Chat with MLC: Zach Burton

Hello, I’m Zach Burton, the current Cataloging Librarian for the Mississippi Library Commission. I began working with MLC in the fall of 2022 as the Patron Access Coordinator for the Talking Books Services department after working as an archaeologist for a few years. My bachelor’s degree in Anthropology led me into archaeological work, but I found myself dissatisfied with the field and was soon enrolled in a master’s program for Library and Information Sciences at the University of Southern Mississippi.

To some this change may seem sudden or obtuse, however, the curiosity my anthropological background curated in me met with a love for cultural preservation that seemed all too easily found within the institutions of libraries. So, after a short, two-year graduate program, I finished my master’s in Library and Information Sciences, as well as received a certificate in Archives and Special Collections, before making my way to the Mississippi Library Commission.  

As far as my day-to-day duties, they can be broad and expansive, from the cataloging of materials to larger projects such as the Mississippi Library Commission's podcast Stacks and Stories. Consider this: anytime you come into MLC or order a book from us, it has been checked, labeled, stickered, stamped, wrapped, and coded into our system by yours truly. This is a particularly rewarding experience: to be engaged in labor with a tangible and visible outcome, that of new book stocking our shelves! From the invoice which confirms delivery, to the monthly reports that confirm the item's inclusion in our catalog, I am there every step of the way. If you have handled any of the newer items in our collection, specifically since April of 2024, you’ve handled an item that I have given great care to... so please be kind and gentle with them.  

When I’m not preparing items for our shelves I can be found recording or editing episodes of our podcast, Stacks and Stories, as well as recording our weekly broadcast MLC Moments, which air every Saturday at 11am on MPB’s Mississippi Arts Hour. Stacks and Stories serves as an excellent vehicle for exploring all things library and literature related as members of our staff come together to discuss various topics that can range from literature reviews to library policy updates. Our MLC Moments serve similar purposes, but in smaller packages; coming in at just 5 minutes long they’re aimed at providing a short educational lesson spanning any and all themes of libraries, Mississippi, history, literature, and art.  

Another project that I have the pleasure of being involved with is the Veterans History Project. This is a project started by the Library of Congress which seeks to record firsthand experiences of living military veterans in the United States. This project includes conducting interviews, submitting memoirs, and collecting photographs of war veterans to be sent to the Library of Congress for preservation. So far, this project has given a coworker and myself the opportunities to visit with living Mississippi veterans, conducting in-person interviews relating to their time in the service, to collect these firsthand accounts for preservation on the national level.  

Overall, the work I’ve been engaged in with MLC has been incredibly satiating to both my curiosity and preservation interests. Prior to working as the Cataloging Librarian, I’ve had the pleasure of working as a Patron Access Coordinator with the Talking Books Services as well as a Reference Librarian for our Information Services Department. Now, serving as the Cataloging Librarian, I feel this past experience has given me a unique perspective of the inner workings of the Mississippi Library Commission, which affords me a greater understanding of my coworkers' roles and how they intersect with my own. It has been an incredibly rewarding experience to have had these opportunities which have led me to cataloging with at MLC, and I look forward to what the future could hold for the Commission.