Rayville Main Branch
The Carnegie Foundation gave a grant to the State of Louisiana for the development of public libraries in 1925. No rural parish in the state had a public library system at that time. A Richland Parish women’s group came together to meet the grant’s requirements. They opened a library in part of the wooden Rayville school building on Madeline Street in 1926. The flood of 1927 offered an opportunity for the fledgling library by increasing the demand for books. The librarian is said to have “donned high boots, obtained a boat and each day waded and paddled to get to the library.” It seems many of the patrons did likewise because circulation continued while the waters receded. This dedication was rewarded by the construction of a building to house the collection. In May of 1927 it moved to the Rhymes Memorial Library at 815 Louisa Street in Rayville. It has continued to grow since then.