The East Baton Rouge Parish Library will hold a topping out ceremony Thursday to mark that builders have reached the highest-point beam in the construction of the new, downtown River Center branch.
At the event, library officials also plan to announce a major donation that will help fund a Teen Technology Lab that will be located on the third floor of the facility.
The roughly 400-square-foot space will have multiple computers and supporting equipment specifically designed for teenagers to use individually or in groups, says Library Director Spencer Watts. The space will also be available for group instruction.
“It’s modeled after the technology area we have here in the main branch,” Watts says. “We’ll actually have two or three different high tech spaces in the new branch, including a sound lab and a maker’s space. But this one is really uniquely for teenagers to be able to work collectively in a group or by themselves.”
The estimated cost of furniture, fixtures and equipment in the lab will be around $80,000. The corporate sponsor, who will be identified at the event, is covering most of the cost, Watts says. He declines to identify the company, but says it has a “significant local presence.”
A third party brought the company to the library board and helped facilitate the donation.
“It’s a nice gesture on their part and a wonderful way to help support teen involvement and teen engagement with the library and also with the larger world of technology,” he says.
The topping out ceremony marks the halfway point of the two-year construction of the four-story, 48,000-square-foot library, which has an estimated price tag of $19 million.
The event will begin at 11:30 a.m. at Town Square, 120 St. Louis St.
—Stephanie Riegel
