Lafourche Parish Public Library: Thibodaux Branch
🏢 Lafourche Parish Public Library · Thibodaux, Louisiana
Lafourche Parish Public Library: Thibodaux Branch
Downtown Thibodaux's flagship branch, open six days a week with evening hours and the only full Makerspace in the Lafourche Parish system — 3D printers, Cricut machines and sewing machines — serving a parish that has kept its public library alive since 1935.
🕑 Library Hours
| Monday | 9am–7pm |
| Tuesday | 9am–7pm |
| Wednesday | 9am–7pm |
| Thursday | 9am–7pm |
| Friday | 9am–5pm |
| Saturday | 9am–5pm |
| Sunday | Closed |
Hours may vary on holidays; check the library site before visiting.
📍 Location, Contact & Directions
Address: 705 West 5th Street, Thibodaux, LA 70301
Phone: (985) 447-4119
Website: lafourche.org
Plus Code: 76XFQ5WH+G4 (Thibodaux, LA)
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👋 Use the Library Online
📖 About Lafourche Parish Public Library: Thibodaux Branch
The Thibodaux Branch is the principal public service location of the Lafourche Parish Public Library, a nine-branch system founded in 1935 that won Louisiana's top library award — the Modisette Award — in both 1955 and 2016 and celebrated 90 years of service in 2025. Situated in the parish seat of Thibodaux, the branch opened in 1985 as a memorial in honor of Martha Sowell Utley (1927–1981), a community leader whose supporters raised funds for a dedicated library building. Today the Thibodaux Branch stands out within the system for its second-floor Makerspace — the only one among the nine branches — where patrons can reserve time on 3D printers, Cricut cutting machines, and sewing machines. The branch uses a Polaris ILS catalog shared across all Lafourche locations, so a single library card lets you borrow from any branch or request items countywide.
⭐ What makes this library special
- Second-floor Makerspace — the only one in the 9-branch Lafourche Parish system — with 3D printers ($0.10/gram filament), Cricut cutting machines, and sewing machines, reservable online
- Extended evening hours Mon–Thu until 7 PM, making it the most accessible branch in the parish for working residents
- Laptop checkout, hotspot lending, and in-library Ancestry.com access for genealogy and local history research
- Homebound delivery service ships books, audiobooks, and films to patrons unable to visit in person
- Part of a 9-branch system that won Louisiana's Modisette Award twice (1955 and 2016) and marked its 90th anniversary in 2025
📱 Digital Resources — Free with Your Library Card
Thibodaux cardholders can stream, download and research free through Lafourche Parish's digital collections:
📚 Services
- Makerspace (Thibodaux Branch only): 3D printing, Cricut machines, sewing machines — reservable online
- Meeting and study rooms for community use
- Laptop checkout and hotspot device lending
- Homebound delivery service (books, audiobooks, films mailed to patrons)
- Book-a-Librarian one-on-one research consultations
- Interlibrary Loan (ILL)
- In-library Ancestry.com access for genealogy
- Public computers, printing, copying, scanning, and faxing
- Video game collection
🎸 Programs
- Summer Experience — annual themed reading and enrichment challenge for all ages
- Kids Club — children's storytimes, crafts, and interactive programming
- Teen Zone — programming and resources for teenagers
- Makerspace workshops — 3D printing and creative technology sessions
- Computer and technology classes
📍 Nearby Libraries in Louisiana
Distances are approximate straight-line miles from this library.
All libraries in Thibodaux · Browse all Louisiana libraries →
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
Who was Martha Sowell Utley, and why is the Thibodaux branch sometimes called the Utley Memorial Library?
Martha Sowell Utley (1927–1981) was a Thibodaux community figure whose friends and supporters launched a building drive in her memory after she passed away. That effort funded the construction of the Thibodaux Branch at 705 West 5th Street, which opened in 1985 as the Martha Sowell Utley Memorial Library. The branch carries that commemorative history even as it operates today as the main Thibodaux public service location of the Lafourche Parish system.
How does the Thibodaux Branch Makerspace differ from the library headquarters at 314 Saint Mary Street?
The library headquarters at 314 Saint Mary Street — housed in the historic Percy-Lobdell Building alongside the National Park Service's Wetlands Acadian Cultural Center — is an administrative and research office open weekdays only. The full-service Thibodaux Branch at 705 West 5th Street is where you'll find the circulating collection, evening hours, computer lab, meeting rooms, and the second-floor Makerspace with its 3D printers, Cricut machines, and sewing machines.
What can I make in the Thibodaux Library Makerspace, and how do I book time?
The Makerspace is the only one in the nine-branch Lafourche Parish Public Library system and is open to all cardholders. Equipment includes MakerBot 3D printers (filament charged at $0.10 per gram), Cricut electronic cutting machines, and sewing machines. Sessions are reservable in advance through the library's website at lafourche.org/makerspace.
What free digital resources come with a Lafourche Parish library card?
Your card unlocks Libby/OverDrive (eBooks and audiobooks), hoopla (movies, music, comics), cloudLibrary (eBooks and magazines), Flipster (digital magazines), and ComicsPlus (graphic novels). It also connects you to the Louisiana Library Connection — a statewide portal offering Coursera online courses, Mango Languages (70+ languages), HomeworkLouisiana live tutoring, Gale Legal Forms, and 144,000+ digitized Louisiana historical materials.
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