The combined organization is now called the Library Foundation of New Orleans.
Two New Orleans nonprofits have merged to strengthen support for the city’s public library system.
The Friends of the New Orleans Public Library and the New Orleans Public Library Foundation joined forces, forming what Friends executive director Shannan Cvitanovic calls a better partner for the libraries.
“The result is a stronger, more efficient partner for our public library system,” Cvitanovic said.
The merger comes more than a decade after a scandal rocked the Library Foundation. WWL Louisiana Chief Investigator David Hammer exposed the fraud in 2015.
The foundation’s former leader, award-winning jazz trumpeter Irvin Mayfield, and his business partner, Ronald Markham, pleaded guilty to diverting more than $1 million in public library donations to their jazz orchestra and lying about it.
Current board President Demetric Mercadel said neither man has paid back the money.
“They are on a payment plan, which was set up by the courts, and everything is moving smoothly just as planned,” Mercadel said.
Mayfield and Markham are each required to pay $500 a month toward $1.1 million in court-ordered restitution. At that rate, it would take 92 years to repay what they stole.
Mercadel said the foundation stopped seeking donations nearly six years ago. According to Nonprofit Explorer, a public database that tracks charity finances, the foundation lost nearly $35,000 in 2024.
Cvitanovic acknowledged the Mayfield scandal damaged both organizations, but said the merger is what’s best for the library system.
“What this is going to do is help us to expand our capacity and to take care of our donors to implement programs at the library,” she said.
The combined organization is now called the Library Foundation of New Orleans.
The new organization says the merger will expand programming, advocacy and long-term support for New Orleans libraries.
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