Books We Loved in 2023

Elisabeth Scott

Reference Librarian

"You must love working at the library. You get to sit there and read whatever you want all day." While that is my dream gig, life at the Mississippi Library Commission is much more involved with getting books and library services out to people in the state than whiling away the hours flipping pages. When we're not hard at work at MLC, some of us like to read and some of us don't, just like the regular population. For those of us who are book lovers and have the time in our lives to savor books, we do a lot of reading.

We weren't able to share our "Books We Loved" list for 2022; life got in the way. Our favorite reads have been fun to share with you over the years, though, so we're pleased to take the tradition back up this year. You can look back at previous "Books We Loved" entries here: 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017 juvenile and adult, 2016 parts one and two, and 2015. Remember: these aren't books that were necessarily published in the year of the list, just ones that staff read and enjoyed that year. Also, these are staff reads, not MLC recommendations, so please research each book before reading to make sure the content is something you personally will enjoy. Without further ado, here are the books we loved in 2023!

Read with MLC: 2024 Reading Challenge

Elisabeth Scott

Reference Librarian

I don't know if you've noticed, but the angels are heralding, the treetops are glistening, and 2024 is nigh upon us. If you're anything like me, you're already cheating on your 2023 reads (Sorry! I promise I'll finish you next week!) by poring over all of the "best of 2023" book lists and checking out the 2024 reading challenges. I think I like planning what I'm going to read almost as much as snuggling down with a good book. (Of course, I always reserve the option toss all my planning and lists away to snag a book from a library shelf.) Like last year, the Mississippi Library Commission partnered again with the Mississippi Center for the Book (MS CFB) to create another reading challenge for you, our beloved readers.

Walking In A Creative Wonderland

Alex Brower

Information Services Director

The holidays are here! It is a time for eating, spending time with family, and more eating. MLC's patrons have access to the CreativeBug database from home any time they want, and it is one of my favorite places to go to find fun art, craft, and food ideas. I was inspired by a program at the Carthage-Leake County Library where the Mississippi State Extension Service showed library patrons how to make charcuterie boards, so I wanted to share some Creativebug classes that have delicious recipes and holiday ideas to make you the host with the most! 

Read with MLC: A Book With Less Than 100 Pages

Elisabeth Scott

Reference Librarian

When we chose 100 pages as our reading cap for December's part in our Read with MLC Challenge, we did so with the knowledge of just how busy this time of year can be. The hustle and bustle of the holiday season melded with the gloom of suddenly shortened days can be a very real reading inhibitor. Once we hit the front door, binging a series on TV sounds mighty attractive. It turns out, though, that reading can clear the mind and free the spirit: winging your way to another world for half an hour or so might be all you need to change your mood for the better. Here are a few lists of very short books (though perhaps not all exactly under 100 pages) that you can use to fulfill December's goal.

 

• Book Riot's beginner's guide to SFF novelettes
• Esquire's list of books to read in one sitting 
• The Guardian's list of 50 great short stories
• LitHub's list of novellas for our current age of distraction
• Modern Mrs. Darcy's list of nonfiction books that you can finish in a day
  
• The Nebula Awards list of nominees and winners for best novelette
  
• Powell's essential list of novellas

We'll be announcing the categories for our 2024 Reading Challenge later this month, so be sure to check back to get your reading engines primed!

Shall We Play A Game?

If you're like Matthew Broderick and responded, "Love to," then November is your month. International Games Month, an annual celebration of gaming and libraries run by library associations across the world, including the United States, is celebrated every November. You may think that games have nothing to do with libraries or books but think again!

There are some obvious connections, like games based on literary works. Some examples jump right out: Andrzej Sapkowski's The Witcher series lent itself to the (arguably better) video game series. There's a Game of Thrones board game, and a separate card game, both based on George R. R. Martin's series of the same name. Some are a little more obscure: SimCity was inspired by Urban Dynamics by Jay W. Forrester and a short story from The Cyberiad by Stanisław Lem. I could go on and on; these games number in the thousands.

But, do we even need to draw these parallels? Libraries that shush still exist and have their function, but libraries as a welcoming third place are growing by leaps and bounds. Many Mississippi libraries offer themselves as a place where patrons can have fun and learn. MLC's Special Collection Coordinator Charlie Simpkins says, "Adults need playtime, too. Games aren't just for kids." And he's right.

Have you always wanted to master the game of chess? Ask your local library if they have a chess club. Want to try DND but don't have a gaming group? Yep, check at your local library. Do you like getting together with friends for a board game night? That's right--try your local library. MLC offers games for all ages for libraries to use for game nights and/or special gaming communities, so your library can be a gaming mecca all year long. ALA's Games and Gaming Round Table has put together an amazing list of printable games and online resources.

Ursula K. Le Guin once said, "A library is a focal point, a sacred place to a community; and its sacredness is its accessibility, its publicness. It’s everybody’s place." We agree. It's an excellent place to learn, to grow, and to play. Let's play a game, shall we?

Life Is What You Bake It...

Elisabeth Scott

Reference Librarian

...and so is cooking while blind or visually impaired. 

People have this idea that you shouldn't touch anything in the kitchen because you're low vision or blind. They think you'll have a lot or accidents or get hurt or something. But accidents don't have much of anything to do with sight, and there are a lot of preventative measures you can take to be a competent low-vision or blind chef.

That's Margaret Smitherman, Patron Services Librarian with MLC's Talking Book Services. Margaret is a low vision cook herself. She says that one of her favorite cooking memories was receiving her grandmother's recipe for pound cake, which was intended to be made in a wood-burning stove. The recipe even had directions for picking the proper sized logs to use in the oven. It was printed in New York Point, an early form of dot system used by the blind. Margaret adapted the recipe for a modern oven and has made it multiple times over the years, most recently for an MLC holiday gathering. (I'm here to tell you, it's delicious.) Some of her favorite tips for cooking with low or no vision include using a whistling tea kettle, keeping a bowl of ice water on the counter for treating mild burns, and using your timer and your nose to know when food is done.

There are a lot of places out there with advice and pointers on how to get started cooking with a visual impairment. Here are a few places we found to get you started:

• This article from the American Printing House for the Blind gives some great tips for organization and prep work when cooking.
  
  
• The Blind Kitchen offers videos and recipes for those with low or no vision, with the added bonus of having adaptive equipment available to purchase from their store.
  
  
• Cooking without Looking is a fun YouTube channel that features blind and low vision people cooking and leading their lives. There's a podcast, too!
  
  
• This article from The Blind Guide has more excellent tips for cooking with low or no vision. The website was started when the author's mother lost her vision in the 1990s.
  

If you're in Mississippi, you couldn't ask for a better resource to get cooking in the kitchen than the Addie McBryde Rehabilitation Center for the Blind. A part of the Mississippi Department of Rehabilitation Services, they teach those with low or no vision how to cook on their own, imparting important skills like meal planning and preparation, grocery shopping, and kitchen organization. If you know someone who can benefit from this service, fill out their online form here.

Last but not least, don't forget about MLC's Talking Book Services! The service is available to all Mississippians who are unable to read standard print due to a visual, physical, or print disability. Their catalog offers hundreds of cookbooks and other books about cooking which can be accessed by downloading or requesting a hard copy on cartridge. Give them a call at 1-800-446-0892 if you have any questions or need help signing up for the service.

Thank You For Your Service

Elisabeth Scott

Reference Librarian

Our nation celebrated Veterans Day last week, and over the weekend, I read an interesting article about the falling rate of living veterans. When I was a child in 1980, 18% of American adults were veterans. Now? It's 6%. The end of the military draft in 1973 had a huge impact on this number, and the article got me thinking on how prominent veterans and the idea of war were in my youth. Both of my grandfathers served during World War II, along with most of my great-uncles. My dad is a veteran; he served in Thailand. Most of my friends' dads when I was growing up? Also veterans. To me, it felt like everyone was a veteran. It should come as no surprise, then, that many of Mississippi's older generations of authors are also veterans (or at least wrote about them). Let's take a quick look, shall we?

• Shelby Foote was born in 1916 in Greenville. He was the author of a well-known trilogy of nonfiction books on the Civil War, as well as multiple novels. He joined the Mississippi National Guard after college and served in both the Army and the Marines during World War II, but did not see combat. You can read more about his time in service here and here.
  
  
• John Alfred Williams was born in 1925 in Jackson. He was a medical corpsman in the Navy during World War II. Williams has a "reputation as a supremely talented but undervalued writer" and wrote a large variety of work, including prize-winning novels and biographies, during his lifetime.
  
  
• Etheridge Knight was born in 1931 in Corinth. He served several years in the Army, including as a medical technician before and during the Korean War. Physical injuries and psychological trauma suffered during the war led to an opiate addiction and jail time, but Knight used this as a time to pivot toward the arts. While incarcerated, he spent his time reading and reaching out to active poets of the time. His first book of poetry was published as he was released from prison, and he went on to write several more. 
  

Some Mississippi authors enlisted, but life had other plans. Richard Ford joined an ROTC program in college, only to be discharged due to hepatitis. William Faulkner enlisted in the Canadian Royal Air Force, but spent most of his time in quarantine from an influenza pandemic at the time in Toronto. World War I was over before he saw any time overseas, not that you could tell that from the stories he told and the photographs he had made. Faulkner did, however, lend a hand in shaping the young minds of future veterans. In one of his last public appearances before his death, Faulkner visited West Point. He gave a reading from his forthcoming book The Reivers and was a guest lecturer for several literature classes. The tape recordings of that visit have been transcribed and compiled in the book Faulkner at West Point.

Splish, Splash! It’s Soap-Making Class!

 Alex Brower

Information Services Director

The MLC Craft Club met for the fourth time on September 8th, 2023. We gathered in our staff lounge kitchen to make soap. This is a very quick and easy craft, suitable for groups of all ages.

I bought all of my ingredients at my nearby craft store. They are common ingredients that should be available at yours. Here is your soap-making list:

• Soap base
• Colorants
• Essential oils
• Soap molds
• Lavender
• Eucalyptus
• Lemon balm

The instructions for melting the soap base should be included on the package. I pre-sliced the soap and put it in individual plastic cups. This allowed attendees to each grab their own and head to the microwave after a brief overview of how the process would work. If you want your program to be more contained, you could heat up the soap ahead of time in a large batch and then pour it into individual cups or bowls for your patrons. The soap base heats and cools relatively quickly, so this may not be feasible unless you are able to bring the soap to the program space in a short amount of time. Attendees at MLC first heated the base in the microwave for 30 seconds and then in short 10 second bursts until it was melted.

From there, we added in drops of essential oils--I provided lavender, tangerine lychee, and green tea/cucumber--and colorant to get the smell and color that we wanted. Some participants added in lavender or lemon balm pieces to their soap. This didn’t always have the desired effect, because the pieces tended to settle to the bottom. I think this could be fixed by waiting for the soap to cool and thicken slightly before adding in the blooms. I highly recommend starting light with both the color and the essential oils--just add a few drops--and then slowly adding more so you don’t overwhelm your soap with scent or super dark colors.

Once the color and scent are to the person’s preference, pour the melted soap into a mold. Create a layered effect by pouring a small amount of soap into the mold, waiting for it to cool slightly in the mold, and then adding a few drops of color to the next pour. The graphic above shows the soap that I made this way. Create a marbled effect by adding a few drops of colorant, pouring the soap in the mold, and then adding more colorant and pouring the soap in immediately instead of layering. MLC has acquired large loaf soap molds, round molds, geometric molds, and rectangular molds. The rectangular molds set the fastest and most consistently. The round and geometric molds stay warm in the center longer, so they need more time before popping the soap out of the mold.
 
We didn’t watch a Creativebug video this time, but there are several classes on the platform that you can use in conjunction with MLC's new soapmaking kits. A series on bath and body products would be a fun idea; it has the potential to have good attendance around the holidays when patrons might want to create homemade gifts for their friends and family. MLC staff participating in our test program suggested letting patrons create their own blends of essential oils before creating their soap or other craft. This way they would get a better grasp of which scents worked well together before adding them into their soap, thus avoiding potential disappointment.

Overall, this Craft Club was a big success! Our soap may have turned out a little different than we expected, but it smells good and works great. Make sure to share your soap creations with MLC once you check out our kit!

CreativeBug classes:

• Make Soap Three Ways taught by Arina from BellaCreme
• Handmade Soap taught by Lindsey Stone    
• Bath Bombs from CBTV Live
• Make Natural Perfume taught by Arina from BellaCrema

Read with MLC: Library eBooks

Elisabeth Scott
Reference Librarian 

While print still reigns supreme (75% of Americans read a print book in the past year), eBooks continue to soar in popularity (30% of us read an eBook in the last twelve months.) Libraries have been loaning out eBooks since the late 1990s, and even though they've had their challenges with publishers, eBooks and libraries are a match made in heaven. That's why we chose to designate October our #ReadWithMLC month to check out an eBook from your library.

Just how do you dive into the wealth of eBooks at your library? And what even qualifies as an eBook? It helps to know what you're looking for. Some librarians call anything that's electronic an eBook, bringing eAudiobooks, eComics, and eMagazines into the mix. Others are more fixed in their definition, only classifying text-based novels and nonfiction as eBooks. We tend to fall in the eEverything camp, so here are a few of the most popular eLenders Mississippi libraries use.

• hoopla digital
  This eBook lending platform is currently available at every public library in Mississippi. Make sure your library card is up to date; you'll need it to access the three titles available to you every month. Tip: hoopla has binge passes available each month. These passes let you access as much content of a certain type for a whole week. Current binge passes include classic funny papers, magazines, and an R.L. Stine spine chillers collection.
• Libby (Overdrive)
  If you've tried hoopla but need more books, check to see if your library has Libby. This app lets you place holds if the title is checked out, much like a real library. Many libraries across Mississippi give you access with your library card, including Jackson/Hinds, Madison County, and the entire Mississippi eBook Consortium. Tip: Libby lets you create notes and highlight favorite lines while you're reading so you'll be all ready for book club discussions.
• cloudLibrary (Bibliotheca)
  While currently only available at two library systems in Mississippi--Central Mississippi and Mid-Mississippi--that's nine counties that have access to these eResources. This service is very similar to hoopla and Libby. Tip: cloudLibrary users can borrow from other libraries. Just think of all those books!
• BARD
  BARD, or Braille and Audio Reading Download, is a specialty app that serves those who are unable to read standard print due to a visual, physical or organic reading disability. There's a huge selection of current and older literature, as well as children's books. Tip: If you own a braille eReader, you can download braille books from BARD directly to your device, just like with your Talking Books.
  
• MAGNOLIA and LearningExpress
  If you thought these two educational powerhouses were only for looking up articles and taking practice tests, think again! Scholarly books on a variety of subjects are waiting for you in MAGNOLIA, like Magill's Medical Guide and Salem Press Encyclopedia. Many of the topics covered on LearningExpress include an eBook or two on their subject, like ACT Power Practice and Algebra Success in 20 Minutes a Day. Tip: Everyone in Mississippi has access to these through their public library. You don't even need a card!
  

We've come a long way since eReading started skyrocketing twenty years ago, and we're convinced that they're only going to get more popular. If you need ideas for your next great eRead, fill out our quick and easy Bookmatch questionnaire and click the box to join in on the #ReadWithMLC fun. And hey, we're forever grateful that we're no longer trying to read eBooks on our flip phones, like some of the examples from this 2003 NBC clip.

You've Got a Friend...

Elisabeth Scott

Reference Librarian

Winter, spring, summer, or fall, all you have to do is call, and the Friends of Libraries will be there to help! Carole King lyrics aside, we wanted to give Friends of Libraries groups across the state an effusive and grateful thank you this National Friends of Libraries Week. These groups are essential to the vitality and growth of libraries across Mississippi. Registered as charitable organizations with the Secretary of State's office, Friends groups do a lot of nitty-gritty work for libraries. They are heavily focused on fundraising, yes, but also on connecting the community with their local library through hands-on volunteer work. We encourage you to reach out to your local library to join their Friends group. If they don't have a Friends group, you might consider starting one for them. Work with your library and use the resources listed here to start a Friends group or help your current group grow.

If you're already involved and think your Friends group is amazing, you should nominate them for one of two annual awards given by the Friends of Mississippi Libraries yearly at the Mississippi Library Association annual conference. Nominations typically begin each August.

This year's winner of the Chapter One Award, given to a local Friends group for outstanding volunteer contributions in the area of service to libraries during the year, went to the Friends of Winona-Montgomery County Library and was accepted by president and former librarian Virginia “Bootsie” Weed. Under her leadership, the Winona-Montgomery Friends funded a wildly successful community gardening extravaganza led by Felder Rushing during this year's National Library Week. Aside from hosting this and many other author events for adults, the Winona-Montgomery Friends have also assisted with programs for children. The library's annual pajama party wouldn't have been the same without their gift and snack bags. This Friends group also supplied much-needed blinds for the library's meeting room, adding versatility and a new look for the space.

The winner of this year's Ruby Assaf Presidential Award, which honors an outstanding individual volunteer for a local Friends chapter, was Friends of Madison Library president Jean Garrett. She is an active patron of the Madison Library and frequently recruits new members for their Friends group. Also on the Board of Trustees, Garrett has driven the effort for exterior repair and cosmetic work at the library and has now turned her gaze to the interior of the building. She also led a grassroots effort to persuade the Mississippi legislature to leave access to public libraries unfettered.

Another great resource for Friends groups in Mississippi is the annual, competitive Margaret Murray Grant. This grant honors former MLC employee, Margaret Murray, who helped start over 100 local Friends groups in Mississippi. This grant is currently open and receiving applications. Funds awarded should be used to advance library programming and literacy at the Friends' library. The application deadline is February 29, 2024; grantees will be announced April 1, 2024. 

If you want to get more involved in the impact your public library has on its community, the Friends will be there, yes, they will. (Sadly, songwriter and singer extraordinaire Carole King will not actually be there.)

MLC's Book Club Guide to the American Southern Vampire

Katie Gill
Cataloging Librarian

This post originally broadcast on MLC Moments on Mississippi Public Broadcasting.

What do you think of when you think of vampires? Most people think about Count Dracula, the tall, imposing, Eastern European, prototypical vampire—the sort who lives in a castle and dines on the blood of young women, who’s repulsed by a cross or garlic, and who can only be killed by driving a wooden stake through the heart. Mention Dracula, and that’s a cue for everybody to do their best or worst Bela Lugosi impression—“the children of the night, what beautiful music they make.”

Happy Birthday, Fannie Lou Hamer!

Katie Gill
Cataloging Librarian

This post originally broadcast on MLC Moments on Mississippi Public Broadcasting.


This October, take time out from your pumpkins, spooky movies, and pumpkin spice lattes to celebrate the birthday of a Mississippi civil rights leader. 

 

 

 

Fannie Lou Hamer was born on October 6, 1917 in Montgomery County, Mississippi. She grew up in poverty. At age 6, Hamer joined her family picking cotton and at age 12, she left school to work. In summer 1961, Hamer attended a meeting led by activists from SNCC, the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee, and SCLC, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Inspired by the organizations and incensed by Black Mississippians’ routine disenfranchisement, Hamer became a SNCC organizer. On August 31, 1962, she led 17 volunteers to register to vote at the Indianola courthouse. The group was denied the right to vote due to an unfair literacy test and were harassed by police as they left the courthouse.

In June 1963, Hamer and several other Black women were arrested for sitting in a whites-only bus station in Winona. In the jail, Hamer was brutally beaten, which left her with lifelong injuries, kidney damage, and leg damage. The next year, 1964, Hamer co-founded the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party, MDFP. The party challenged the local Democratic party’s efforts to block Black participation. Hamer and other MDFP members went to the Democratic National Convention that year to stand as the official delegation from the state of Mississippi. In 1968, Hamer’s vision became reality, and she was a member of Mississippi’s first integrated delegation.

In 1964, Hamer unsuccessfully ran for a seat in the U.S Senate. She continued to work on local programs, such as grassroots Head Start programs and Freedom Summer, a region-wide drive to help with Black voter registration in the American South. In 1969, Hamer started the Freedom Farm Collective, which bought up lands that Blacks could own and farm, provided housing development through services like financial counseling and a housing agency, and started a “pig bank,” providing free pigs for Black farmers to raise and breed.

Hamer was a notable orator. Though her deep accent often led others to judge her as “uneducated,” Hamer’s strong oratorial style and “tell it like it is” type of speaking drew crowds. One of her most famous speeches was at Williams Institutional Church in Harlem, New York, on December 20, 1964. In this speech, Hamer talks about her work in voter registration and the abuse she endured due to it. She attacks American life and culture, saying that change is needed in Mississippi, in Harlem, and in greater American society. Her work has been collected in a book by the University Press of Mississippi, titled The Speeches of Fannie Lou Hamer: To Tell it Like It Is. She published her autobiography, “Praise Our Bridges,” in 1967, with help from Julius Lester and Mary Varela.

On March 14, 1977, Hamer died of complications from hypertension and breast cancer. She was buried in Ruleville, Mississippi and her tombstone is engraved with one of her most notable quotes: “I am sick and tired of being sick and tired.” Her primary memorial service was completely full. An overflow service, held at Ruleville Central High School, had over 1,500 people in attendance. All across America, schools, post offices, and libraries bear her name.


There have been plenty of books written about Fannie Lou Hamer. Some notable biographies written about her include Until I Am Free: Fannie Lou Hamer's Enduring Message to America by Keisha N. Blain and Walk with Me: a Biography of Fannie Lou Hamer by Kate Clifford Larson. Younger readers can learn more about Hamer with the picture book Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer, Spirit of the Civil Rights Movement written by Carole Boston Weatherford and illustrated by Ekua Holmes. These books, and others, can be found at your local Mississippi public library.

Happy Birthday, Jim Henson!

Katie Gill

Cataloging Librarian

This post originally broadcast on MLC Moments on Mississippi Public Broadcasting.

It’s time to play the music, it’s time to light the lights, it’s time to get things started on MLC Moments tonight! One of Mississippi’s most famous entertainers has had a long relationship with the written word. From Sesame Street to Scrooge, we’re going to take a brief look at how Jim Henson and the Muppets influenced the wide world of literature. 

On September 24, 1936, Jim Henson was born in Greenville, Mississippi. He spent his childhood in Greenville and nearby Leland before his family moved to Maryland. Henson was a voracious reader as a child, often pouring over The Wizard of Oz series by L. Frank Baum and reprints of the comic strip Pogo by Walt Kelly. As a freshman in college, Henson created Sam and Friends, a five-minute puppet show for a local Washington DC channel. The characters on Sam and Friends were precursors to Henson’s most famous creations, the Muppets. Including icons like Big Bird and Kermit the Frog, the Muppets have set their mark on pop culture ever since their inception.

In 1969, Henson and his crew were tapped to work full time on Sesame Street, a children’s educational program for public television. For the one person listening who doesn’t know what the show is, Sesame Street blends Muppets, human performers, and a child actor cast to learn about basic math and letters as well as more abstract concepts like life changes. Jim Henson: The Biography by Brian Jay Jones quotes Henson as saying, “Kids love to learn and the learning should be exciting and fun. That’s what we’re out to do.” Audiences certainly thought the show was exciting and fun: in 1970, Sesame Street was broadcast in fifty countries and seen by over seven million Americans each day.

Sesame Street was one of the first children’s shows to use a comprehensive educational curriculum, focused on educational goals. Repetition was often used to help young children practice and to make a connection between new and unfamiliar concepts. As children tend to imitate what they see, the show promoted modelling behaviors: if all the characters were inquisitive and loved to learn, hopefully that would inspire children to feel the same. Likewise, the show made itself interesting for parents as well as children thanks to celebrity guest stars and pop culture parodies.

And with Sesame Street came Sesame Street spin-offs. The show’s merchandising effort included tie-in toys, programs, and, obviously, books. Some of those books have become as classic as the show itself. The Monster At the End of the Book is written by Jon Stone and illustrated by Mike Smollin. Starring lovable, furry old Grover, Grover is surprised and scared to learn about the monster! He tries to prevent the reader from turning the pages only to discover that HE is the monster himself. The book has continuously been in print ever since it’s 1971 publication and, in 2012, was ranked number ten on the top 100 picture books in a survey published by School Library Journal.

Sesame Street wasn’t the only property that Henson created with a literary twist. The Muppet Show featured an episode starring Brooke Shields that was a full pastiche of the story Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. In 1987, Henson created and produced The Storyteller, a television show released on NBC and later HBO. The Storyteller retold folk stories and fairy tales, which were performed by a cast of human and Muppet performers. The show specifically focused on more obscure European fairy tales, choosing lesser known stories such as “The Six Swans” or “Hans My Hedgehog.” A spinoff series, The Storyteller: Greek Myths, focused on just what the title says. Though only thirteen episodes were made, The Storyteller was a critical success, winning the 1987 Emmy Award for Outstanding Children’s Program

Jim Henson died on May 16, 1990 at the age of 53 due to a bacterial infection. Even after Henson’s death, the Muppets still promote literacy and help encourage people to read. Sesame Street is still running and entertaining children to this day. Millennials like myself probably have nostalgic attachment to two literary Muppet films: A Muppet Christmas Carol and Muppet Treasure Island. Both films retold two literary classics, A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens and Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson, infusing them with trademark Muppet humor and a lot of goofiness while still faithfully retaining the nature of the original text.

To learn more about Jim Henson, his life, and his works, we recommend checking out Jim Henson: The Biography by Brian Jay Jones, available at your local public library.

Hola, Hispanic Heritage Month!

Elisabeth Scott

Reference Librarian/Literacy Projects Coordinator

National Hispanic Heritage Month began earlier this month on the fifteenth. Did you know that, according to population estimates, 3.4% of Mississippi's population identifies as Hispanic or Latino and a whopping 18.5% of the United States's population does the same? In fact, Hispanics are one of the fastest growing minority groups in the nation, and the fastest growing group in the South. We thought it would be fun to tie in this month's reading prompt "Read a Classic" with just a few of our favorite old and new classic Hispanic authors. Check them out below!

 

• Isabel Allende was born in Peru in 1942 to Chilean parents, but now lives in California. She became a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 2004 and won the Chilean National Prize for Literature in 2010. Start with her 1982 book The House of the Spirits, which began as a letter to her grandfather.
  
• Rudolfo Anaya was born in New Mexico in 1937. Anaya is one of the grandfathers of Chicano literature and won an American Book Award and a National Medal of Arts. Start with his 1972 classic Bless Me, Ultima, the first in a trilogy of books set in his home state.
  
• Sandra Cisneros was born in Chicago in 1954 to parents from Mexico/of Mexican descent. She has won an American Book Award and a MacArthur Genius Grant. Start with her second book, The House on Mango Street, a collection of linked vignettes. Cisneros began work on it as a graduate student; it was published in 1984.
• Juan Felipe Herrera was born in California in 1948. He served as the Poet Laureate of the United States from 2015-2017 and was elected as a Chancellor of the Academy of American Poets in 2011. Start with 2008's Half the World in Light.
  
• Oscar Hijuelos was born in New York City in 1951; both his parents were originally from Cuba. He won a Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1990. Start with his prize-winning novel from 1989, The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love.

These five authors can be found at the Mississippi Library Commission, your local public library, and BARD. These are also great places to explore other books written by Hispanic and Latino authors. If you would like to learn more about Hispanic heritage and culture, you should look into what the National Park Service, the Smithsonian, and the National Endowment for the Humanities have put together for you. We hope the next month is filled with revelatory reading and learning for you. Until next time, happy reading!

Read With MLC: A Classic You've Been Meaning to Read

2023 is inexplicably and inevitably drawing to a close. As the days grow shorter and the temperature (hopefully) grows cooler, it's the perfect time of year to dig into great reads that entertain and enlighten, but hey, it's also a great time to focus on finishing this year's reading goals. Our Read With MLC challenge prompt for September is to check out a classic you've been meaning to read. Sure, you can turn to Dickens, Plato, or Voltaire, and you're welcome to do so if you want to give them a try, but there are a lot of amazing books out there hovering right under your radar. Just what qualifies as a classic? And what should you read this September? Settle in while we explore!

Librarianship 101: MLC's Annual Learn-How-To-Library Workshop

Elisabeth Scott

Reference Librarian/Literacy Projects Coordinator

Let's get ready to liiiiiiibrary! The Mississippi Library Commission (MLC) will welcome a new group of library paraprofessionals to our annual Librarianship 101 tomorrow, and we can't wait to get started helping them become the best librarians they can be. After all, a great librarian gives great library service!

 

This intensive three-day workshop, which is made possible in part by funds from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), brings library staff from across Mississippi to the state capital here in Jackson to learn more about libraries. That may sound simple, but the nearly thirty students in attendance will receive an overview of everything library. This includes:

• A rundown of core library services, such as reference interviews and practices, collection development, programming, cataloging, weeding, and readers' advisory
• An overview of outreach, which encompasses community partnerships, social media, and library marketing
• Mississippi-specific subjects, like local library law and MAGNOLIA databases
  
• A synopsis of MLC services, like Talking Book Services and Technology Services, and a Petting Zoo featuring MLC's special collection kits

Attendees will also learn the results of their Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) tests, a personality test that can be used to gain perspective on the ways people work together. Paired with the abundance of networking opportunities over the three-day period, this jam-packed workshop gifts participants with a life-long learning experience that will help them serve their home communities and meet their library needs. Even better, participants create and carry out a library project in their home libraries that gives back to their communities and helps Mississippians reach their full potential. 

Librarianship started back in 2004, and MLC staff are proud to say that we have helped train a generation of library paraprofessionals in our state. Many have gone on to pursue further education in the library field and moved up the library ladder into leadership roles. The annual Mississippi Library Association conference provides an opportunity for everyone to reconnect, a mini-Librarianship 101 reunion, if you will. This week will be the library experience of a lifetime for many of the people visiting Jackson in the upcoming days, so please wish them a good time and the best of luck!

What's a Faulkner, Mom?

The ninth annual Mississippi Book Festival is in the books! As always, the festival was filled with opportunities to discover new authors, learn about literature, and explore interesting books. Your Mississippi Library Commission offered a cool sanctuary for those who wanted to escape the heat outside; people who needed a break flocked to room 202 of the State Capitol for book swag, Mississippi author fortunes, brailling demonstrations, and our pop-up library. Several of MLC's staff were on hand to answer questions about libraries in Mississippi, and many of us chose to brave the 102 temperature to explore the greatest book festival in the U.S.A., Mississippi's Literary Lawn Party. Here are some of our staff's takeaways:

"I had a good time telling people about Talking Book Services! Some old friends stopped by the Pop-Up Library that I haven’t seen in a while; it was so good to catch up with them and spread the word about the library." Mary Rodgers Beal, Talking Book Services Director

"I moderated the In Short panel with three amazing writers of short fiction: Deesha Philyaw, Andrew Porter, and George Singleton. The whole panel was thoughtful and engaging, but George brought down the house several times. That guy is a hoot!" Tracy Carr, Deputy Director, Library Services

"I was pleasantly surprised to see the turnout considering how amazingly hot it was! I had a great time walking around, looking at all sorts of books to buy later, and running into fellow book lovers to chit-chat with." Katie Gill, Cataloging Librarian

"My highlight of the festival was seeing the iconic Lois Lowry talk about her books The Giver and Number the Stars. She had such a huge impact on me as a young reader, and it was an honor to hear her talk about what inspired her to write." Kristen Hillman, MAGNOLIA Outreach Coordinator

"I sadly didn’t attend any panels this year; I waited too long and got there too close to my shift. (The sadness!) I observed so many people so excited to be there, though, and it made me so happy to see people coming together to bond over their favorite books and authors! I loved one kid in particular who asked his mom 'What’s a Faulkner?' when I gave him his Mississippi author fortune." Riley Houston, Patron Access Librarian, Talking Book Services

"I enjoyed working at the MLC Pop-Up Library because I got to meet so many people and tell them about libraries. I even ran into a former patron and his mother who I knew from the Autism Resource Center at the Jackson/Hinds Library System. I was delighted to see the progress he's made over the years and to find out he's now a student at Hinds Community College." Ruth Jinkiri, Library Consultant

"I discovered that USM has a graduate study program dedicated for the historical study of war. As a medieval history enthusiast and a military mom, I found the books and topics written by faculty interesting and enjoyed speaking to the staff present at their booth." Kristina Kelly, Public Relations Coordinator

"I had a great time at the book festival. I got to chat with some old friends from my previous job and I met so many other nice people at the MLC booth. The highlight of the day was attending the Literary Thriller panel. Clemence Michallon spoke about her book The Quiet Tenant, which is one of my favorite books of this year. Kevin Powers and Brendan Slocumb were also on the panel. I haven't read their books before, but I plan to now. It was a great conversation." Amanda Minor, Library Consultant

"Of course, there is the obligatory, 'It was SOOO HOT!', but luckily, I had the pleasure of meeting Biscuit, a little cutie who came all the way from D.C to make it to the Book Festival. This was her second trip to Mississippi this year; this seventeen-year-old even broke out her pearls as she explored the Capitol grounds." Charlie Simpkins, Special Collections Coordinator

"I loved seeing Jason Reynolds and Ebony Lumumba in conversation. It was fascinating to hear him talk about his path to becoming an author and his influences over the years. I really enjoyed getting the nitty gritty on Miles Morales and how he developed that Marvel character." Elisabeth Scott, Reference Librarian

Did you miss a panel that you really wanted to see? Be sure to check out the Book Festival's videos of Saturday's activities. 

Did you have a wonderful time? Fill out the Book Festival's survey about this year's fun.

Did you have a favorite moment this year? Which was your favorite panel? Did an author or book or encounter wow you? Drop us a comment and let us know. 

Now that the 2023 festival is over, we're preparing for next year. See you August 17, 2024!

WE-rate This Fantastic

Congratulations to Sharmaine Frazier, State E-rate Coordinator at the Mississippi Library Commission (MLC), who has been selected to join the national E-rate Task Force. "What is E-rate?," you ask. It's a gem of a national program that helps eligible schools and libraries afford high-speed internet and other telecommunication services. Amazing, right?

Sharmaine Frazier has been serving as the State E-rate Coordinator for the Mississippi Library Commission (MLC) since 2019. In her role, she works closely with Mississippi library directors to make the most of the E-rate program and reduce costs, thereby enabling communities to have access to broadband and connectivity. Sharmaine finds inspiration in Helen Keller's quote, "Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much," as it highlights the importance of collaboration. Every remote session that Sharmaine conducts with library directors is part of a team effort to ensure that all Mississippians have access to up-to-date technology resources through their libraries, which is one of MLC's core goals.

It's worth noting that there are eighty state E-rate coordinators across the country, like Sharmaine, in addition to school and tribal E-rate coordinators. 

The E-rate Task Force (ERTF) comprises 12 members representing various regions across the country. These members work directly with the Schools and Libraries Division (SLD) of the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Their primary objective is to enhance and streamline the existing operations and future development of the E-rate program.

Sharmaine says, "I am excited to work with libraries and to be a part of this task force that has big things planned for the future." If you have any questions about E-rate, you can head to MLC's website or contact Sharmaine directly at sfrazier@mlc.lib.ms.us.

Meet MLC: Charlie Simpkins

Elisabeth Scott

Reference and Social Media Librarian

Meet Charlie Simpkins, Special Collections Coordinator at the Mississippi Library Commission! MLC's kits collection is geared toward meeting public libraries' programming needs, and Charlie is in charge of all things kit here at MLC. He identifies new and interesting products libraries could want or need; then he acquires them so that Mississippi libraries can use them in their communities. The range of items is wide and all-encompassing: from kits focusing on STEM skills, 3D printers, and building kits that fire the imagination and promote learning, to board games, puppets, storywalk, and book club kits that make learning as a community exciting and fun... MLC has them all and Charlie is their curator. He also handles training libraries in kit use, as well as other MLC training needs, and he catalogs our giant large print collection as new books arrive. Charlie loves his job. He says, "My favorite part is getting to hear stories about how excited patrons get at library programs. Getting to see pictures and videos that libraries and their patrons share is like spotting a rainbow on a stormy day. It hits me right in the feels.”

Charlie began working at MLC in June of 2018. Prior to that he held positions as Reference Librarian at the G. Chastaine Flynt Memorial Library in Flowood and Branch Manager at the Northwest Point Reservoir Library, both part of the Central Mississippi Regional Library System. Before jumping into the library world, Charlie taught fourth grade at Highland Bluff Elementary School in Flowood. Charlie holds a bachelor's degree in Elementary Education with endorsements in English and Social Studies. He also holds a master's degree in Library and Information Science from the University of Southern Mississippi.

We asked Charlie what it is that he loves about libraries, and he said, "Libraries equalize the playing field. A library is a place people can go to explore concepts and ideas that they might not otherwise get to discover. I tell my wife that if I don’t learn something new in a day, it feels like a day wasted. Libraries have helped me learn something new so many times because they encourage lifelong learning."

Charlie loves books and loves to read. He says his favorite adult books are probably Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse and A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman, but quickly gets distracted listing his favorite children's books. Reading Kitten’s First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes was a transformational experience in college. He regularly recommends Can I Be Your Dog? by Troy Cummings and What Do They Do with All That Poo? by Jane Kurtz to his friends, young and old alike. This paragraph could extend into eternity if Charlie had his way.

When he's not championing libraries or reading, Charlie is spending quality time with his wife Kelly and his pup Walden. He likes watching movies and TV, tabletop gaming, attending church, and attempting to write. Charlie has also begun picking up new crafts, like knitting and crochet with his wife.

If you have questions about book, STEM, or other MLC kits, give Charlie a holler at 601-432-4498 or send him an email at csimpkins@mlc.lib.ms.us.

Shorty McShortersons

Beth Samson
Continuing Education Coordinator

“I’m too busy to read books.” “I love reading, but I have so many things to do.” How many times have we heard these phrases? How many times have we said these phrases? Our lives have become so busy that we find it difficult to pencil in time to read an entire novel. Sad, but understandable. However, there is a middle ground: short stories. Bite-sized bits of literature to give us our reading fix while still leaving time to go… adult. One of my personal favorites is one that is, pleasantly enough, in the public domain: “A Scandal in Bohemia”, the first short story of Arthur Conan Doyle starring Sherlock Holmes. 

 

 

This story is part of the book, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, a collection of Sherlock short stories and the third Sherlock work overall. It consists of three “chapters” and is about as long as the average fanfiction that genuinely has a plot. What attracts me most about this story (other than the mention of the former kingdom of Bohemia itself) is the fact that it is the sole work featuring the infamous Irene Adler. I absolutely adore her, and I praise Doyle for the creation of such a delightful character. I also appreciate the levels of wit and snark in the story, customary of Holmes, but wonderful to find in other characters as well.

To give a brief, spoiler-free summary, Watson visits Holmes after he has been married for some time. Holmes tells him about this mysterious letter (well, trying to be mysterious letter) that is requesting a meeting and his help. Apparently, the King of Bohemia had…well, indiscretions with Ms. Adler, a “well-known adventuress” about five years previously. She has proof of this relationship and the King is absolutely determined to get it. Enter Sherlock: the only man that the King believes able to retrieve the proof from the woman with “the face of the most beautiful of women, and the mind of the most resolute of men”.

This story will always hold a special place in my heart, not just because of how much I enjoy it, but also because it showed me the value of short stories. I highly recommend it, regardless of your schedule.

P.S. You can check it out at MLC or your public library, plus you can download it on BARD. Also, since it’s in the public domain, you can read it anywhere! For example, here: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/1661/1661-h/1661-h.htm#chap01

Getting to Know Us, Getting to Know All About Us

Elisabeth Scott

Reference and Social Media Librarian

Did you know that the Mississippi Federation of Women's Clubs (MFWC) was instrumental in the establishment of the Mississippi Library Commission (MLC) and 75% of the public libraries in the state? The organization was so important to libraries in the state that, when MLC was officially formed by the state legislature in 1926, Senator Belle Kearney--the first woman elected to the Mississippi State Senate only four years earlier--and her committee ensured that the President of MFWC was a permanent fixture on MLC's Board of Commissioners. MFWC has continued its interest in literacy and libraries over the years. The President's Special Project, which changes with each club president, is "Get Back to Your Roots by Promoting Public Libraries, Education and Literacy". Current President Theresa Buntyn chose this theme because of her close involvement with libraries, both within her family and her local club.

 

Women's Club members across the state are answering Buntyn's call to "get back to their roots" by getting even more involved in their local libraries. The Women's Club of Poplarville partnered with the Pearl River County Library System to hold a sewing club for area children. The Fine Arts Club of Bruce volunteered during the Summer Library Program at the Jesse Yancy Memorial Library in Bruce. Another group of Club Women led a special storytime at the Lee County Library in Tupelo. The list goes on and on, and we are absolutely delighted.

Several months ago, MFWC asked MLC's Public Relations Coordinator Kristina Kelly to create a BINGO card about MLC and MLC's services. A fun game all about us? No problem: Kristina delivered in spades. She created a beautiful card that highlights many of MLC's features: ways that we serve libraries and you, our adoring library public. The BINGO squares are listed below to give you the fun of scoring a BINGO too.

• Like the MLC Facebook or Instagram page
• Try MLC's Bookmatch 
• Read On the Same Page - MLC's newsletter
• Share info about Talking Book Services
• Invite local officials to experience an SLP program
• Check a Book Club in a Box kit out
• Share info about Patents and Trademark Resource Center
• Read the FY22 Annual Report
• Use the MLC catalog to search for a book
• Sign up for a hoopla account
• List your favorite online database
• Search a topic on MAGNOLIA
• Explore a tutorial on LearningExpress
• Write an article for your local newspaper about the importance of libraries
• Help someone sign up for a library card
• Watch a webinar on the MLC YouTube channel

This Saturday, the MFWC holds their annual Summer Institute here at MLC. We look forward to this event and many, many more in the years to come. What a beautiful partnership!

You can download your own copy of the BINGO card here:

We’re All in Knits Together

Alex Brower

Information Services Director

MLC’s Craft Club had its third meeting on June 16th, 2023. We used the video "How to Knit" by Carla Scott on Creativebug to learn some basic stitches and, in some cases, make the beginnings of very small scarves!

We had 15 attendees for our meeting, and a few people brought their own knitting needles and yarn. Our knitting kit for public libraries will have 10 sets of needles; if your library expects a large crowd, I suggest advertising that people can bring their own supplies. (Sometimes people do some well-intentioned crafts shopping but never quite make it to the learning-how-to-knit part!) We also received an extremely generous donation from Benton County Library of many, many skeins of yarn, which our participants eagerly took home to keep practicing!

Set-up for this craft club only took a few minutes, as did tear-down. I brought a box with the knitting needles and yarn, and had participants pick up supplies on their way in. If you're looking for a program that doesn’t require lots of supplies and clean-up, this is it. Plus, if you've gone the route of asking people to bring their own supplies, you get another added bonus: you'll have less to clean up, and they'll be able to continue their work at home. (Our participants had to return their needles and thread, so I would probably do a smaller craft next time so that they can take their projects home once the class was done.) Once the club ended, attendees undid their work and returned their knitting needles. 

We went through each step as a group and tried to get everyone on the same page before we moved on: good for those who needed a bit more help and less useful for those who picked up the steps more quickly. I’m not sure what the fix would be for this: watching the video all the way through at the beginning, having each participant at a computer/tablet so they can follow along at their own pace, or some hybrid of the two. One of our attendees looked up a diagram of the steps, which she found more helpful than the video or instruction from a classmate.

I practiced the skills in the video before the class, so I was able to walk around and assist. It's more difficult to explain a skill when you aren’t super familiar with it, so having more experienced knitters in the class was incredibly helpful. It went very quickly from one large group to several smaller groups with an experienced person in each. 

Our program was great for getting the basics down and would be a good beginning for a series of knitting classes where participants learned new skills each time. The class could work their way up to making bigger projects like scarves, blankets, or any number of things! Creativebug also has a knitting pattern library; your library could host a knitting circle where patrons work on their own projects or start new ones, alone or in groups. 

MLC’s knitting kit will be available soon, with knitting needles, yarn, and a darning needle set your patrons can use to create their own beautiful projects!

Video: https://www.creativebug.com/classseries/single/how-to-knit-part-1/1/0
Supplies:
Needles: https://www.michaels.com/product/10-anodized-aluminum-knitting-needles-by-loops-threads-10154295
Yarn: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B085FS14Z7/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

A Very Mississippi Fourth

Elisabeth Scott

Reference and Social Media Librarian

When talking about William Faulkner and Willie Morris in his book A Place Like Mississippi, W. Ralph Eubanks says, "If you can find where the past and the present intersect within Mississippi, you can indeed understand the world." I have lived in other states and other countries, but I keep coming home to Mississippi. It is a place that is uniquely itself and yet, somehow, the essence of life in the United States. When our nation got its start 247 years ago, Mississippi wasn't even a territory. We have grown together with our sister states as America has grown, year by year, century by century. Mississippi is a microcosm of the United States: a distillation of all that is good and bad about the land we all love. This Fourth of July, let's celebrate with some books from MLC's collection that showcase the food, fun, and music of the Magnolia State that are reflected in our nation's culture as a whole.

Bringing Books to the Blind and Print Disabled

Mary Rodgers Beal

Talking Book Services Director

Mary Rodgers Beal, Mississippi's Talking Book Services Director, attended the National Library Service’s Regional Conference for the Northern and Southern regions last month in Daytona Beach, Florida. (The Western and Midlands regions held separate conferences.) The State Librarian of Florida, Amy Johnson, and NLS Deputy Director, Jason Yasner, gave opening remarks for the multi-day conference. A highlight of her trip was the entertainment for the conference banquet: a patron of FTBBL is also an accomplished trumpeter who serenaded conference-goers during their meal. 

Mary Rodgers learned about ways other libraries utilize outreach, toured the Florida Talking Book and Braille Library (FTBBL), and met with librarians from other talking book libraries. She thinks the structure of the Florida TBBL is pretty interesting; it's one of the few states to have subregional branches in addition to their regional library. These branches are housed in public libraries around Florida. Mississippi libraries can, of course, contact Talking Book Services here at MLC directly for information and tools to connect with the blind and print disabled in their communities. She also checked into how other regional libraries are handling the transition to Books-on-Demand and networked with other librarians about common successes and setbacks.

Beal says that she looks forward to sharing what she learned with others in her department! This will include refreshers on repair and operation of current digital players, as well as information on a new player set to come out in the future. 

Would you like to get involved with Talking Book Services in Mississippi? If you or someone you know has a visual, physical, or print disability that prevents the reading of standard print books, give us a call toll-free at 1-800-446-0892. You can also ask for information on joining the MS Talking Books Friends group (Friends of Handicapped Readers) for National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled updates.