Monday, November 26, 2007






Other publications "From the Archives" series.

Saturday, November 24, 2007

From the Archives Publications






The Library has several publications, "From the Archives" series, available for sale. Subjects include Churches and Education in Vernon Parish, Historic buildings on Historic Register, Self Family, Students of Miss Alyce M. Haight, and Leghorn Times Herald Newspaper. This newspaper was published in Simpson, La. 1944-46. Prices vary. Some are $2.00, most are $10 each, and the Leghorn Times Herald is $40.

Tuesday, August 21, 2007
















The Archives is an important collection of the Vernon Parish Library. The Archives Collection contain many interesting and important documents regarding Vernon Parish and other items. Items in the Archives are cataloged, and processed using approved archival methods, and stored in archival boxes housed in a climate controlled room.
Two items of particular interest are two tables from the Franklin estate. Mrs. Franklin’s son, Ben, donated two tables in memory of his mother. The Franklins lived just outside of Leesville on Hwy. 117. She drove a black pickup truck and attended First Baptist Church. One of the tables is a round dining room table, and the other is a side table. The side table is made from Vernon Parish timber, hand milled, and crafted by Master Craftsman M. G. Foster for Mr. D. D. Franklin in 1928.
Other items in the Archives include a large collection of school yearbooks from Vernon Parish Schools and Northwestern University in Natchitoches. There are gaps, and the Library is always seeking additions to this important collection.
Other collections include the Alyce M. Haight Collection. Miss Haight taught school in Vernon Parish for many years, and kept a photograph of every child she taught. The Curtis Bradshaw Collection contains newspaper clippings and some photographs during his years as Superintendent of Vernon Parish Schools. Dolores B. Owen grew up in Leesville. The Dolores B. Owen Collection contains many items from her years in Leesville, including prom programs, old tax records, etc. The Archives also contains original governmental documents, including Leesville City Ordinances, beginning with number 1, Minutes from the City of Leesville and the Vernon Parish Police Jury. Old telephone books, autographed children’s books are other collections.
Recently, the Library has been reproducing some of these important documents and making them available to the public. The photos from the Alyce M. Haight Collection have been published, and perhaps the most popular is the Leghorn Times Herald Newspaper, originally published in Simpson, Louisiana in the 1940's. Originally published for soldiers, it became so popular that local subscriptions were very popular. Mrs. Emma Ruth Parker donated this collection to the Library in memory of her husband, Mr. Robert L. "Bob" Parker. The library has issues from March 1944 thru Sept. 1, 1947. The Archives also contains records from the Enon Primitive Baptist Church.
Four newsletters "From the Archives..." have been published, and are available for sale for $2.00 each. Other publications, Historic buildings on the National Register; Students of Miss Alyce M. Haight; and Dawn of a New Day (the original was published ca. 1944 by the Vernon Chamber of Commerce). Each of these is available for $10 ea. The last is a 250 page collection of the Leghorn Times Herald. This publication is available for $40.
The Library is looking for additional items to add to the Archives, such as old documents related to businesses, schools, churches, family histories or photographs. The Library would like to copy documents and photographs when it is not possible to add them to the collection. This is a wonderful way to preserve valuable Vernon Parish history for future generations.

Thursday, July 19, 2007

Leesville City Ordiance #1

From the Archives of the Vernon Parish Library. Page shows ordiance #1 for the city of Leesville. This is page one of the first ordiance book. The Library also has early minutes of the Vernon Parish Police Jury in the Archives.

Sunday, February 25, 2007

We Deliver (Books by Mail Program)


We Deliver... Homebound Service... A FREE library service for residents of Vernon Parish who are temporarily or permanently confined to their home because of illness, age or physical disability. Available for all age groups, including children, teens, adults and senior citizens. INTERESTED? Just call the Vernon Parish Library Bookmobile Department at : (337) 239-2027 or 1-800-737-2231 You must have a Doctor’s statement stating you are Homebound. Physician referrals welcomed. We’ll find out what you like to read and sign you up. You can request specific titles or ask us to select them for you. Materials are delivered each month to your home. Materials will be delivered in person if you live on a Bookmobile route and the schedule permits. If this is not convenient, materials will be mailed in a pre-addressed cloth bag, postage paid both ways. • Books • Videos • Magazines • Cassettes • Audiobooks • Music CD’s • CD-ROMs • Large print books

This is an outreach program from the Bookmobile Department of the Vernon Parish Library.

Monday, February 19, 2007

Heritage Quest Online Database


Vernon Parish Library has a new resource that uses technology to make tracing family trees easier. HeritageQuest Online™, a Web-based reference tool from ProQuest Information and Learning, will allow you to start exploring your roots by searching a surname. Even more convenient, you don’t have to leave home to do it. Anyone with a Vernon Parish Library card can log on to HeritageQuest Online through the library website and begin instantly searching the database’s millions of records for clues to their past – as far back as the 1700s.

The library is responding to a growing interest in family history that’s captured not only Vernon Parish but America as a whole. A new nationwide survey* shows 73% of Americans want to learn more about their roots, up from 60% in 2000. Twenty-five percent of those surveyed became interested after searching for a family surname online, pointing to the increasing popularity of Internet-based genealogy.

“More and more of our patrons want to explore their past and HeritageQuest Online makes it easy and convenient,” said Howard Coy, Director. “We expect this to be one of our most popular services.”

Coy says before you log on make a list of ancestors to research. “Write down the names of every direct ancestor you can think of,” he advises.

Once connected to HeritageQuest Online, users will find several paths to finding information – the U.S. Federal Census collection, over 20,000 family and local history books, an index to nearly 2 million magazine articles with genealogical information, or a vast database of Revolutionary War era records. Users select a path and enter a name to be searched. HeritageQuest Online instantly looks for matches and returns the results. Click on a name and an image of the matching record appears. For example, when a name is searched in the census collection, the particular page where this name is listed will be displayed on the screen. Patrons can use the information that they find as “clues” that will assist in searching their family history – places where they lived, names of relatives, birth or death dates, etc. Names can be added to form the “tree” or searched to find more clues.

“Genealogy is a wonderful hobby for anyone who wants to know more about where they came from,” says Coy, “and HeritageQuest Online is simple enough for beginners, yet it provides deep and broad content sets that will help veteran genealogists advance their research.”

Patrons with a valid Vernon Parish Library Card can visit the Library’s web page (www.vernon.lib.la.us), click on the Reference Tab, and go to the section labeled Genealogy. Click on the Heritage Quest link, enter your Vernon Parish Library Card number and enjoy the search.

Federal and State Documents

Publish
The Venron Parish Library is one of three public libraries in the state to be designated as a Federal Depository. The Library is also a Louisiana State Depository Library. Thousands of documents are available for use by the public. All are cataloged in our On-Line Catalog, available at http://www.vernon.lib.la.us. One may search by subject, author, title or SuDoc stem number. Online databases are cataloged, as well as some Government Web Sites.

Viewing our Reference Page will give you many excellent links to Documents and other information.

Video Games



A new collection available at the Library are Computer Video Game Discs. Many of the games are PlayStation II, some are X-Box versions. Each can be checked out, one per household, for a period of one week.
Titles include: NASCAR 07, Legend Zelda, Madagascar, Super Monkey Ball Adventure, Polar Express and Finding Nemo. Others are on order. For a complete listing of these games and other information, visit out web page at: http://www.vernon.lib.la.us.

Fishing Rods and Reels

Spring is coming and the Library has Fishing Rods and Reels available for checkout. Each Rod & Reel may be checked out with a valid Vernon Parish or Libraries Southwest Library Card for a period of one week. Over 50 Fishing Rods & Reels are available.