MLC Selects Books for National and

State Book Festivals

MLC’s Center for the Book selected its Great Reads from Great Places for 2025. The children's pick is Saving Sam! A Banjo the Dog Story by Marshall Ramsey, and the adult pick is Paddleways of Mississippi: Rivers and People of the Magnolia State by Ernest Herndon and Patrick Parker. We are excited to share that Saving Sam is currently in the works to be added to MLC’s roster of StoryWalks© available to public libraries for check out. Stay tuned!

Information about the National Book Festival can be found at https://www.loc.gov/events/2025-national-book-festival/.

Information about the Mississippi Book Festival can be found at https://msbookfestival.com/.

Crafty Creations: Staying Dry at Meridian-Lauderdale County Public Library

This month, the Meridian community has been bustling with creativity as teens (6th–12th grade), adults, and senior outreach groups engaged in a delightful DIY umbrella craft! Despite the rainy weather, spirits were high as participants decorated their umbrellas using vibrant fabric paint and markers.

To enhance the experience, a few hair dryers were on hand to help speed up the drying process, ensuring that everyone could take home their unique creations by the end of the session.

Visit https://meridianlauderdalecolibrary.com/ for more information about upcoming programming.

MLC Celebrates National Library Week

April was a time of gratitude at the Mississippi Library Commission as we celebrated our librarians during National Library Week and National Library Workers Day on April 8.

From April 7-13, National Library Week celebrated our libraries and the passionate individuals who bring them to life. The Mississippi Library Commission organized activities to appreciate our librarians' continued efforts. Patrons participated by creating thank you notes and cards that were displayed as reminders of the librarians' impact.

Writing to Heal: A Transformative Monthly Event in Columbus, MS

The Columbus Lowndes Public Library hosts "Writing to Heal" monthly, a heartwarming event in partnership with the serene Redwood Business & Wellness space. This gathering highlights the power of communal writing to share ideas and forge connections.

The event emphasizes writing's therapeutic potential. Participants engage in exercises exploring thoughts and emotions, promoting healing and growth. This collective experience strengthens resilience and community bonds.

For more information about this program or others in Columbus, visit their website at https://www.lowndeslibrary.com/.

Hometown Heroes Event Kicks Off Spring Reading Program

On March 8th, 2025, the Choctaw County Library hosted an inspiring Hometown Heroes event, marking the vibrant start of their Spring Reading Program. With an impressive turnout of around 250 community members, the day was filled with excitement and discovery.

Attendees had the unique opportunity to meet real-life hometown heroes and explore firetrucks, police cars, ambulances, and more. Families and children gleefully climbed into vehicles and onto firetrucks, creating lasting memories and a deeper appreciation for our local heroes.

For more information about the Choctaw County Public Library, visit https://choctaw.lib.ms.us/.

Alex Brower, Information Services Director, presented a hands-on training with Sharon Davis, Library Services Director, at the Pearl Public Library in March. MLC staff discussed the basics of AI, how it’s already being used in our everyday lives, and worked with several tools that librarians can use in the library (everyone was particularly excited about the ChatGPT creating cute program names).

Click the photo for the AI written song about libraries!

Need specific training for your library staff? Use our online form to get the training you need: MLC Staff Training Form.

Both of these titles can be requested from MLC through interlibrary loan. If you’d like assistance finding books available at MLC on other library topics, search our catalog or reach out to the reference desk at 601-432-4492 or mlcref@mlc.lib.ms.us.

What’s Going On?

Singer Marvin Gaye in 1971 had a hit song titled “What’s Going On?” which was considered by some people to be a war protest song. The divergent opinions about the song centered on the listener’s viewpoint concerning the ending of the Vietnam conflict and the resulting viewpoints concerning what was right vs. what was wrong. The plea made by the song was that “only love can cure hate and that we have got to bring love here today.”  As a hoped-for result, the message was that “love can conquer hate, and we must bring an understanding of viewpoints” to our discussions.” The song's message was contained in a message just as applicable today as it was 54 years ago. The question was …. What’s going on?

Today, we have political groups that cannot agree on issues and their level of disagreement is so great that compromise cannot be found. This lack of ability to compromise is seen everywhere --- in differences of religion; economic differences; and charitable actions to feed the hungry and heal the sick. Now, unfortunately, libraries are being challenged as they attempt to satisfy educational needs, and the inability to compromise is again the issue before the populace of the world. The question is therefore still heard …. What’s going on?

Not too long ago, librarianship was an honorable profession wherein librarians were honored for their ability to, in research, find answers that gave help to others. Librarians were used as resources to discern the best answers to the problems presented by the government, society in general, and individuals. When there were no “search engines” available and when “Al” was not just the nickname for someone named “Albert” conversations were conducted in our libraries. These places were viewed as storehouses for knowledge readily available to all individuals. These storehouses were the combination of library materials and the librarian jointly available. Yet, today, too often, secular groups, some well-meaning and some with a malicious agenda, compete to craft their version of truth. This is often a version with no room for compromise. It calls for a particular group to unite in a singular viewpoint without conversation concerning any degree of alternate view. This action leaves one to ask …. What’s going on?

The times, they are changing. Librarians are being challenged. The content, data, and information contained within a library collection are now openly challenged for accurate interpretation and presentation. With no full reasoning for the changes presented as accurate and true while other viewpoints are deemed as inaccurate truths, the world’s populace is left to wonder …. What’s going on?   

Hulen E.Bivins