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

Welcome to the MLC Board, Lori Ward Barnes!

Join us in welcoming Lori Ward Barnes, the director of the Jackson-George Regional Library System (JGRLS), to the Mississippi Library Commission Board. Lori was in her mid-20s when librarianship "found her" and she has been a professional librarian ever since. She started as the director of a very small, single-county library system in Alabama. She switched to youth services for a while, but has been back in administration for about ten years. Lori says she gets the most enjoyment from administration because it puts her in a position to make a difference in how a library system progresses. Outreach as one of the most important things her library system does and Lori is proud that JGRLS's outreach has expanded exponentially since she became director. This has been as varied as a prom at a local nursing home (participants visited the library to research planning and costumes and library staff assisted in throwing the event) and Head Start and day care visits (they bring the library to the children).

Lori has now worked in libraries for thirty years and is at the pinnacle of her career, making her a great addition to the MLC Board. Not only does she have a lot to offer by way of expertise and experience, but she's eager to learn and grow. She wants to make a difference in public libraries across Mississippi and feels very positively about what MLC does for them. She says MLC's services are extremely valuable, especially to our state's small, rural libraries. These libraries can do just as many wonderful things as library systems with multi-million dollar budgets--they do it all the time, but MLC is key to making that happen. These libraries may not have the local resources or funding to do everything they want to do, but then MLC steps forward with resources like e-magazine trials, book club kits, and special collection kits that supplement programs and collections. MLC also facilitates the LSTA grant program, which is incredibly important to all libraries in Mississippi.

Lori has been married to her dear husband Jim for many years. They are proud parents of a son and a daughter and are also new grandparents. She says that being a brand-new grandma eats up all of her non-library time, but that she loves every minute of it. Congratulations, Lori!

Meet Our Library Board: Jolee Hussey

Jolee Hussey was recently named the Chair of the Mississippi Library Commission's Board of Commissioners. She says that she loves being on MLC's board because it lets her see firsthand the dedication of library directors and staff in libraries and communities across the state. "I appreciate all they do. I love libraries. I'm passionate about them being used and being funded. All libraries are important. They truly open doors for people."

Jolee is originally from Eupora, but she moved to Oxford in 1968 and has been there ever since, except for four brief years when her husband taught at the Air Force Academy in Colorado. She said they loved living in Colorado; she also taught while they were there. 

She was a librarian at Oxford High School from 1998-2010 and was recognized as a Teacher of the Year, as well as the District Teacher of the Year, in 2009 for her years of exemplary service. Jolee says she loved working with the students and helping them with whatever they needed. She said the work was incredibly rewarding. One of her fondest memories is the time she ran into a former student in a parking lot: "I hadn't seen him for years, but he came right up and told me all about how I changed his life during high school in the library!" She's still involved with schools: Jolee supervises Social Studies and English student teachers from the University of Mississippi as they learn to work with 7-12 graders.

She spent four terms and two decades on the board of the First Regional Library System, starting back in 1993 as the trustee from Lafayette County.

Jolee says, "Libraries still change lives! They're the only free place where people can access information and they are the hubs of our communities, the hubs of our schools." Jolee says she loves to be involved in her community and with her family, especially her grandchildren. She is also very committed to her church life. She cried when she left school, but she retired so that she could spend more time with her grandchildren. She also loves to travel and she loves Oxford sports.


We look forward to Jolee's leadership in Mississippi libraries.

Suzanne Byrd Poynor Named MLC Board of Commissioners Chair

We are pleased to announce that  Suzanne Byrd Poynor has been named MLC Board of Commissioners Chair. Poynor was the president of the Mississippi Federation of Women's Clubs from 2012-2014 and has served on MLC's Board since 2014.

Poynor is a Mississippi lady through and through. Born in Forest, she grew up in Tupelo and moved on to Clinton for her higher education. After obtaining her bachelor's degree and master's degree in elementary education at Mississippi College, she taught for over thirty years in Rankin County, mainly in Florence. She and her husband Larry have been married forty years.

A huge book lover, Suzanne was raised in a reading family. Her grandparents and parents all loved to read, and she raised her son to be a reader too. Suzanne says that she's one of "those" people. "I always have a book with me. Reading is my favorite hobby."

Suzanne is also a big fan of her local public library in Florence. "I believe that every child deserves to have a book in their hands. Access to libraries makes this possible for so many people that otherwise wouldn't have this advantage." Poynor also admires libraries for their role in making technology available to people who don't have access to WiFi, computers, and the internet.  She points out that, "In many towns, the library is the center of the community."

Suzanne follows MLC on Facebook and was tickled to find herself in this #ThrowbackThursday picture. She's the little girl on the right wearing black pants.

The Mississippi Library Commission's Board of Commissioners comprises five members. Four members are appointed by the governor and one is the President of the Mississippi Federation of Women's Clubs (or her appointee.) Of the four gubernatorial appointed members, two are appointed at large by the governor and two are chosen from a list presented to the governor by the Mississippi Library Association. Of the two chosen from MLA's list, one must be an active librarian and one must be an active board of trustees member of a Mississippi public library.

Ann Marsh Named MLC Board of Commissioner's Chair

Ann Marsh, Board Member at Large of the Mississippi Library Commission's Board of Commissioners, has been named chairperson of the board. She was appointed to the board three years ago by Governor Phil Bryant to fill the shoes of Dr. Russell Burns. Typically, the MLC Chairperson is the longest serving member and the person with the most experience. Mrs. Marsh notes that the Board's work is really a collaborative effort, especially with years such as this one with huge budget cuts made by the state. About her time on the Board, Ann says, "I've learned so much, about funding, personnel, decision making... We don't focus on just the Mississippi Library Commission. Our attention is on all the libraries in Mississippi: public, academic, school, and special libraries. We try to do our best, for MLC and for our Mississippi libraries."

Originally from Springfield, Missouri, Marsh obtained her Bachelor's Degree in Education from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. Married 50 years this past summer, Ann and her husband lived in states from California to Maine before settling down in Mississippi 33 years ago. She says this gave them a great perspective on life because wherever they went, they met great people. Marsh spent several years as an elementary school teacher, but when a friend was hired as branch manager at the Northwest Point Reservoir Library in Brandon, she asked Ann to consider applying for a part-time opening at the branch. When that friend eventually left the Reservoir Library, Marsh was the obvious replacement. Twenty-six years later, she retired from her job as library branch manager that she said was "a wonderful experience."

"Many people think libraries are the purview of academia. That just isn't so. I see libraries as community centers and gathering places. They're for people who want a connection to the outside world. With the services that libraries provide--computers, storytime, wifi, research help, computer classes, what have you--we give people that opportunity to connect."

Marsh compares MLC to one of those connect-the-dot pictures kids like to do. "Our many public libraries across the state are the dots. MLC connects the dots; it's the line that makes sense of all the pieces and unifies them into a whole." Ann raves about MLC and her experience thus far on the Board, saying, "It's such a wonderful place to visit. The staff are all so professional and likeable; it's a pleasure to visit every other month."

Ann is just as active outside the library world as she is inside. She has quite the creativity streak and enjoys knitting and jewelry making, to name just a few of her artistic pursuits. She also loves to travel and recently made the trek to Yellowstone National Park.

The Mississippi Library Commission's Board of Commissioners comprises five members. Four members are appointed by the governor and one is the President of the Mississippi Federation of Women's Clubs (or her appointee.) Of the four gubernatorial appointed members, two are appointed at large by the governor and two are chosen from a list presented to the governor by the Mississippi Library Association. Of the two chosen from MLA's list, one must be an active librarian and one must be an active board of trustees member of a Mississippi public library.