Saturday, May 01, 2021 Livingston Parish Library Public Relations

Livingston Parish Library (LPL) is expanding its collection through an exciting new partnership with the USS KIDD Veterans Museum. Beginning May 1, Library cardholders will be able to checkout free passes to visit Baton Rouge’s Fletcher-class Destroyer and Louisiana Veterans Museum.

Dubbed Culture Passes, this new program aims to further the Library’s mission of being a leader for innovative library services and providing members of the community with resources to fulfill their informational, educational, recreational, and cultural needs. The Culture Pass program partners the Library with local museums and cultural institutions to allow cardholders free entry to participating venues. The USS KIDD Veterans Museum is the first participant in the Culture Pass program.

“I am very excited about this newly formed partnership between the Livingston Parish Library and the USS KIDD Museum,” said LPL Director Giovanni Tairov. “As I frequently say, the Library is more than just a collection of books. It is a gateway to an amazing array of services for both educational and cultural enrichment. I appreciate the Museum’s executive director, Rosehn Gipe, for providing our patrons with the fantastic opportunity to explore this world-famous Museum where they can learn about our country’s rich naval history.”

USS KIDD Culture Passes allow a family of up to four; two adults and two children or one adult and three children, to tour the iconic naval ship located in downtown Baton Rouge. Passes can be borrowed from any of the LPL’s five branches for up to one week; however, passes cannot be reserved in advance or renewed.

“We are so pleased that Livingston Parish Library is willing to expand their services to include the educational opportunities offered by museums,” said USS KIDD Veterans Museum Executive Director Rosehn Gipe. “We hope that other library systems will recognize the value of similar programs for their patrons.”

About USS KIDD Veterans Museum
The USS KIDD was named for Medal of Honor recipient Isaac C. Kidd Sr., who was killed aboard his flagship USS Arizona during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. She is one of only four Fletcher-class destroyers still preserved as museums and the only known destroyer preserved in her World War II configuration.

USS Kidd is recognized as one of the most authentically restored vessels in the world by the Historic Naval Ships Association, an organization whose fleet spans several nations scattered across five continents. The attached Veterans Museum displays a variety of artifacts that celebrate veteran and naval military history, with displays and interesting artifacts for all generations.

USS KIDD Culture Passes are the latest addition to the Library’s diverse collection. Over the past two years, the LPL has worked to integrate more non-traditional items into its physical collection. These items include mobile hotspots, cake pans, and a vast array of educational equipment such as telescopes, graphing calculators, microscopes, and musical equipment like keyboards and ukuleles. For more details on the Library’s expanding collection as well as USS KIDD Culture Passes, visit the LPL online at www.mylpl.info/borrow.