My Journey into Librarianship: Embracing Media, Community, and Discovery at MLC

Hi, I’m McKenzie Haggard, a recent graduate of Belhaven University, and currently serving as the Social Media Coordinator for MLC. Coming from a creative background, I’ve always known that I wanted to pursue a career in media. Whether it was writing, content creation, or social media management, I felt a strong pull toward the world of communication and storytelling. After graduating, I was eager to dive into my career and find a role that would help me hone my skills and bring my passions to life. That’s when I stumbled upon MLC.

 

Read with MLC: Read a Book Adapted for the Screen and Watch the Adaptation

Welcome to December, and the last month of the 2024 Read with MLC reading challenge! This month's prompt is to read a book that has been adapted for television or the movies and then watch the adaptation. Finding a book you truly love can be a magical experience. It's always exciting when a TV or movie adaptation is announced, but there's always the niggling worry that the lead won't look how you imagine... Or that they'll leave out your favorite scene from the book... Or --worst yet-- plot will be drastically changed. Hollywood depends heavily upon the already published written word: Forbes reported a while back that movies based on books draw in 53% of that almighty cash than those written without the benefit of a previously published work. TV and streaming networks also have a field day each year (field year?) with adaptations; there were dozens and dozens in 2023 and 2024, and that's just the past few years. What do librarians think of the trend? Those here at the Mississippi Library Commission have quite a few favorites, which you can check out below!

Thankful for Libraries

We've rushed through the first months of the year at breakneck speed and now 2024's last days are dwindling away. With shorter, cooler days ahead and the holidays around the corner, it's the perfect time to focus on the important things in life, like the people we love and the things that bring us joy. While libraries might not necessarily be at the top of your "thankful for" list, they're wholesome, community-driven institutions that provide loads of enriching and educational services for nearly everyone. Back in 2013, a PEW report found that 94% of those polled believed that public libraries "improved the quality of life in a community". Moreover, 81% said that public libraries provided "many services people would have a hard time finding elsewhere". What's more to be grateful for? Check out what Mississippi Library Commission staff had to say below.

Read With MLC: Listen to an Award-Winning Audiobook

Welcome to November, and the eleventh month of the 2024 Read with MLC reading challenge! This month's prompt is to listen to an award-winning audiobook.

People listen to audiobooks for a lot of very different yet valid reasons. Some people can't see to read the words on the page, like those with blindness or visual impairments. Others, like those with dyslexia, have trouble processing the printed word. Still others, like people with arthritis or broken limbs, can't hold a book to read. Seriously, Marcel Proust's Remembrance of Things Past, the world's longest novel, clocks in at thousands and thousands of pages. (Incidentally, if you fall into one of these categories, you're eligible for MLC's Talking Book Services. You can learn more here.) Some people don't have time to sit and read a book, while others enjoy the experience of having someone read to them. Other people like to rest their eyes after a day staring at screens, and others find that the audiobook experience can be downright more enjoyable than a book that's slow or unwieldy. Truth be told, a lot of MLC staff love to listen to books! While not all of our suggestions below are "official" audiobook award winners, they are, in our hearts, exceptional audios.

A Stack, an Omnibus, A Veritable Repository

What do you call a group of librarians? While there's no official name, a large congress of librarians descended on the town of Natchez last week for the annual Mississippi Library Association (MLA) conference. MLA was officially organized 115 years ago on October 29, 1909 and is even older than the Mississippi Library Commission (MLC). (FYI: MLC was created 17 years later in 1926.) You may be wondering what a collection of librarians does at a librarian conference. Shelve your thoughts of rooms of quiet readers shushing one another and let me share the highlights of last week's memorable meeting.

Read with MLC: Retelling of a Classic

Welcome to October, and the tenth month of the 2024 Read With MLC reading challenge! This month's reading prompt is to read a retelling of a classic. Once a tale has been released into the public domain, the sky's the limit when it comes to storytellers and their ability to put their own stamp on an older work. (Want to learn more about when works hit the public domain? Check out one of our earlier posts here.)  Meg Donohue, author of the Wuthering Heights retelling You, Me, and the Sea says that, "Reimaginings present a unique delight to readers because they manage to combine the pleasure of surprising twists with the comfort of a familiar story." Whether you long to hear the "Wicked" Witch's side of the story (Wicked by Gregory Maguire) or you want to see Anne of Green Gables succeed in the modern world (Anne of Manhattan by Brina Starler), there's a retelling of a classic out there you're going to love.

More Than Meets the Eye: Why You NEED a Library Card

When's the last time you visited a public library? Libraries across Mississippi have oodles and oodles of fantastically fun resources for you, the patron, to use. There are 53 library systems with 234 libraries in Mississippi ready and waiting to serve you and, as September is Library Card Sign-up Month, now is the perfect time to step foot inside one of these local community hubs. Why should you visit a library? Well, there's more to them than meets the eye!