Bayou Bytes Blog

Its that time of year again!    The Louisiana Book Festival is back and ready to celebrate literature, literacy, and Louisiana fun.   The event, which takes place this Saturday, November 2nd at the State Library of Louisiana, State Capitol, Capitol Park Museum and in tents around the area is free and open to the public.   Check out this year's key authors/speakers including Ernest Gaines , Pulitzer Prize-winners Shirley Ann Grau and Rick Bragg , and Duck Dynasty's Alan Robertson  among others.   Also enjoy live music, delicious food, and tons of activities for the whole family.   Planning to attend and want to plan your day ahead of time? Download the new Louisiana Book Festival app for your smart phone!   For more information about the Festival check out the website here and don't forget the driving directions !   Let us know if you plan to attend in the comments.

  Would having your art seen by over 250,000 people every year and $3000 dollars in your pocket give you that validation? The Calcasieu Parish Public Library is seeking a local artist to redesign the Innovation Studio that is located inside of the Central Library located at 301 West Claude Street in Lake Charles. The upcoming Innovation Studio will be a collaborative space for all ages and will include 3D printing technology, high end audio/visual software, state of the art computers and much more! The purpose is to encourage patrons to become creators and maker, inventors and engineers, artists and designers. “The library wants our patrons to take their dreams and turn them into a reality and we would like the design of this room to reflect this purpose,” said Clare Coleman, Central Library branch manager. “If you’re an artist and you want to have your design seen by the over 250,000 patrons that come to Central Library each year, we encourage you to apply!” Artists ar...

Libraries are about so much more than storing your favorite media! As writer Tim McKeough proves, t hey can also be beautiful examples of style, architecture, and history. The November issue of Architectural Digest features a selection of the "most spectacular libraries around the world." View the magazine's online slideshow here or check out one of the library's copies. Let us know if you have visited any of these beauties in the comments.

Are you planning a Halloween party but don’t know where to start? Why not haunt your local library for some frighteningly good ideas? From scary pumpkin carvings and spooky house decorations; to horrific face painting and creepy costumes; to spirited libations and hauntingly good edibles, you can dig up great books to cover it all. Your library even has Halloween sound effects on CD that will add just the right amount of atmospheric chill to your ghoulish gathering.  Before you know it, your home will become the most haunted crept in town! But that’s not all! Your library is filled with untold numbers of the scariest literature ever written and some of the spookiest movies ever directed. So come to the library and see what jumps out and screams… BOO! Better Homes and Gardens: Best of Halloween Tricks & Treats ( Library Copies ) Cool ideas for a personalizing any Halloween party From spooky to whimsical and everything in between, this all-new edition of Best of H...

Looking for something safe and fun for the toddlers, teens, and in-betweens to do this Halloween season? Look no further than your favorite Calcasieu Parish Public Library branch, which will have special events up until its time to trick-or-treat. Visit the Calcasieu Parish Public Library events calendar for info on everything from story time to Zombie Prom. We hope to see you there!

Library Copies 12 th of Never (2013) by James Patterson & Maxine Paetro A Women’s Murder Club novel. It's finally time! Detective Lindsay Boxer is in labor--while two killers are on the loose. Lindsay Boxer's beautiful baby is born! But after only a week at home with her new daughter, Lindsay is forced to return to work to face two of the biggest cases of her career. A rising star football player for the San Francisco 49ers is the prime suspect in a grisly murder. At the same time, Lindsay is confronted with the strangest story she's ever heard: An eccentric English professor has been having vivid nightmares about a violent murder and he's convinced is real. Lindsay doesn't believe him, but then a shooting is called in-and it fits the professor's description to the last detail. Lindsay doesn't have much time to stop a terrifying future from unfolding. But all the crimes in the world seem like nothing when Lindsay is suddenly faced with ...

Letters About Literature , the Library of Congress Center for the Book national reading and writing contest for students sponsored on the state level by the Louisiana Center for the Book in the State Library of Louisiana, is now accepting entries. To enter, fourth through 12 th grade students write personal letters to authors, living or dead, from any genre explaining how what they read changed the student’s view of the world or themselves and submit their letters to the national headquarters. The national LAL team will choose up to 50 entries in each level from each state; from those, Louisiana finalists will be chosen by a panel of judges from throughout the state. Louisiana’s first place winners’ entries will then be submitted to the Library of Congress for the national competition with the chance of winning $1,000. Louisiana state winners in each level, to be announced in April, will receive $100 for first place, $75 for second place and $50 for third place and will be recogn...

A Kurt Austin Adventure from the NUMA files Library Copies It is called zero point energy, and it really exists—a state of energy contained in all matter everywhere, and thus all but unlimited. Nobody has ever found a way to tap into it, however—until one scientist discovers a way. But he does not intend to use his discovery for good. Rejected and vilified by the international community, he plans to use zero-point energy to exact terrifying revenge on entire nations, constructing machines of unthinkable destruction… machines that could unleash world-altering earthquakes and create fissures in tectonic plates. He claims that the fate of whole continents will be his to command. But the truth may be more terrifying still. For others believe that once the force of zero-point energy is released… it cannot be controlled. Kurt Austin, Joe Zavala, and the rest of the NUMA team begin a desperate race to find these deadly machines and destroy them before they’re activated. But other...

Join us at the Moss Bluff Library this Tuesday, October 15th, for stories and crafts at 4:00 P.M. The Crafty Kids Storytime , held on on select Tuesday afternoons, is for all ages but is especially geared toward Kindergarten through second grade. Come out and have some fun!                 

Hey Teens! Want to show your design talent? Want to get noticed? Have a design idea to promote reading? Your Library is looking for a cool bookmark design to distribute to library patrons throughout the parish! The winning artist will receive great prizes as well as have their design used parish wide!  All entries must be received by 5p on Wednesday, Oct. 28th!

School is back in session and fall is at hand. Time to put on your team colors and flock to the nearest stadium for that beloved turf war we call Football! There will be faces painted; smack talked; and cheers screamed. But before everyone rushes to their stadium seating, there is one important ritual to complete before the game begins, and that’s Tailgating! Tailgating is an American original and though it now can include other sporting events, it is at football games that Tailgating works its most potent magic. Fans plan their tailgating parties well in advance of game night, and festivities begin with fans staking out prime parking spots, sometimes days before the game. As the term suggests, Tailgating started out as a pregame grilling party around the tailgate of someone’s truck, but now any vehicle will do and the food has gone way beyond just grilling. Some fans actually camp out in the stadium parking lot in RVs and camper trailers, making it possible to stay overnight in compl...

Dear patrons, All of the Calcasieu Parish Public Library's branches will be closed this Friday, October 4th for Staff Development day.  This day will give library staff an opportunity to receive training that will help us serve you better. For 24/7 access to library resources, please visit our website at calcasieulibrary.org

Interested in learning a new craft? Check out the DeQuincy Library's class on Classy Glass Etching this Thursday, October 3rd, from 10-11 am. Participants will learn how to etch on glass vases. Materials will be supplied. For more information and to register for the class in advance, please see the Calcasieu Parish Public Library Event Registration page.