Read Woke

A teacher came in the Mississippi Library Commission last week looking for books to read to her class in honor of Black History Month. As I was helping her, she started telling me about her daughter, Cicely Lewis, who happens to be a librarian in Georgia. That caught my attention even more. You know, because I am a librarian. Nevertheless, her daughter has an organization that recently went viral and it's beautiful about how it all came to be. The movement is called Read Woke and it promotes books about disenfranchised groups of people, giving them a voice. This was interesting because, as book lovers, we always want to promote books that are good for our subconscious and put us in a better place. Her movement became something more than promotion and something of extreme substance; it gives the kids something to look forward to when they flip the pages of everyday learning. Giving students a sense of pride and integrity makes the moments much better. We all know that life can make kids a little rough around the edges, but all it takes is a good book to give them that inspiration they need to become a better version of themselves. Cicely's story is so inspiring and sharing this could impact more than just America, but also the world. Here are a few videos you can watch for more information about Read Woke. Also, MLC has a couple of new books that'll really wake you up. They are If Beale Street Could Talk by James Baldwin and On the Come Up by Jackson native Angie Thomas. Check in with us or your local library for books like these. You won't be disappointed!

Looking for a Job? Your Library Can Help!

If you're unemployed or looking for a new job opportunity, libraries are the best place to start your search. After all, they offer a wide variety of services and materials for those looking for employment: Wi-Fi, computers, and books on skills improvement, job searching, and resumes. We checked in with the Northeast Regional Library System, headquartered in Corinth, for some recent Mississippi library success stories.

Attendees fill out job applications during the Prentiss County Development
Association's Job Fair at the George E. Allen Public Library in Booneville.

Last August, the George E. Allen Library in Booneville (population 8,693) partnered with the Prentiss County Development Association (PCDA) and provided space for their job fair. The PCDA was impressed that well over 200 attendees showed up for the event. PCDA President Leon Hayes thought the library was the perfect place to hold the job fair because of their meeting space and their Internet-connected public computers. The organization plans to make it an annual event.

Attendees lining up in anticipation of the doors opening at the start of the PCDA job fair.

Meanwhile, staff at the Rienzi Public Library, located in the tight-knit community of Rienzi (population 309), helped patrons who lost their jobs when a local restaurant closed its doors.

It is exciting to know that two of my patrons, who were formerly long term Ryan’s employees, were forced to apply for different jobs because of the shutdown. They came and registered for the computers and I’m happy to report that they both got the jobs that they were wanting. They have since come back with smiles on their faces to inform me. I helped them with their resumes and it was a true joy to hear that. Rienzi patrons tell me regularly that they are truly grateful for the library being here so that they “don’t have to go all the way to town”. Sometimes they can’t because of their financial circumstances or even just convenience.

The staff at the Walnut Public Library knew firsthand how excited their patrons were when the library got new computers in 2016. The citizens of Walnut (population 754) loved the new machines' speed and capacity, which were far superior to the relics they had been using. Many of the patrons used the library's computers to search for jobs, submit resumes, and fill out applications, so the library staff were surprised when computer usage started to drop and regular users stopped coming in as often. Soon, though, the old patrons visited at new times to share their good news; they had found jobs using the library's computers and were now busy working during the day.

Over 365,000 Mississippians headed to public libraries in 2017 to search for jobs and these success stories from the northeast corner of our state are typical for Mississippi's public libraries. The next time you think about searching for a new job, head to your local library!

Jackson-George Regional Library System Recognizes Volunteers

Mississippi Library Commission Executive Director Hulen Bivins was the guest speaker at the Jackson-George Regional Library System's 32nd Annual Volunteer Awards Reception at the Pascagoula Public Library on Tuesday, February 13. Along with a luncheon, the volunteers attending from the nine branch libraries received a certificate recognizing their service and a chance for door prizes.

The Rita Krebs Genealogy Volunteer of the Year was given to Mississippi Digital Library for their assistance in helping digitize collections for the genealogy library. The Mary Ann Louviere Youth Services Volunteer of the Year was presented to Aric Wirtz from the Ocean Springs Library with 181 hours of service. The Flora S. Scholtes Volunteer of the Year was presented to Estelle Nettles from the Moss Point Library with 290 hours of service. The Friends of the Pascagoula Public Library won the Friends of the Library 2019 award which was presented by Library Director Lori Barnes. This award is given for outstanding support for Friends projects, program sponsorships, fundraising efforts, and membership drives for the library.

“Volunteers donated nearly 8,000 hours of service to the library system for 2018 and is the equivalent of more than four full-time employees,” said library director Lori Barnes. “We couldn’t do all we do without them,” she said.

You can see more photos of the event on the library's Facebook page. Visit the library's website for more information about their Friends groups and locations. For more information on setting up a Friends group at your Mississippi library, MLC is here to help. Volunteering at your library is a great way to give back to your community. We appreciate these hardworking individuals and their contributions to the Mississippi library world.

Meet MLC Monday: Nathan McCoy

Meet Nathan McCoy, Facilities Maintenance at the Mississippi Library Commission! Nathan helps make sure our beautiful building is cleaned daily and that the grounds are kept up. He has been working at MLC for about two and a half years and says that it's a great place to be employed. He says he's always meeting new people, plus he really likes the other staff who work here.

Nathan says, "Libraries are important because people use them to find information they need and to find books to read." He enjoys George R.R. Martin's Game of Thrones series and playing soccer. His true joy are his two girls, who he says love to dance, love to play softball, and love their cell phones. We're pretty sure Nathan is on that list, too.

Meet MLC Monday: Wesley Von Hoene

Meet Wesley Von Hoene, who began working at the Mississippi Library Commission as a Systems Administrator last August. He helps with the maintenance and upkeep of computers and software. He is also assisting Mississippi public libraries with Office 365 migrations. Wesley holds associate degrees in Computer Networking and Cyber Security, as well as certifications in Comp TIA/TestOut's A+, Network+, and Security+. He is currently working on his CCNA.

Wesley likes working at MLC because of the opportunities to learn and expand. He enjoys problem solving and enlightening analytical questions and adds, "I really enjoy the atmosphere at MLC and the people I work with are some of the finest people I’ve had the privilege of meeting."

Wesley says,  "I like libraries because, starting thousands of years ago, they began serving as storehouses of our history. If it weren’t for libraries, a lot of information would have been lost. Libraries are a way for people to pool all their information together and create a valuable wealth of knowledge for everyone."

Wesley was an avid reader when he was in college. The Harry Potter series is his favorite set of books. He also enjoys watching sports, deep sea fishing, video games, and movies. He quips, "It is fascinating seeing how far Elon Musk has brought space travel through SpaceX."