09/22/2026
A Rare Books Petting Zoo will be held October 1st from 3pm to 7pm At the McNeese Frazar Memorial Library!
This free event offers the public a glimpse of first edition books, hand-painted fore-edge illustrations, and special art folios featuring the work of creatives like Charles Bukowski and John James Audubon. With the oldest book on display surviving from the 1500s, the Archives & Special Collections Department hopes to put you in touch with the distant past and the interesting present. Folk tales to classical literature, puzzle books to saddle stiches- we've curated a wide array of curiosities!
The archives contain some materials unavailable anywhere else. The books and other resources were collected by locals, primarily in the 1960s and 1970s, who decided McNeese should have rare and special editions. They collected them around the world, and brought them to the archives for public use.
A unique opportunity of this event is the ability to freely browse the McNeese Archive's collection of local history books. With manuscripts, limited print, and signed copies in the reading room, it offers new connections to old resources.
“These books are really works of art,” says Pati Threatt, archivist and special collections librarian. “Usually students or people from the community would have to make an appointment to view a specific work, so this is an opportunity for people to interact with pieces they might not know about or might not otherwise have the chance to see.” Take some time to peruse the peculiar with us in the Special Collections Reading Room for this one-day event.
This event is open to individuals of all ages.
October 1st, 3pm-7pm
McNeese Frazar Library
300 Joe Dumars Dr, Lake Charles, LA 70609
1st Floor Special Collections Reading Room
