board history

In November 1955, the Library Board unanimously approved plans for all four buildings at one time – a first for not only St Martin Parish, but Louisiana as well.

These original branches and a bookmobile served the public until 1978 when the Negro facilities were closed and the employees transferred to the St Martinvlle and Breaux Bridge branches.

The Friends of the St Martin Public Library organization was formed in 1984 and remains a support group for the libraries.

In 1991, the Parks branch was opened in a building donated and renovated by the Village of Parks.

Paul Angelle willed an acre of land in Paul Angelle Park for a Cecilia Library Branch, and in August 1992, construction began on a 3,000 square foot library at a cost of $227,770.

The St Martinville Library moved from its old quarters on the banks of Bayou Teche to the 14,246 square foot facility on Porter Street in April 1994.

Then, in January 1999, a meeting room facility was added by renovating and connecting the former Health Unit that was provided by the Police Jury.

Dorothy Selby, Gary Phillips, Donna Soto, and Jeanne Essmeier served successively as managing librarians until 2010 when current director Charlar P. Brew began her tenure.

In December 2013, the Breaux Bridge Library moved to a temporary location in the Park Plaza Shopping Center during construction of the new library.