The citizens of Vermilion Parish officially passed a millage that resulted in the permanent establishment of the Abbeville-based Vermilion Parish Library in February 1942. Over the ensuing years, branches have sprang up in Kaplan, Gueydan, Maurice, Erath and Delcambre, and the Mobile Library (bookmobile) was instituted in order to serve various destinations throughout the parish.
The library system has experienced much growth since its formation more than 65 years ago and today holds a collection of more than 167,000 volumes and 4,900 magazine and newspaper subscriptions. New to the library, citizens can now download music to listen to and read eBooks and digital magazines on their mobile devices from the library website (www.vermilionlibrary.org). Laptops are available for checkout at the Abbeville location to Vermilion Parish citizens provided by the State Library of Louisiana. In addition, all locations offer a wealth of audios, DVDs and playaways (books available for play on an MP3 player). Each location of the Vermilion Parish Library offers copy and faxing services, free Internet, free Wi-Fi, wireless printing and access to a number of online databases. For groups who need a place to meet, the libraries in Abbeville, Kaplan and Erath offer the use of meeting rooms, which are accessible both during and after hours.
Video conferencing equipment is available at the Abbeville Library to offer medical programs, virtual field trips for students and educational training opportunities for the business community.
Aside from the facilities and amenities of the library, patrons of all ages take advantage of a calendar year of excellent programming, including summer reading programs, story hours and book clubs, among many others. For more information on the Vermilion Parish Library and its branches, visit the library website at www.vermilionlibrary.org.
