Welcome to the MLC Board, Becky Wright!

Join us in welcoming Becky Wright, president of the GFWC-Mississippi Federation of Women's Clubs (MFWC), to the Mississippi Library Commission (MLC) Board. A little bit of history: nearly 100 years ago, the MFWC decided that every county in the state needed their own library. In fact, when MLC was officially created in 1926, the house bill that was submitted and approved specifically stated that the president of the Federation or a member recommended by her would always be a member of the Board. (1) MFWC is a fixed and integral part of Mississippi library growth and development and we're extremely pleased to have their continued valuable support.


Becky's local public library is the Jesse Yancy Memorial Library in Bruce. Not only is she a big library fan, but she has been a library volunteer for many years. She has shared books by reading them to students at local schools, but she is most involved with their Brown Bag Luncheons. She says she loves the opportunity to get to know local authors and make them welcome in their community. Bruce is a small town of about 2,000 people, but they've been able to entice some big names. Tom Franklin and Ace Atkins were just two authors whom she loved meeting at the library.

Becky and her husband own and operate the Piggly Wiggly grocery store in Bruce, Mississippi. She brings a wealth of experience to MLC's Board: she has been actively involved with the Bruce Chamber of Commerce for 25 years and has served on their board for 22 years. Becky has seven grandchildren and says that one of the things she wants to accomplish while on MLC's Board is "making sure that libraries are always open and available. My grandchildren and their peers always need to have a place to go to learn, especially in cases where they don't have the means to gain information anywhere else." She adds, "Funding for libraries is something we always have to keep pushing for. Our organization will not hesitate to lobby for the continuance of full funding each year."

Becky has been most impressed with MLC's programs and achievements. She thinks the agency's goals are commendable and really likes that MLC staff is consistently out in the state, visiting libraries, training front-line librarians, and being available for consultations. MLC's Talking Book Services has also blown her away; their readiness to speak about the program to local clubs and service groups is a huge plus in her book. She is also excited about the Mississippi Book Festival and MLC's involvement with that from its inception. Regretting that she wasn't able to attend this year's festival due to a prior commitment, Becky pledged to make it to next year's event.

Congratulations on joining the Board of the Mississippi Library Commission, Becky Wright!

(1) A History of Mississippi Libraries, edited by Margarete Peebles and J.B. Howell