Read with MLC: By or About Someone You Admire

Welcome to February and the second month of the 2025 Read with MLC Reading Challenge! This month's goal is to read a book by or about someone you admire. The book industry produces an astounding number of biographies and memoirs each year. According to the Library and Book Trade Almanac, there were 4,887 biographies published in the first year of this millennium. Just over 20 years later, in 2022, that number remained just as high, at 4,949. Why do we enjoy reading about other people so much? A quote often misattributed to C.S.Lewis says that "we read to know we are not alone". Even though the quote comes from screenwriter William Nicholson instead of Lewis, it still rings true. Biographies and memoirs humanize the people we admire, showing us their foibles and faults as well as their heady accomplishments. They show that we are all out here in the world, living our lives and doing our best. Which biographies and memoirs have staff members of the Mississippi Library Commission enjoyed? Scroll down to find out!

Chat with MLC: Zach Burton

Hello, I’m Zach Burton, the current Cataloging Librarian for the Mississippi Library Commission. I began working with MLC in the fall of 2022 as the Patron Access Coordinator for the Talking Books Services department after working as an archaeologist for a few years. My bachelor’s degree in Anthropology led me into archaeological work, but I found myself dissatisfied with the field and was soon enrolled in a master’s program for Library and Information Sciences at the University of Southern Mississippi.

Read with MLC: A Year in the Title

Happy New Year, everyone!

We're excited to start another year of reading packed to the brim with both learning and fun. We've come up with a brand-new year of reading prompts designed to help you step out of your comfort zone and find something new, all while celebrating the joy of reading with our Read with MLC 2025 Reading Challenge.