Norman Mayer Library
🏢 New Orleans Public Library — New Orleans, Louisiana
Norman Mayer Library
The anchor library of Gentilly, Norman Mayer rose again after Hurricane Katrina as a two-story, 18,000-square-foot home for roughly 40,000 books and a neighborhood still rebuilding around it.
🕑 Library Hours
| Monday | 10 AM – 7 PM |
| Tuesday | 10 AM – 7 PM |
| Wednesday | 10 AM – 7 PM |
| Thursday | 10 AM – 7 PM |
| Friday | 10 AM – 5 PM |
| Saturday | 10 AM – 5 PM |
| Sunday | Closed |
Hours may vary on holidays.
📍 Location & Contact
Address: 3001 Gentilly Boulevard, New Orleans, LA 70122
Phone: (504) 596-3100
Website: nolalibrary.org
📖 About Norman Mayer Library
Norman Mayer Library first opened in 1949 on Gentilly Boulevard, endowed through a gift from the widow of New Orleans cotton broker and civic leader Norman Mayer, whose name also graces a nearby Gentilly avenue dedicated in 1950. For more than fifty years it served the surrounding neighborhoods until the 2005 levee failures that followed Hurricane Katrina flooded and ruined the building, which was demolished in 2009. The library was rebuilt at a cost of more than $5.7 million and reopened in 2012 as a modern two-story branch of about 18,000 square feet. It now holds roughly 40,000 volumes across its two floors and serves as a central gathering place for the Gentilly community. The branch is open six days a week and closed on Sundays.
⭐ What makes this branch special
- Two-story, 18,000-square-foot building rebuilt for $5.7 million after Katrina
- Holds about 40,000 volumes across two floors
- Named for cotton broker and civic leader Norman Mayer, whose gift funded the original 1949 branch
- Central library for the Gentilly neighborhood
📱 Free with a New Orleans Public Library Card
Any Louisiana resident can get a NOPL card free and unlock:
📍 More New Orleans Public Library branches
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
Why is the library named after Norman Mayer?
Norman Mayer was a New Orleans cotton broker and civic leader who came to the city as a boy and founded Norman Mayer and Co. in 1910. After his death, his widow donated money to the New Orleans Public Library, and the branch that opened on Gentilly Boulevard in 1949 was named in his honor. Nearby Norman Mayer Avenue, dedicated in 1950, also bears his name.
Is this the original Norman Mayer Library building?
No. The original 1949 building served for more than fifty years but was ruined by flooding after Hurricane Katrina and demolished in 2009. The current two-story, roughly 18,000-square-foot building opened on the same Gentilly Boulevard site in 2012.
How large is the Norman Mayer collection?
The rebuilt branch holds approximately 40,000 volumes spread across its two floors, making it a substantial neighborhood library for the Gentilly area.