The Hate U Give is on the Map

The Mississippi Center for the Book (MSCFB) is pleased to announce that Angie Thomas's debut novel The Hate U Give has been selected to represent Mississippi on the 2017 National Book Festival’s Discover Great Places through Reading Map.

The book, acquired in a 13-house auction by Balzar + Bray/Harper, was released in February of 2017 to great acclaim. Everyone from The Atlantic to NPR to The Guardian to Oprah has given it rave reviews and it's been on the New York Times Best Seller list for the past 16 weeks. Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter witnesses a childhood friend's death and is faced with the decision whether to stand up for her friend and her neighborhood or to play it safe and let his death go by unnoticed and without justice. Aimed at young adults, but immensely readable by adults as well, The Hate U Give is a hard hitting, no holds barred look at police violence, racial profiling, and standing up for what you believe in. There's a great interview with the author and a discussion guide here.

Angie Thomas was born and raised in Jackson, Mississippi. She holds a BFA in Creative Writing from Belhaven University. Apart from her top-notch writing skills, Thomas is also a hip hop scholar and Harry Potter aficionado. She is currently working on her next novel and will be participating in the Mississippi Book Festival's Rising Stars in Young Adult panel in August.

The 17th Library of Congress National Book Festival will be held Saturday, September 2, 2017 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C. Mississippi Center for the Book Director Tracy Carr and MSCFB Assistant Director Ally Mellon will represent Mississippi at the Pavilion of the States.

Warren County-Vicksburg Library Prepares Kids for Kindergarten

The Warren County-Vicksburg Public Library partnered with Excel by 5 to create the Tiny Tot's Early Learning Read & Play program. The goal of this program is to provide access to educational toys, games, and board books to preschool-aged children and their parents. WCVPL applied for and received a Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) grant to purchase board books, a few toys and games, and containers in which to keep the toys and games. Excel by 5 will purchase additional toys and games to add to the collection. Together, the library and Excel by 5 will offer parents the tools, both fun and educational, needed to prepare today's children for kindergarten.

Read for Pride

The month of June is LGBT Pride Month and commemorates the Stonewall riots that happened in June 1969. To celebrate we have compiled a short list of LGBTQIA+ newly released books.

Ramona Blue

By Julie Murphy

Ramona Blue follows a young girl living in Eulogy, Mississippi who has had her life turned upside down by Hurricane Katrina. Ramona is certain that she likes girls; however, when her childhood friend, Freddie, returns to town she starts questions her sexual identity. Maybe she likes both girls and boys.

At the Broken Places: A Mother and Trans Son Pick Up the Pieces

By Marry Collins and Donald Collins

This is a collaborative memoir between mother and trans son that reflects their thoughts and feelings through the journey of transitioning.

The Lawrence Browne Affair

By Cat Sebastian

Lawrence Browne is the Earl of Radnor and also a proclaimed mad scientist. Georgie Turner is a con man in a dangerous situation. When Lawrence and Georgie cross paths sparks fly. This is a historical mm romance with a great ending. 

Long Black Veil

By Jennifer Finney Boylan

This is a mystery thriller that follows Judith Carrigan as she tries to solve the mystery of her friend’s disappearance and death in the notorious Eastern State Penitentiary. This is a great novel for those looking for trans representation. 

Love Interest

By Cale Dietrich

This is a contemporary young adult novel with an mm romance. A secret society is raising teenage spies to be able to get close to people of great power in order to learn their secrets. Caden and Dylan are on their first assignment but instead of attracting the attention of their target they attract the attention of each other. 

Bitch Planet Volume 2: President Bitch

By Kelly Sue DeConnick, Taki Soma, and Valentine De Landro

Bitch Planet takes place in a dystopia future that punishes noncompliant women by sending them to a prison on another planet. This comic includes a diverse cast of characters including trans and lesbian representation.  

Happy reading.

Apply Now For Librarianship 101 2017

The Mississippi Library Commission is pleased to announce that applications for the 2017 Librarianship 101 Institute are now being accepted. The Librarianship 101 Institute is a three-day, in-residence workshop on September 18-20, 2017 designed to help public library staff members develop basic skills for professional fulfillment and career advancement. Participation in the Librarianship 101 Institute will be limited to fifteen (15) individuals who will be selected in a competitive application process. Nominees should be service-oriented individuals who want to enhance and improve their communities through their work in the public library.

Institute topics include:

• librarianship code of ethics
• programming
• collection development
• reference services
• children’s and young adult services
• diversity in the library
• social media
• readers’ advisory
• MLC services
• alternative funding methods 

You can find more information about the Institute here, an application, and a sample of the selection criteria used by the evaluator. (You do not need to fill out the selection criteria and send it along with the application; it is provided for informational purposes only.)

Nominations must be postmarked by July 6, 2017. If you have any questions about the Institute, don’t hesitate to contact Tracy Carr, Lacy Ellinwood, or Lucinda Ogden!

It's Getting STEAMy at East Mississippi Library

When renovation plans began on the Bay Springs Municipal Library, a branch of the East Mississippi Regional Library, it was of paramount importance that the new children's section be a place where kids come come to learn, discover, and create using the fundamentals of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts, and Math) learning. While the library has always been a place where knowledge is accessible through the written word, kids can now visit the library to use building blocks, markers, crayons, magnets, and puzzles to develop their problem-solving and collaborative learning skills. They can also now check out and take home educational digital learning tablets, extending the use of these materials far beyond the library walls. Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) grant funding brought the vision the library had for their new children's section to life in a way that would not have been otherwise possible, and has given the young patrons a library experience never before available in the rural community.

It's All About Books at Lee-Itawamba Library

Updating the Early Readers Collection, funded through Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA), played a vital part in helping the Lee-Itawamba Library System to provide reading materials that engage the children of today in reading and learning. The project allowed the library to purchase approximately 200 new books for young readers that would have been unattainable without these grant funds. The success of this project can be seen in the smiles of children when they find books in the library that are relevant to them and pertain to their interests.

Prepare To Be AWEd At Laurel-Jones County Library

The Early Literacy and After School Edge Learning Project, funded by a Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) grant, has allowed the library to provide the children of Jones County with state-of-the-art literacy based computers. The Laurel-Jones County Library was able to purchase three AWE Early Literacy Stations that are geared toward children ages 2-8. These computers teach colors, shapes, letters, and numbers, as well as early literacy skills, hand-eye coordination, and basic computer skills. The library also purchased three Afterschool Edge Stations for older students ages 6-12. The Afterschool Edge Stations are pre-loaded with 50-plus top-rated educational software programs that reinforce and enhance the skills that children are currently being taught in school. Programming on these stations consists of reading skills and comprehension, science, history, math, etc... Both parents and children are thrilled with the newest additions to the children's department.

Wilkinson County Libraries

MLC Consultant, Mac Buntin recently headed to southeast Mississippi to Wilkinson County Library System to visit the Woodville and Centreville branches. System Director Loretta Lewis was delighted to show Mac the exciting things going on in her libraries.

Mac was so impressed with the level of customer service provided by the staff of both libraries, and was happy to learn that the Woodville Library has a wonderful young-adult book collection and have recently set up teen-dedicated computers.

 

When he arrived in Centreville, he learned that the branch just received a brand new book drop to make things even more convenient for their patrons.  They also have a high volume of patrons who use the microfiche machine for studying genealogy.  

Great things are going on in Mississippi libraries.  Be sure to stop in for a visit when you travel across the state!

Ocean Springs Library Gets Tech for Teens

The Ocean Springs Public Library, a branch of the Jackson-George Regional Library System, was the recipient of a Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) grant that enabled the funding of a Teen Technology Center. This center, which features a series of new laptop computers in a teen-friendly, appealing environment, has seen much use and enthusiasm with the local youth library customers. This library serves one of the largest school districts in Mississippi, yet until this grant was funded, teen library users had to share computers with the adult library users, making for a long wait for a computer. Certainly, the quick access to these computers has increased access and usage, and made the teens very happy in the process!