A Stack, an Omnibus, A Veritable Repository

What do you call a group of librarians? While there's no official name, a large congress of librarians descended on the town of Natchez last week for the annual Mississippi Library Association (MLA) conference. MLA was officially organized 115 years ago on October 29, 1909 and is even older than the Mississippi Library Commission (MLC). (FYI: MLC was created 17 years later in 1926.) You may be wondering what a collection of librarians does at a librarian conference. Shelve your thoughts of rooms of quiet readers shushing one another and let me share the highlights of last week's memorable meeting.

A Letter from Your Friendly MLC Archivist

Miranda Vaughn

Reference/Archives Librarian

Dear Reader,

Today’s letter is all about stereotypes and cliches. No, not those stereotypes and cliches. Well, sort of. Let me explain.

A stereotype (also called a cliché) is a plate of metal used for making copies of prints. First developed in the 1700s in Europe, these plates were traditionally used for printing newspapers. Stereotypes were created from a “mat,” which is essentially a papier-mache mold containing the print that is to be turned into a stereotype. The dried mat was then used to cast the stereotype from hot metal. These metal plates were made primarily of lead and tin and were used on linotype machines or “slug-casting” machines to make the newspaper copies. Stereotypes made it possible to send casts to multiple printers, thus making more copies in less time. 

Purser Hewitt was a notable Mississippi journalist who worked for the Clarion Ledger for
47 years and retired as executive editor in 1973. He was appointed Chairman of the Mississippi
Library Week Committee in 1958 as part of the first annual National Library Week. Pictured here
is the mat containing his image, his image as a stereotype, and the final image in the
Mississippi Library News article featuring the announcement of his role as Chairman.

 

What does this printing technique have to do with the MLC archives? During the mid-20th century, the Library Commission printed Mississippi Library News, a quarterly journal produced by MLC and the Mississippi Library Association. Since stereotypes were commonly used in printing during this time, MLC used this printing technique to make copies of Mississippi Library News in house. Our archive has a number of stereotypes and mats of photographs used in these newsletters. We also have bound copies of Mississippi Library News to which you can compare these stereotypes. Mississippi Library News is no longer in print and has been replaced by the Mississippi Library Association’s Mississippi Libraries journal.

During the 1970s, more modern printing techniques began replacing stereotypes. Today, we are seeing a shift toward digital printing techniques as well. Despite the rapid changes technology brings, I’m sure there are printing and photography connoisseurs out there who can appreciate our little collection of stereotypes. 

I think it’s only appropriate to end a letter about clichés with an actual cliché: “A picture is worth a thousand words.” Don’t you agree?


All the best,
Your friendly MLC archivist

Challenge Accepted (And Reported)!

Alex Brower

Reference Manager

 

Modern libraries are havens of intellectual freedom. They uphold the spirit of the first amendment by providing access to all sorts of information and allowing anyone to come in and learn. However, librarians can face pushback from members of their communities about some of the material in their collections. This pushback usually comes in the form of a challenge, where someone disagrees with the content or ideas of a piece of material and would like it to be removed from the shelf. These challenges happen every day, and I’m hoping to better understand challenges and censorship in Mississippi by growing the Mississippi Challenged Book Index.

Alex Brower and her MCBI poster at the
Mississippi Library Association's 2019 annual conference

What is the Mississippi Challenged Book Index? In short, it’s a way to learn about the challenges that Mississippi libraries receive about their materials. Librarians can anonymously report when someone makes a challenge in their library using our Google form. The form has basic questions about the type of material, the reason that it was challenged, and how the library responded. Don’t let the name fool you! We aren’t just looking for book challenges. We’ve received entries with all types of challenges, including a situation where a link to Planned Parenthood’s website on a teen resource list was challenged for containing information about sexuality. Any type of library material that can be challenged probably will be, and we want to hear about it!

It had never occurred to me that someone could keep track of challenged material before starting library school and learning about the ALA Office of Intellectual Freedom’s national database. When I started at MLC, I was thrilled to learn that they had something similar! I’m looking forward to working with ALA and submitting the data we gather for addition to the national database. I’m also planning on releasing a yearly report during Banned Books Week that details the previous year’s challenges here in Mississippi. We don’t release library names, but it’s still fascinating to see what material is challenged and why, and to see how libraries respond.

Recently, I was given the opportunity to present a poster about the MCBI at MLA, and it was such a great opportunity! I got to talk to a lot of people about the MCBI, and I was so proud to see an increase in participation. I’m hoping to keep raising awareness so that we get more and more participation and the index continues to grow. I’m excited to be able to do my part to gather information about challenges in Mississippi so that people can study it, and we can have a better understanding of censorship in our state.

Do Not Be Silent

“Do not be silent; there is no limit to the power that may be released through you.” 
-Howard Thurman, Deep is the Hunger

Mississippi librarians and library advocates at the Mississippi Capitol on Library Day at the Capitol, March 12, 2019

The sound of a multitude of voices is powerful and lends itself to change. During the 2019 legislative session, there have been dedicated library advocates at the Capitol each week, from librarians and Mississippi Library Association members, to library friends, trustees, and patrons. They've been sharing the powerful stories of how libraries change the lives of residents of their communities.

On Tuesday, March 12, advocacy efforts peaked with "Library Day at the Capitol", when the voices of over 200 library supporters were heard by Mississippi's lawmakers. The entire first floor of the historic building was filled with advocates who shared information about the value of Mississippi's public libraries.

Meredith Wickham, Director of the First Regional Library System, has created a helpful thank you letter that you can send your legislators. Feel free to copy and paste it into your own document or email and modify it to fit your particular needs before sending it on to your senators and congresspeople. Check the Mississippi Legislature's website for your senator addresses and representative addresses. Not sure who your legislators are? You can find them at Open States.

Go ahead and mark your calendars for next year's Library Day at the Capitol. We're scheduled for March 10, 2020, from 11 am-2 pm, and have reserved the same large area of the first floor of the Rotunda and hallways as this year.

Make your voice heard... Become an advocate... Do not be silent.

Outstanding Achievement Award for Vivian Sanderford

Congratulations to Vivian Sanderford, Senior Network Specialist and E-Rate Specialist here at MLC! Vivian was honored at last week's annual Mississippi Library Association Conference with an Outstanding Achievement Award for her years of service to Mississippi libraries. The nomination, quoted in part below, came from Jennifer Wann, Director of the Bolivar County Library System.

"The success of public libraries in the twenty-first century is directly dependent on our ability to connect users to the Internet and all of the myriad information resources and tools necessary for modern life. Yet, for many of our state’s small and rural communities providing high speed Internet access at the public library is not just difficult; it’s almost impossible. This perhaps sounds hyperbolic in the era of free Wi-Fi at every McDonald’s and seemingly universal smartphone ownership. Yet obstacles such as lack of funding, lack of technical expertise, and the Byzantine federal e-rate program inhibit public libraries’ abilities to provide adequate access to our patrons. Vivian has dedicated her career to helping public libraries overcome these obstacles"

Jennifer went on to praise Vivian's patience in assisting Mississippi's librarians and her tenacity, skill, and savvy in dealing with statewide network and vendor issues. She has saved Mississippi libraries hundreds of thousands of dollars with filtering and firewall protection and even more by assuring that annual e-rate applications are filed correctly and on time. Jennifer went on to say, "In 2015 (the last year that information is currently publicly available) 2,500,843 sessions were logged on public access computers in Mississippi’s public libraries. Every single one of those 2.5 million sessions was in some small way supported by the work that Vivian Sanderford performs in her role... at the Mississippi Library Commission."

Thank you, Jennifer Wann, for nominating Vivian Sanderford, and to the MLA Awards Committee for honoring her with this award. The biggest thanks, however, go to Vivian herself, for her many years of service to MLC and to Mississippi libraries. Congratulations!

Vivan Sandford of MLC pic.twitter.com/3okZwMNzAv

— MS Library Assoc (@MSLibraryAssoc) October 20, 2017

Library Love Letters

I really miss writing letters. When I was in my early teens, my mom would buy me beautiful boxed stationary kits with the melting wax and an initial stamp to seal the back. The paper always smelled so good coming out of the box and it was so much fun writing a letter to, say, my cousin about what I had been up to all summer.

As the years have passed, I don't write letters so much anymore. Recently we ran out of envelopes here at MLC, which is really an unusual thing. We never use many of them throughout the year... most of our contact is done by email and over the phone. Of course, it's that way for everyone these days. We are all so busy with such hectic lives, and with cell phone in hand we dash off a text to keep in touch in an instant.

I've had to sit down and actually write a few things down lately and I noticed a significant change in my handwriting. It's not as pretty and fluid as it used to be... a bit rusty you might say. My fingertips can move in a flash across a keyboard, but put a pen in my hand and I have to really think about it for a minute before putting that pen to paper.

With the upcoming legislative session, I want to encourage you to put your rusty writing skills to good use. The Mississippi Library Association is currently promoting Library Love Letters, a library advocacy program. Participating libraries can provide you with a postcard that can be sent to your lawmakers showing them that you support the library in your community. What has it meant to you and your family? Were you able to take a practice test, or land that better-paying job because of using their computers? Did your child attend an outstanding summer reading program?  Share your stories and experiences about your library. Just ask your librarian for a postcard to get started. If your local library isn't participating, it doesn't mean you can't join in. Contact mlcref@mlc.lib.ms.us and say you want to write your legislator about the importance of your library. They can provide you with your legislators' names and contact information.

Unless we all stand together in support of libraries and their value, state and local funding will continue to dwindle. Join me... write a letter. You can make a difference!

For more information about the Library Love Letters advocacy program, contact MLA's Advocacy Committee Chair, Jennifer Smith at jensmith@holmescc.edu.

Mississippi Library Association Conference 2016 Wrap-up

This year's Mississippi Library Association annual conference took place at the Vicksburg Convention Center from October 18-21. The theme was Mississippi Libraries: The Heart of Our Communities and many of the sessions focused on this important idea. Several MLC staff were fortunate enough to attend part or all of the conference. After some reflection, here are our thoughts.

"The panel on digital curation was AMAZING. It gave me so many ideas about how to further my work. On another note, I’ve always wanted to know about Big House Books, so the fact that they had a panel was A+. They gave me so much more information than I was expecting."

-Katie Gill, Library Development Director

 

"MLA is such a wonderful opportunity for library folks to gather to share thoughts, ideas and to network. Our advocacy session on Wednesday was so highly attended that it made us realize the importance of this topic during these challenging economic times. Also, to have a couple of our community partners, Big House Books and MS Museum of Art, participate this year made us recognize the benefit of connecting people to achieve greater results. It was a great week! Way to go MLA!"

-Susan Liles, PR Director

 

"I was very inspired by the bookmobile-on-a-shoestring budget session. Not only was the 'shoestring budget' concept impressive (they used, not the $100,000 bus for mobilization, but rather, a customized trailer pulled behind a truck at a fraction of the cost) but it was also wonderful to see how a relic from vanishing past, the beloved bookmobile, can be re-invented with popular technologies of today--automated online scheduling, a traveling computer lab complete with wireless connectivity, niche customization. The creativity and resourcefulness of the Philadelphia-Neshoba County Library shown in this project was delightful to learn about!"

-Lucinda Ogden, CE Coordinator

 

"My favorite part was passing out stickers to entice folks to a program Wednesday morning as I was strategically located right next to the coffee and doughnuts!"

-Mac Buntin, Senior Library Consultant

 

"There are always so many great sounding sessions at MLA and I never get to attend all the ones that I want. (There's just not enough time!) This year I really enjoyed Anna Brannin's session on collaboration between school and public libraries, Shelby Parsons's presentation on Big House Books, and Cal Shepard's session on libraries yesterday, now, and in the future. The best part though? Reconnecting face-to-face with all the librarians I only see through social media and reference questions the rest of the year."

-Elisabeth Scott, Reference Librarian/Social Media Coordinator

"One of the best things about attending the MLA Conference is meeting some of the librarians from around the state, and talking about the needs of their patrons. It is a great opportunity to advocate for some of our special programs and get to know some of the people who referred some of our patrons to the Talking Books Program. The presentations are always informative, and the exhibits are always interesting. There are always great speakers to keep us motivated, and lots of good fellowship."

-Margaret Smitherman, Readers Advisor

We can't wait to see everyone next year in Hattiesburg. Until then, happy reading!

Library Association Names Prominent Award Recipient



Kathy Buntin

The Mississippi Library Association (MLA) recently awarded the 2011 Peggy May Award to Kathy Buntin of the Mississippi Library Commission (MLC) at their annual conference held at the Marriott Hotel in downtown Jackson. The Peggy May Award, named for Peggy May, a true champion for libraries throughout this state, recognizes an individual who exemplifies outstanding achievement in library development and/or recruitment of personnel into the library field.


Dr. Melissa Wright, a former MLC co-worker, nominated Buntin. In her nomination, Wright wrote, “When I finished my MLIS (Master of Library and Information Science degree) and got my first job at the Mississippi Library Commission, I was well grounded in the basic library principles, but otherwise clueless! While my library science coursework gave me a good foundation, this year’s winner of the Peggy May Award made me a librarian. She took me under her wing and answered my questions, introduced me to people around the state, and helped me hone my library skills. Kathy embodies everything that a librarian should be: she is hard working, innovative, service-oriented, and is always willing to go the extra mile to help a librarian in need.”

Buntin received her master of library science degree from the University of Alabama, served as director of the Tallahatchie County Library for four and one-half (4½) years, and was hired by the Mississippi Library Commission as special projects officer in the Grants Services Department. She currently serves as Senior Library Consultant in the Development Services Division of MLC.

When asked what her thoughts were about the nomination, Buntin stated, “I am honored to be awarded the 2011 recipient of the Peggy May Award and thankful that my parents and friends were able to share the moment with me. Never have I envisioned myself nominated by a peer, former co-worker and friend for inclusion in this group of librarians whom I have admired as role models in the profession. It is humbling. Being a librarian is more than a job, it is my career and an integral part of how I see myself. It is hard to imagine receiving this award for doing something that I love. The support of family and friends has been crucial in my professional development and I hope that I am able to continue to serve the State of Mississippi and especially Mississippi librarians for years to come.”