Help Desk

In Baton Rouge, books aren’t the only thing you can find at the library

- Evan Miller

The reference desk staff at Baton Rouge, Louisiana’s public libraries pride themselves on answering their patrons’ questions. The best recipe for jambalaya. The history of zydeco. The number of times the LSU Tigers football team has been to the Cotton Bowl (that would be five). Even in this age of Google and Siri, there’s no shortage of queries.

“We’re in the information business,” says Patricia Husband, assistant branch library director

Then came the catastrophic flooding of 2016. Suddenly the questions became more urgent. People wanting to know how to contact FEMA for assistance. Where to get help paying utility bills. Even where to find a homeless shelter. Some visitors seemed to need much more than what the library’s reference sources could give them. They needed someone who could spend more time with them, counsel them on whom to call for assistance and what documents and information they’d need.

The library turned to Volunteers of America Greater Baton Rouge (VOAGBR), a faith­based nonprofit it had worked with in the past.