Meet MLC Monday: Kayla Martin-Gant

Meet Kayla Martin-Gant, Continuing Education Coordinator at the Mississippi Library Commission (MLC)! Kayla, who began working at here at the beginning of March, develops, schedules, presents, and coordinates training and workshops for MLC. Since the arrival of the Covid-19 pandemic in Mississippi, she has worked to develop, locate, and distribute resources to librarians across the state, both for their own professional development and for sharing with patrons. She has even created a Facebook group specifically for Mississippi librarians and staff to share ideas and resources among themselves.

Kayla holds a bachelor's degree in English Literature from Belhaven University. She will graduate from the University of Southern Mississippi in December with a master's degree in Library and Information Science (MLIS).

Researching and finding resources for other librarians to use has quickly become her favorite part of working at MLC. Kayla says, "I love organizing information so that it's easy for everyone to navigate and utilize, and I love helping fellow librarians come up with new ideas, workshop old ideas, and solve problems in their libraries."

Kayla thinks that libraries can be a positive force for everyone. "I genuinely believe that libraries are, or should be, the backbone of the community. Libraries, and the people who staff them, are one of the only places you can go in this country where your existence is all that is required for entry. Librarians work endlessly to educate and entertain people of all ages and backgrounds. To me, libraries aren’t just important, they’re vital, because they’re one of the last places left where the bottom line for the people there is you and your needs, not your wallet."

Kayla is a reading enthusiast, too. A few of her recent favorites include Open Borders: The Science and Ethics of Immigration by Bryan Caplan, Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir, This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone, and I’ll Be Gone In the Dark: One Woman’s Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer by Michelle McNamara. She also enjoys writing, creating Spotify playlists and Pinterest boards based on characters/stories/aesthetics/vibes, and taking goofy pics of her dog. Kayla listens to a lot of podcasts and the subjects range from history and true crime to science, society, and culture. (She especially loves it if it's something spooooky.) Fair warning: Kayla lives to spread the news about her favorite shows, stories, and podcasts, so be prepared to add to your to read/to watch/to listen lists!

Please welcome Kayla to the Mississippi Library Commission!