New director named for East Baton Rouge Library after yearlong search

After a roughly yearlong search, the East Baton Rouge Parish Library has named its new director. 

Katrina Stokes comes to Baton Rouge from the Warren County-Vicksburg Library in Mississippi, where she served as library director for seven years. 

In her former role in Mississippi, Stokes added new collections, oversaw significant renovations, and expanded the community’s understanding of how the library could serve them, the East Baton Rouge Parish Library said in a news release Thursday. 

“I look forward to working with our staff in bringing much-needed services to our community” in Baton Rouge, Stokes said in the release.

The library launched its search for director in the fall of 2022. Stokes takes the place of longtime director Spencer Watts, who retired last year after serving in the role for 10 years.