Mary Stein, of the East Baton Rouge Parish Library System, was the featured speaker at last week's Oct. 11 Rotary Club meeting.

Stein was the guest of Rotarian Dewey Mizell.

Stein, a West Virginia native, said the EBR Parish Library System is a vibrant, actively growing system that is still buying books. "Other library systems have cut staff and book budgets," Stein said.

Stein accredited the flourishing EBR system to a 10-year "dedicated property tax."

Planning is vital to growth, Stein said, and the parish library system projects 10 years at a time for the construction of regional libraries, adding that a brand new Fairwood Branch Library will be opening in Spring 2013.

"As great as the libraries are in our system, the Main Branch on Goodwood is in bad shape," she said. "It's overcrowded, but we're in the process of moving to a three-story building located directly behind where we're located now."

The new Goodwood library will double in size and include meeting rooms, public programming, collaborative study spaces, a Shh! room and a drive-thru pick-up/drop-off window, as will the new Fairwood branch.

Stein says all of the library branches are filled with tons of free resources available to small businesses, students, professionals and anyone interested in obtaining information.

Services such as databases, small business reference centers, digital libraries of DVDs, CDs, audio books and free and legal music downloads are updated every three years.

Access to magazines and newspapers online and back issues of just about any periodical or monthly you can think of are also offered, as well as the West Law collection.

"We're all free and legal, and we want to make sure our members have what they need," Stein said. "All it requires is a library card."

Stein says in Zachary, books for kids and teens rule, with Sarah, Plain and Tall being the most checked out book.

DVDs show The Help being the most popular in Zachary, as well as westerns, mysteries and videos on home construction and building.

The EBRP Library System is open seven days a week and has all that a person may need. "You've already paid for these services through your property taxes," Stein said. "Our library system runs like a business but operates like a service."

A new EBRP Library System director will begin overseeing a board of seven at-large members in about three months, she said.

Library cards can be renewed online, and late fines are waived for persons aged 55 and up.

"We make certain each branch has the book or item its member want or need," Stein said. "Again, all you need is that library card."

For more information about the EBRP Library System or the branch nearest you, visit www.ebrpl.com.