Thankful for Libraries

We've rushed through the first months of the year at breakneck speed and now 2024's last days are dwindling away. With shorter, cooler days ahead and the holidays around the corner, it's the perfect time to focus on the important things in life, like the people we love and the things that bring us joy. While libraries might not necessarily be at the top of your "thankful for" list, they're wholesome, community-driven institutions that provide loads of enriching and educational services for nearly everyone. Back in 2013, a PEW report found that 94% of those polled believed that public libraries "improved the quality of life in a community". Moreover, 81% said that public libraries provided "many services people would have a hard time finding elsewhere". What's more to be grateful for? Check out what Mississippi Library Commission staff had to say below.

Read With MLC: Listen to an Award-Winning Audiobook

Welcome to November, and the eleventh month of the 2024 Read with MLC reading challenge! This month's prompt is to listen to an award-winning audiobook.

People listen to audiobooks for a lot of very different yet valid reasons. Some people can't see to read the words on the page, like those with blindness or visual impairments. Others, like those with dyslexia, have trouble processing the printed word. Still others, like people with arthritis or broken limbs, can't hold a book to read. Seriously, Marcel Proust's Remembrance of Things Past, the world's longest novel, clocks in at thousands and thousands of pages. (Incidentally, if you fall into one of these categories, you're eligible for MLC's Talking Book Services. You can learn more here.) Some people don't have time to sit and read a book, while others enjoy the experience of having someone read to them. Other people like to rest their eyes after a day staring at screens, and others find that the audiobook experience can be downright more enjoyable than a book that's slow or unwieldy. Truth be told, a lot of MLC staff love to listen to books! While not all of our suggestions below are "official" audiobook award winners, they are, in our hearts, exceptional audios.