Meet Our Library Board: Jolee Hussey

Jolee Hussey was recently named the Chair of the Mississippi Library Commission's Board of Commissioners. She says that she loves being on MLC's board because it lets her see firsthand the dedication of library directors and staff in libraries and communities across the state. "I appreciate all they do. I love libraries. I'm passionate about them being used and being funded. All libraries are important. They truly open doors for people."

Jolee is originally from Eupora, but she moved to Oxford in 1968 and has been there ever since, except for four brief years when her husband taught at the Air Force Academy in Colorado. She said they loved living in Colorado; she also taught while they were there. 

She was a librarian at Oxford High School from 1998-2010 and was recognized as a Teacher of the Year, as well as the District Teacher of the Year, in 2009 for her years of exemplary service. Jolee says she loved working with the students and helping them with whatever they needed. She said the work was incredibly rewarding. One of her fondest memories is the time she ran into a former student in a parking lot: "I hadn't seen him for years, but he came right up and told me all about how I changed his life during high school in the library!" She's still involved with schools: Jolee supervises Social Studies and English student teachers from the University of Mississippi as they learn to work with 7-12 graders.

She spent four terms and two decades on the board of the First Regional Library System, starting back in 1993 as the trustee from Lafayette County.

Jolee says, "Libraries still change lives! They're the only free place where people can access information and they are the hubs of our communities, the hubs of our schools." Jolee says she loves to be involved in her community and with her family, especially her grandchildren. She is also very committed to her church life. She cried when she left school, but she retired so that she could spend more time with her grandchildren. She also loves to travel and she loves Oxford sports.


We look forward to Jolee's leadership in Mississippi libraries.