NOTE: Please dress warmly, or bring a jacket; in order to preserve our books and microfilm, it is necessary to maintain the temperature of the building at a low setting.

The Southwest Louisiana Genealogical and Historical Library is located on the first floor and to the left of the main entrance to the Carnegie Memorial Library at the intersection of Pujo and Bilbo streets in historic downtown Lake Charles, Louisiana and is an adult reference library. The collection offers a treasure of material to the genealogical researcher in the form of books, periodicals, microfilm, and family records. The card catalog for all of the libraries in the Calcasieu Parish Public Library System are now available on the Online Public Access Catalog (OPAC) computer terminals located in the library. The genealogy materials do not circulate.

The Library meets the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Free parking is available for patrons in the first row of the parking lot across from City Hall on Pujo Street. One-hour parking is allowed on Bilbo Street and fifteen minute parking is allowed on Pujo Street. A kitchen area for the use by patrons is available with a vending machine, refrigerator, and ice maker. Public rest rooms are located on the first floor near the water fountain.

1. Please sign the Patron Register at the service desk. Please include your address and the names you are researching.

2. Please observe the following:

Children under twelve must be supervised by an adult;

Food and drinks are allowed only in the kitchen area;

Smoking is prohibited; and

No loud talking.

3. Limitation on the use of materials:

Four ( 4 ) volumes per person at a time;

Two ( 2 ) hour limit per person on a reader, if needed;

4. Do not re-shelve or re-file library materials;

5. Do not leave the genealogy area with any genealogy materials.

6. Please rewind all used microfilm and place on the top of the film cabinets.

The Genealogy Library has microfilm and microfiche readers available for patrons. Copies may be made from microfilm or microfiche at a cost of $.20 per copy. A self-service, coin operated photocopy machine is available at a cost of $.20 per copy.

The library staff will be happy to assist the beginning genealogist, help locate books and microfilm, and explain the Online Public Access Catalog (OPAC). However, the individual patron is expected to do his own research. Recommendations for additional research sources will be suggested where possible, but it is impossible for the staff to undertake extensive research for the patrons.

Requests by mail can be answered with only the most basic assistance. A limited amount of photocopying can be done for the patron at a cost of $.20 per page.

The Library's collection contains records on most of the American states with special emphasis on Louisiana, Texas, and Mississippi, as well as those states to the north along the Mississippi River, Canada, and Acadia. The collection contains a limited amount of information on British genealogy and patriotic organizations' lineage books. Examples of the types of materials are cemetery and church records, parish courthouse records, military records, compiled family histories, and parish histories. Indexes are available for obituary notices that appeared in the local newspapers, as well as marriages and some births. "How To Books" are available to assist the beginning and experienced researcher.

The microfilm/microfiche collection includes:

1. Federal census records from 1790-1830;

2. Federal census records for the southern states through 1840;

3. Federal census records for Louisiana through 1920;

4. Federal census soundexes for 1880 and 1920;

5. Ship passenger lists into New Orleans prior to 1900;

6. Tax Assessment Rolls for Calcasieu Parish from 1865-1920;

7. Maude Reid Scrapbooks;

8. Confederate Land Grant Applications;

9. Sons of the American Revolution membership applications;

10. Voter Registration Rolls for Louisiana (1898);

11. Louisiana Index to Naturalizations;

12. 1890 Special Louisiana Census;

13. Local newspapers from 1889 to the present;

14. Index to Marriage Records for Calcasieu Parish from 1910 - 1971;

15. Curtis Jacobs Collection; and

16. International Genealogical Index Microfiche for 21 of the 50 states, the Dakota Territory, Native Americans, and some counties of England, Scotland, Spain, Ireland and Canada.

THE MICROFILM/FILE ROOM CONTAINS:

-Microfilm Readers and Reader Printers

-Microfilmed Newspapers

-Obituary Index

-Surname Index

THE VERTICAL FILE CONTAINS:

-Ancestor Charts

-Louisiana and Calcasieu Parish Materials

-Family Files

SHELVING RANGES INCLUDE:

1 - "How To" Books, Ship Passenger Lists, Lineage Indexes

2 - Lineage Indexes

3 - Lineage Indexes, Rhode Island, Virginia

4 - Virginia, North Carolina

5 - South Carolina, Alabama, Mississippi, Texas

6 - Texas, Oklahoma

7 - Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio, Illinois, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Oregon, California, Idaho, New Jersey, Washington.

8 - Family Histories

9 - Family Histories

10 - Periodicals

11 - Periodicals

12 - Periodicals

13 - Acadian, Canadian

14 - Louisiana

15 - Louisiana

16 - Louisiana, City Directories, Census Indexes.

17 - Periodical Display - Current Issues

18 - Reference, New Books