Happy (Belated) Birthday, Little Free Libraries!

Elisabeth Scott

Reference and Social Media Librarian

Small bookshelves on posts... that's all they are, really. These simple little structures have brought indescribable joy to millions of people worldwide since they started popping up in city neighborhoods and rural roads eleven years ago. We want to wish Little Free Library (LFL), the organization behind the "take a book, leave a book" philosophy, the very happiest of birthdays. Increased access to books is the very cornerstone of our mission. We think this fabulous nonprofit has hit the nail on the head and is a great partner for libraries.

Little Free Library 2.0 and Library Consultant and LFL Steward Shellie Zeigler

A Visit from the Institute of Museum and Library Services

Jennifer Peacock

Administrative Services Director

The Mississippi Library Commission (MLC) receives federal funds from the Institute of Museum and Library Service (IMLS) through the Library Services Technology Act (LSTA) Grants to States program. In order to receive these funds, MLC must have a federal five-year plan in place that provides direction for how these funds will be spent. Once during each five-year plan, the program officer from IMLS assigned to Mississippi comes for a site visit. These site visits are three days long, with the first day at MLC viewing records and talking with various MLC staff about the goals of the Five-Year Plan and how they are carried out. The next two days are on the road visiting libraries that have received LSTA subgrants to see how the funds are used in the communities in Mississippi.

From left, MLC Executive Director Hulen Bivins, IMLS Senior Program Officer Dennis Nangle, IMLS CFO Chris Catignani, MLC Library Services Director Tracy Carr, and MLC Administrative Services Director Jennifer Peacock

Jennifer Peacock, who serves as both Administrative Services Director and LSTA Coordinator, and Susan Liles, PR Director, accompanied the IMLS program officer for Mississippi, Dennis Nangle, and another IMLS employee, Chris Catignani, who was scheduled to be in town for an event on Friday, so he came early to tag along on the site visit.

Text to Checkout at the Bovina Grocery

The site visit consisted of seven stops covering the central part of the state and showed both small, rural areas with smaller library systems as well as larger systems. First was a quick stop in Bovina where a pilot program called Text to Checkout is located in the Bovina Grocery. The next two days encompassed stops at the Warren County-Vicksburg Public Library, Humphreys County Library System, Madison County Library System, Noxubee County Public Library, Mid-Mississippi Regional Library System, and Central Mississippi Regional Library System. In each of these systems, the directors were able to highlight the projects that LSTA funds had helped them to roll out over the past several years and explain the impact it had on their patrons and communities.

Chris, Dennis, and Jennifer with Warren County-Vicksburg Public Library Director Katrina Stokes

Jennifer, Chris, and Dennis with Humphreys County Library System Director Sidney Cobb

Madison County Library System (MCLS) staff David Jackson, MCLS Director Tonja Johnson with Chris

Noxubee County Public Library Director Shameka Conner with Jennifer, Dennis, and Chris

Chris, Jennifer, and Dennis with Mid-Mississippi Regional Library
System Director Josh Haidet and Youth Services Librarian Lindsay Fitts

Chris and Dennis with Central Mississippi Regional Library System Director Mara Polk

Special thanks to Katrina, Sidney, Tonja, Shameka, Josh, Mara, and their staff for welcoming us and taking the time to help advocate for all Mississippi libraries by showing the importance of the federal funding MLC receives and the impact it has both statewide and in the local communities.

Chris, Jennifer, Dennis, and MLC PR Director Susan Liles

New Albany Library Is Far From Ordinary

MLC Library Consultant Shellie Zeigler visited the Jennie Stephens Smith Library in New Albany, MS, a few weeks ago to conduct a site visit and attend their first summer library program of the season. Union County Library System Director Sissy Bullock oversees the system that caters to 27,000 people in this northeast Mississippi county. While the library offers a great selection of books, naturally, Sissy has found new and innovative ways to involve the library in this community and the community loves it.

Union County Library System Director Sissy Bullock and MLC Library Consultant Shellie Zeigler

Tanglewood Trail, a Rails-to-Trails Conservancy project located on the old Mississippi Tennessee railroad line, runs right by the library. The library decided the community needed better access to the trail and began a bicycle checkout program. All of the bicycles were donated by local patrons and businesses and the Mississippi Department of Rehabilitation Services donated bicycle helmets. They even have a volunteer bike mechanic! Right now, their twenty-one bikes live inside the library, but the county is building them a storage shed right behind the building.

Bicycles available for checkout at New Albany library

Safety first! Each checked out bicycle comes with a helmet.

The library has also begun participating in the local "Biscuits and Jam" Farmers' Market. They truck their little trolley down the street on market days and pass out bookmarks, library card applications, and news about upcoming events. Want to learn about their summer library program? Head to the Farmers' Market!

Little Red Library Wagon

Speaking of their Summer Library Program, Shellie said the kickoff was a lot of fun. A slew of kids turned out to see Magician Bentley Burns perform a special space-themed show and a good time was had by all. If you're near Union County, you should drop by the library for more interesting and educative programming!

Magician Bentley Burns performs for a rapt audience.

These books were purchased with money from an LSTA grant.

Shellie also noticed this display of new books about Mississippi and by Mississippi authors. The purchase of the books was made possible by an LSTA grant administered by the Mississippi Library Commission. As a MLC Library Consultant, Shellie will check in on Sissy in New Albany again in several months, but will be back sooner if she needs advice or help with any issues. For right now, we love seeing the novel ways Sissy makes this library an essential community hub.

Save Libraries, Save Museums, Save IMLS!

Maybe you've seen the proposed national budget for FY20 and maybe you haven't, but it eliminates federal funding for the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). That means essential programs provided by libraries and museums across Mississippi will no longer have the money to continue. This covers everything from your local public library, your child's school library, and university libraries to the Delta Blues Museum, the Mississippi Museum of Art, and the Mississippi Children's Museum. It also means that LSTA grant funds, which launch innovative programs across the state and are distributed by IMLS, will no longer be available. Both Loida Garcia-Febo, president of the American Library Association, and Kathryn K. Matthew, director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services, have issued responses regarding the proposed budget, and people across the country are rallying to our museums' and libraries' defense.

We want you to join the fight to fund museums and libraries. Take a look below at a small sample of Mississippi public library programs funded by IMLS in the past few years. Then click the Dear Appropriator letter at the bottom of the page to send an email to your congresspeople urging full funding of IMLS.

Lee-Itawamba Library System

The Lunching with Books program, made possible through LSTA grant funds, is a vital resource for information and socialization of learners who can no longer visit the library due to physical disabilities, advanced age, and/or lack of transportation. In order to serve these citizens, the library purchased the necessary equipment to record, archive, and live-stream the programs to offsite patrons. The program can be viewed at any time from the Lee-Itawamba Library System website. The library partnered with a local retirement home to screen the program on-site in a common area. Live-streaming the program off-site allowed patrons no longer able to attend in person the ability to actively participate in educational and entertaining library activities. This library system is in Mississippi's Congressional District 1, which is served by Representative Trent Kelly.

Sunflower County Library System

The Seniors Acquiring Computer Skills and the Senior Adults Moving Forward in Technology programs at Sunflower County Library System were designed to provide computer skills training to senior citizens who want to become computer literate. Using LSTA grant funds, the library provides computer literacy classes for small groups in slowly-paced sessions. Attendees learn essential basic computer skills, like word processing in order to produce letters and forms, spreadsheets to track financial information, and Internet competency, including search skills and database usage. After a sixteen-week training period, participants are able to use everything from email to Word and beyond, critical skills for the 21st century. This library system is in Mississippi's Congressional District 2, which is served by Representative Bennie Thompson.

Central Mississippi Regional Library System

New Maker Space Kits, acquired with LSTA funds by the Central Mississippi Regional Library System, travel back and forth between their 20 branches. The Makey Makey Kit, Snap Circuits Kit, Video Maker Kit, Strawbees Kit, and Jewelry Tool Kit emphasize STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) activities for K-12 through adult patrons. Every age group served has been excited and eager to learn and explore with the kits, making this an incredibly successful idea. These items give Mississippi citizens an understanding of how circuitry works and help them understand how to apply this new knowledge in their everyday lives. This library system is in Mississippi's Congressional District 3, which is served by Representative Michael Guest.

Laurel-Jones County Library System

An Early Childhood Library Development Center project garnered LSTA grant funds for the Laurel-Jones County Library System. It enables both libraries in the system to provide a fun and safe area where children can learn through imaginative play. The centers have an assortment of building blocks, interlocking and connective toys, matching and sorting games, and puzzles. These activities teach young patrons basic math and language skills, hand-eye coordination, counting, color and letter identification, motor skills, and social interaction skills. This library system is in Mississippi's Congressional District 4, which is served by Representative Steven Palazzo.

These programs, which cater to a wide range of interests, target people of all ages and walks of life. If you think that the learning, cultural, and social opportunities Mississippi libraries and museums provide are critical to keeping our citizens on the cutting edge of society, then help us out. Contact your congressperson and ask them to sign the Dear Appropriator letter. Then share this post in your email, on Facebook, or however else you reach your friends and family, and ask them to do the same. Thank you!

MLC is Proud to Support Mississippi's Public Libraries

Hulen Bivins
Mississippi Library Commission
Executive Director

With the conclusion of Fiscal Year 2018, a final accounting by the Mississippi Library Commission (MLC) shows that over 7 million dollars of support was provided to the state’s 53 public library systems. These funds were provided as direct grants, competitive grants, and via statewide services. Of the total amount provided, the State of Mississippi was the source of $6,737,643, with the balance of the funding provided by the federal government under the Grants to States program administered by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS).

Using state funding, direct grants provided employee benefits throughout the state to library staff members; these funds also enabled each of the 53 public library systems to maintain a highly qualified, masters-degreed professional as the library director, thereby enhancing the services of each public library. Further, with competitive grants, public libraries were able to create and expand new services while maintaining traditional services. The MAGNOLIA information database collection is an example of a statewide service that is provided by public libraries through state funding and made available to every citizen.

The federal dollars received from IMLS supported a variety of services, such as the procurement of new public computers, community reading programs supported with new book titles in a variety of formats, continuing education activities, development of STEM programing, and cooperative activities with K-12 schools, community colleges, and universities.

Following the tabulation of monies as reported for the fiscal year, MLC Executive Director Hulen Bivins noted that, “In all of the activities enumerated, the Mississippi Library Commission has worked with the state’s public libraries to both strengthen and enhance library services for the benefit of the state’s citizenry. This work has provided homework aid, business development assistance, and a furtherance of knowledge regarding issues in the fields of finance, law, and medicine. The achievements accomplished are a direct result of the cooperation and tremendous work of the 53 public library systems in using the funding made available by MLC in an efficient, cost-conscious manner.”

MLC at the IMLS Grants to States Conference

The Institute of Museum and Library Science (IMLS) recently held its annual Grants to States conference in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Representatives from each state were invited to attend to learn and discuss what is happening with Library Service Technology Act (LSTA) funds. Grant Programs Director David Collins and I attended this year for Mississippi. The theme this year was the Olympics and we were excited to win two medals, a gold and silver, for excellent reporting. This is a big win when you serve in an administrative role.

The focus this year was on a look back over the past five years and the various trends as each state moves toward the start of their new Five Year Plan. (View Mississippi's Grants to States profile here.) Focusing on better ways to nationally report what projects are being accomplished with LSTA money was a priority. By recognizing where the federal money comes from, our legislators can be more informed of how these funds help both statewide and locally in your communities. Without these federal funds, our state would be at a huge disadvantage.

One of the big takeaways this year was to remember to acknowledge IMLS whenever LSTA funds are used for projects. IMLS is active on social media in many platforms and can be recognized.
I appreciate these annual meetings and the opportunity to network with other LSTA Coordinators to share ideas and discuss issues.

Jennifer Peacock
Administrative Services Director

Warren County-Vicksburg Library Prepares Kids for Kindergarten

The Warren County-Vicksburg Public Library partnered with Excel by 5 to create the Tiny Tot's Early Learning Read & Play program. The goal of this program is to provide access to educational toys, games, and board books to preschool-aged children and their parents. WCVPL applied for and received a Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) grant to purchase board books, a few toys and games, and containers in which to keep the toys and games. Excel by 5 will purchase additional toys and games to add to the collection. Together, the library and Excel by 5 will offer parents the tools, both fun and educational, needed to prepare today's children for kindergarten.

It's Getting STEAMy at East Mississippi Library

When renovation plans began on the Bay Springs Municipal Library, a branch of the East Mississippi Regional Library, it was of paramount importance that the new children's section be a place where kids come come to learn, discover, and create using the fundamentals of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts, and Math) learning. While the library has always been a place where knowledge is accessible through the written word, kids can now visit the library to use building blocks, markers, crayons, magnets, and puzzles to develop their problem-solving and collaborative learning skills. They can also now check out and take home educational digital learning tablets, extending the use of these materials far beyond the library walls. Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) grant funding brought the vision the library had for their new children's section to life in a way that would not have been otherwise possible, and has given the young patrons a library experience never before available in the rural community.

It's All About Books at Lee-Itawamba Library

Updating the Early Readers Collection, funded through Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA), played a vital part in helping the Lee-Itawamba Library System to provide reading materials that engage the children of today in reading and learning. The project allowed the library to purchase approximately 200 new books for young readers that would have been unattainable without these grant funds. The success of this project can be seen in the smiles of children when they find books in the library that are relevant to them and pertain to their interests.

Prepare To Be AWEd At Laurel-Jones County Library

The Early Literacy and After School Edge Learning Project, funded by a Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) grant, has allowed the library to provide the children of Jones County with state-of-the-art literacy based computers. The Laurel-Jones County Library was able to purchase three AWE Early Literacy Stations that are geared toward children ages 2-8. These computers teach colors, shapes, letters, and numbers, as well as early literacy skills, hand-eye coordination, and basic computer skills. The library also purchased three Afterschool Edge Stations for older students ages 6-12. The Afterschool Edge Stations are pre-loaded with 50-plus top-rated educational software programs that reinforce and enhance the skills that children are currently being taught in school. Programming on these stations consists of reading skills and comprehension, science, history, math, etc... Both parents and children are thrilled with the newest additions to the children's department.

Ocean Springs Library Gets Tech for Teens

The Ocean Springs Public Library, a branch of the Jackson-George Regional Library System, was the recipient of a Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) grant that enabled the funding of a Teen Technology Center. This center, which features a series of new laptop computers in a teen-friendly, appealing environment, has seen much use and enthusiasm with the local youth library customers. This library serves one of the largest school districts in Mississippi, yet until this grant was funded, teen library users had to share computers with the adult library users, making for a long wait for a computer. Certainly, the quick access to these computers has increased access and usage, and made the teens very happy in the process!

Brandon Public Library is Forging Full STEAM Ahead

The Brandon Public Library, upon receiving a Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) grant, purchased and assembled Maker Space Kits for library programming. The kits, including a Makey Makey kit, a Snap Circuits kit, a Video Maker kit, a Strawbees kit, and a Jewelry Tool kit, are circulated among all Central Mississippi Regional Library System libraries. Appropriate and affordable containers have also been purchased for ease of transport between the libraries.

The goal with these kits is to emphasize STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts, and Math) activities with K-12 through adult patrons, and it has been very successful. Every age group has been excited to learn and play with the kits, and have begun understanding how circuitry works and how they can apply it to everyday life. The Makey Makey kit, which requires the laptop kits to work, was used with teen patrons. Some of their projects included playing the piano with bananas, creating a drum set out of Play-Doh, and working together to make a large controller from Play-Doh and foil so that multiple teens could play a game together.

Marshall County Goes Bookish with LSTA Funds

Potts Camp Public Library

The Marshall County Library System, headquartered in Holly Springs, used LSTA (Library Services and Technology Act) grant funds to purchase new fiction books for their two rural branch libraries. Citizens in the communities of Potts Camp and Byhalia rely heavily on their local public libraries to provide many services, just one of which is offering new and popular fiction books. Due to the reductions in both state and federal funding, the library system has had to drastically cut its book and materials budget in order not to reduce library hours or eliminate staff. Without this grant, these two branches would not be able to offer the latest titles on the bestseller lists that their patrons find so popular. A variety of books were purchased which appeal to many readers, juvenile to adult.

Byhalia Public Library

Sunflower County Library System Makes Learning Fun

The Sunflower County Library System works with local schools, day care facilities, and Head Start centers to provide the resources necessary to meet the community's informational needs. The county libraries strive to foster an environment in which young citizens can develop strong literacy skills. The library's Program for Enhancing Educational Literacy (PEEL) project, funded by LSTA grant funds, focuses on providing learning opportunities for preschool and school-aged children. The PEEL project provides programs involving parents and their children, such as Family STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) Night which encourages parents to take an active role in their children's educational development and encourages them to become lifelong learners.