Woodville Public Library selected for an AARP Community Grant

We are happy to share that the Woodville Public Library, a part of the Wilkinson County Library System, has won a $15,000 AARP Community Challenge Grant for the installation of ADA-compliant automatic doors and a ramp at the Woodville Library. 

Since its debut in 2017, the AARP Community Challenge has invested $24.3 million in two,100 livability projects, with a focus on meeting the needs of adults age 50 and older, in all 50 states.

Find out more about the grant at https://www.aarp.org/livable-communities/community-challenge/.

Learn more about the Wilkinson County Library System at https://www.wcplibrary.com/.

MLC is celebrating 78 years in the U.S. Government Publishing Office’s (GPO’s) Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP) in September.

The FDLP ensures the public has free access to Federal documents in participating libraries across the Nation. The libraries, in partnership with the GPO, work in support of Keeping America Informed.

Through the FDLP, approximately 1,150 libraries nationwide work with the GPO to provide public access to authentic, published information from all three branches of the Federal Government in print and electronic formats. The program's antecedents can be traced back to the Act of Congress dated December 27, 1813 (3 Stat. 140), which provided that one copy of the journals and documents of the Senate and House be sent to each university and college and each historical society in each state. GPO has operated the FDLP since 1895.

Find out more what it means to be a federal depository at https://www.fdlp.gov/.

Waynesboro-Wayne County Library System participates in Library of Congress Literacy Award

On July 18, Library Director Patsy C. Brewer and Cataloger Toni Wright (pictured with group above) attended a Library of Congress Literacy Award Regional meeting in Decatur, Georgia at the DeKalb County Public Library. The purpose of this meeting was to foster a sense of community by sharing information among Literacy Awards winners and honorees. Literary organization leaders are pictured from Florida, Georgia, Maryland, South Carolina, North Carolina, Puerto Rico, Virginia, Washington, DC., along with Judith Lee and James Santos from the Library of Congress. The Waynesboro-Wayne County Library previously received the State of Mississippi Literacy Award from the Library of Congress, which is the largest library in the world with over 167 million items that includes materials in nearly every format and language.

Find out more about WWCLS at https://wwcls.lib.ms.us/.

MMRLS Mobile Library selected as 2025 Bookmobile Grant Program from the Lois Lenski Covey Foundation.

The Mid Mississippi Regional Library System has been selected to receive a $3,000 grant to purchase children’s books specifically for the mobile library collection.

This funding will significantly enhance the ability to offer high-quality children’s literature throughout the service area. It will also be used to expand their child-focused outreach. MMRLS plans to incorporate more child-centered sites into the mobile route, including daycare's, schools, community centers, and local events.

The goal is not only to increase access to children's books in rural and undeserved areas, but also to create more engagement opportunities for young readers and their families. These resources foster early literacy and lifelong learning, key pillars of Mid-Mississippi Regional Library System’s 5-year strategic plan.

Click the image above to follow along with MMRLS Book Mobile.

TBS at Vicksburg Family Friendly Health Fair 

In July, Talking Book Services was invited to participate in the 2nd Annual Family Health Fair hosted by Vicksburg Warren County Public Library. A wide variety of groups and organizations were present, all with various types of interactive games meant to engage children while their parents and guardians received resources from the 30+ tables. Talking Book brought equipment and information to share on our services along with a 'decoding' challenge for all ages: to transcribe a sentence from Braille to print to get a small prize! The event was well attended and everyone who participated in our Braille activity had a wonderful time. 

Find out more about MLC's Talking Book Services at https://www.mlc.lib.ms.us/tbs/. TBS staff are available to come talk to your group about the service, where we can also sign up eligible patrons on the spot. Whether it’s a school, public library, an assisted living facility, veterans group, civic group, or other meeting, you may contact us today to get a visit scheduled.

Call: 1-800-446-0892 (toll free) or 601-432-4151.

Regrets Expressed

The Mississippi Library Commission joins thousands of readers in an expression of regret concerning the death of Greg Iles on August 15 as a result of multiple myeloma. He was indeed one of Mississippi’s best fiction writers. Born in Stuttgart Germany in 1960 at a time when his physician father was stationed in that country with the U.S. Army, he lived most of his childhood and adult years as a resident of Natchez. 

He was the author of seventeen novels. Perhaps the most memorable was the trilogy of novels (Natchez Burning, The Bone Tree, and Mississippi Blood) that featured the character Penn Cage. His most recent publication was Southern Man which was released in 2025. He was a past participant in the Mississippi Book Festival.

The Mississippi Poetry Project of 2024-2025 Anthology: Dreams and Wishes is now available! This anthology features the winning poems of students from across the state who shared their hopes, dreams, and wishes for the future for us to enjoy in our communities. The winners were honored in the April Poetry Festival, and now everyone has the opportunity to feature their collection of work on your library shelves and while providing these students a chance to see their work featured in their own public library. A copy of the anthology will be available for you to pick up at MLC at the August Public Library Directors' Meeting. 

The most recent Mississippi Poet Laureate Catherine Pierce spearheaded this initiative to encourage young adults and children to express themselves through the art of poetry and collaborated with MLC's Center for the Book to host and distribute the project. We welcome the new Mississippi Poet Laureate, Ann Fisher-Wirth, and look forward to the future of the Mississippi Poetry Project and other poetry initiatives she has planned for our state.

The Mississippi Poetry Project is a statewide poetry initiative for students in grades K-12. All students across Mississippi are invited to participate. Each participating school will select three winning poems per grade, which will be sent on to the statewide competition. All school-wide winners will have their winning poems published in a contest anthology and be invited to share their work at a reading and celebration.

Find out more at https://www.mlc.lib.ms.us/mlc-services/center-for-the-book/mississippi-poetry-project/.

Chapter One Award Nomination Requests

The Friends of Mississippi Libraries, Inc. are seeking nominations for the annual Friends of Mississippi Libraries awards presented at the Mississippi Library Association (MLA) conference. The Chapter One Award is presented to the Friends of the Library Chapter that has made the most outstanding volunteer contribution in the area of service to libraries during the year. The Ruby Assaf Presidential Award honors an outstanding volunteer in Friends of Mississippi Libraries, Inc. or in a local chapter. Winners will receive a plaque, one complimentary registration to the MLA conference to accept the award, and $100 for their chapter.

Nominations will be accepted until August 31st, 2025, and can be made here:

Chapter One Award Nomination Form

Ruby Assaf Nomination Form

MAGNOLIA is now offering Monthly Virtual Continuing Education Units!

Beginning in August, MAGNOLIA will host a 1hr virtual session on the fourth Thursday of each month from 3:30pm to 4:30pm, with attendees receiving a certificate of CEU completion after 5 attended sessions. 

Interested? Sign up here.

Upcoming MLC Continuing Education Trainings for Library Staff

The continuing education program is an important part of MLC’s services to the public library community. Full descriptions and information can be found in our Continuing Education catalog on our website at https://www.mlc.lib.ms.us/ms-libraries/library-development/.

Finishing the Year

by Hulen E. Bivins

For those entities that just concluded a year on June 30 and for those entities that will conclude a year on September 30, it has been a tumultuous year.  Experiencing this difficult year is a class of industrious individuals who have endured the “ups and downs” of this time. This group of individuals are the public librarians found in large cities, the rural countryside, and the small hamlets of our nation. Their purpose is not self-serving. Rather, they are the individuals who diligently work to further the knowledge of the library’s patrons and community. How did this happen that librarians endure year after year, especially in a year like the recent past?

The answer to the question posed is found in the DNA of the librarian profession. They are a class that stays hungry to aid and assist others. They stay true to the ideals of their profession, and, in most cases, they are a self-motivated and initiative-taking class that is always remembering there is a need for original thought and original action. They are not prone to be “copies” who fine their labor exhibited in the family business. Indeed, it is rare to find librarians who have a sibling or parent working in the field of librarianship who could offer the new librarian a position of work. What is found however, is a group that understands dedication to a mission. Achieving the mission set before them, librarians coexist with those of lesser education who launch uneducated attacks on a profession that simply answers questions.

Whether the questions come from government or secular society does not matter. Librarians are vendors of information who appreciate their chosen profession and the opportunities they have to serve others. They are leaders who are unique.  And, they are proud of their profession and the improvements they provide to all of the populace who allow them to serve.