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Community History Archives

Community History Archive Partner

East Baton Rouge Parish Library

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Explore this community history collection to discover the people, places, organizations, and events of Baton Rouge.

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5Titles

Explore publications and collections from the past.

1968 to 1989Dates represented

See individual titles for available dates.

38,206Archive pages

Historical pages reported for this collection.

Explore local history

Discover the people, places, and stories of Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Explore the past of Baton Rouge, Louisiana through newspapers in the East Baton Rouge Parish Library's digital archive. Its five titles include material from 1968 to 1989.

You can open the archive using the link below.
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  • Selected titles

    The collection from East Baton Rouge Parish Library includes “Baton Rouge Community Leader” and “Gris Gris”.

  • Free and open access

    No subscription or payment required.

  • A closer look

    An earlier generation comes into view through the stories its newspapers chose to report, placing familiar names and events within the concerns of their time.

Reporting from the time can reveal how people described the events, work and concerns of their day, placing a local story within the history unfolding around it. Whether you are tracing a family connection, exploring a local event or sharing history with a class, there is more to discover than names and dates alone. Explore the archive online for free, without a subscription.

Explore the collection

Titles in this collection

Browse five titles and 38,206 digitized pages, with material from 1968 to 1989. This collection is shared through East Baton Rouge Parish Library's partnership with Advantage Archives. Some years or items may be missing between the dates shown.

Explore the titles below for a closer look at the places, people and everyday life of earlier generations.

Baton Rouge Community Leader

3,036 pages from 1979 to 1982

Baton Rouge News Leader

9,684 pages from 1971 to 1973

Community Leader

1,606 pages from 1982 to 1989

Gris Gris

15,382 pages from 1973 to 1979

News Leader

8,498 pages from 1968 to 1971

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About the Library

About The East Baton Rouge Parish Library

The East Baton Rouge Parish Library (EBRPL) was established in 1939 with a modest collection of donated books. Since then, it has grown into a system with a Main Library, 13 community branches, and several bookmobiles that serve the Baton Rouge area. With a dedicated staff of more than 540 employees, the library offers extensive services, including outreach to schools, daycares, and community centers.

East Baton Rouge Parish Library photo 1

Library History

The History Of The East Baton Rouge Parish Library

In its early years, the East Baton Rouge Parish Library expanded rapidly, establishing eight branches within its first three years. Over the decades, it has become an award-winning institution, recognized for excellence by state and national organizations. Today, EBRPL is almost entirely funded by a dedicated property tax, which has provided essential support since 1986. The library continues to play a crucial role in the community by offering free access to resources, hosting thousands of programs, and serving as a hub for learning and engagement.

About the Community

About Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Baton Rouge, the capital of Louisiana, is a vibrant city known for its rich history, cultural heritage, and dynamic growth. Founded in 1719, the city has a deep connection to its past, which is reflected in its institutions like the East Baton Rouge Parish Library. Baton Rouge is home to a diverse community and a wide array of educational, historical, and cultural landmarks.

Local History

Did You Know?

Did you know that the East Baton Rouge Parish Library system now includes almost 2 million items in its collection? From its modest beginnings with donated books, the library has grown into one of the largest and most active public libraries in the state of Louisiana.

More ways to explore and share local history

Research Guidance

Trace a name across nearby issues

A family name, a familiar street or a story passed down through generations can lead to a closer look at the history of Baton Rouge. The digital archive shared by the East Baton Rouge Parish Library offers a place to begin. When using historical newspapers, try alternate spellings and nearby dates, then read the surrounding page to place a local story in its time. Compare later reporting or another available title to explore different perspectives rather than treating one account as the whole story.

If a name does not appear, try an alternate spelling or a related term, then read around any match. Note the issue date and page so a result stays connected to its context. Use those details to follow a story without treating one search result as a complete answer.

Build a trail through the past that someone else can follow: record the title, date, page or item reference, and a link when available. Keep historical quotations distinct from your own interpretation. If accounts disagree, note what each source supports before deciding how the details fit together in a family or community story.

Review collection titles

Community Partnership

Keeping local history a community resource

This community archive is made possible by the collaboration of the East Baton Rouge Parish Library, its community, and Advantage Archives. Together, these partnerships preserve local sources and give people a way to explore, learn from, and share the history around them.

Advantage Archives covers ongoing archive hosting, storage, development, and maintenance. The institution and its community do not pay a subscription, seat license, annual support contract, or other recurring archive-service charge. Local history remains a community resource, not a subscription to maintain.

Would you like to see more of your community's history preserved and accessible? Start a conversation with your library, newspaper publisher, historical or genealogical society, museum, or school about the materials they would like to share and a possible partnership with Advantage Archives.

Learn about partnerships
Read All About It

Stories, research tips, and archive news

Read All About It connects archive research with the people and institutions preserving local history. Explore partner and community stories, project updates, research ideas, and perspectives on digitization, education, and working with primary sources. Use the articles as a starting point for your next question or a new way to share a discovery.

Newest published articles

March 18, 2025

It’s Your Community’s History, So Why Rent Something You Own?

We believe that history belongs to the communities where it was made - not locked behind paywalls or inaccessible due to budget restrictions. Subscription-based services and large content aggregators are generally more concerned with "content" and less concerned with the history that content contains. Their models typically involve a reoccurring charge for a plan that renews annually or licensing agreements with the library based on population served or circulation numbers. You are essentially Renting Access To YOUR History.
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