Come Work at the Library!

Have you ever dreamed of working at a library? This is your chance to work at the Mississippi Library Commission (MLC)!

Our mission is strengthening and enhancing libraries and library services for all Mississippians, through leadership, advocacy, and service. Our award-winning facility is located at the Research and Development Center in Jackson, just off Lakeland Drive and Ridgewood Road. We are home to the Mississippi Center for the Book, a Patent and Trademark Resource Center, and the Mississippi Talking Book Service for the Blind and Print Disabled. We also offer extensive reference and interlibrary loan services for Mississippians and library consulting services and network services for libraries and librarians across the state.

MLC is hiring a Grant Programs Coordinator to oversee the state and federal subgrants to library systems in the state. Duties include opening subgrants, receiving applications, awarding grants, reviewing requests for approval of reimbursements, communicating with directors, close out of awards and final reporting.
Preferred knowledge/experience in federal and state rules, fluent in Excel, attention to detail, good communication skills, and proactive work ethic needed to be successful. If interested, please email mslib@mlc.lib.ms.us. You can also apply directly with the State Personnel Board website here.

We can't wait to add you to our team. Email us today!

Mississippi Public Librarian Scholarship Program Grant Announced

Natalie Dunaway

Grant Programs Coordinator

The Mississippi Library Commission (MLC) is excited to announce that the Mississippi Public Librarian Scholarship Program Grant application window is OPEN! This scholarship is meant to empower Mississippi libraries and the librarians who work in them. These funds are provided through a Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) grant and administered by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) through MLC. Individuals requiring an alternative format of this LSTA program information may contact the Grant Programs division for assistance.

If you are looking to pursue a Master of Library and Information Science, the Scholarship Program Grant will pay program tuition and mandatory course fees during your schooling. This is a competitive grant, and up to five applicants will be awarded. If you are interested, or know someone who might be interested, please see the information below. Applications will close at midnight, Thursday, June 30th, 2022.

Applicants must meet all three requirements below:

• Those employed in a Mississippi public library for at least eighteen (18) hours per week
• Those employed in a Mississippi public library for at least one continuous year
• A resident of Mississippi for at least one continuous year

For more information, please see the Scholarship Manual here, and the Scholarship Application here.

If you have any questions, please contact our Grant Programs Coordinator Natalie Dunaway at ndunaway(at)mlc.lib.ms.us or call at 601-432-4054.

Congratulations, Friends!

Lacy Ellinwood

Lead Library Consultant

The Friends of Mississippi Libraries Inc. is pleased to announce the 2022 Margaret Murray Grant recipients. There were 12 applications this year and very competitive for the reviewers. The Friends of Mississippi Libraries, Inc. would like to thank everyone that applied. The next Margaret Murray grant cycle will open in October 2022. Please join us in congratulating these local Friends groups. 

 

Friends of the Greenwood-Leflore Public Library System:

The funds acquired through the Margaret Murray Grant will be used in the library’s efforts to create and maintain a collection and programming for the Spanish-speaking community of Greenwood, Mississippi. The bulk of the money will go towards buying bilingual and Spanish-language materials with the remainder used to acquire necessary materials for programs specific to the Spanish-language community, such as a Bilingual Storytime. The library noted an increase in Spanish-speaking patrons at the library, highlighting the lack of resources for non-English speakers, and amplified the importance of providing services for them through the library. 

 

Friends of the Lexington Public Library, Mid-Mississippi Regional Library System:

Funds will be used to purchase a combination of 1st grade reading level books and Wonderbooks. Wonderbooks are printed books with a ready-to-play audiobook inside and include a Learning Mode to keep talking about the book children just read. Wonderbooks give children an edge with vocabulary development, phonics, and comprehension, and encourage deeper engagement with every book. Holmes County children age birth to 5 are at a poverty rate of 61.3% and are considered "high risk" in their Kindergarten Assessment scores. 

 

Friends of the Columbus-Lowndes Public Library System: 

The funds will be used to bolster inclusive offerings of graphic novels and manga to library patrons. This includes manga and graphic novels by and about BIPOC individuals and those with disabilities. By diversifying the collection, it will appeal to a broader audience and benefit current program offerings to promote cultural competency development, including manga drawing practice, sampling food from various cultures represented in the collection during the Anime and Manga club, and more. The Anime and Manga Club contributed to circulation in this collection with statistics showing a 100% increase from 2020 to 2021. Graphic novels and manga have increased in popularity for their benefits to neurodivergent readers and individuals who value visuals with texts. 

Congratulations to these friends groups on the great work they're doing in Mississippi libraries. It's always a good time to join your local library friends organization, so give your library a call today and ask how to participate!

Building Readers at Emily J. Pointer Library

Margaret Murray served the Mississippi Library Commission (MLC) and libraries in Mississippi for twenty years before retiring in 2014. At the annual Mississippi Library Association conference in 2015, the Friends of Mississippi Libraries announced a grant honoring her work in the library community. The competitive grant advances library programming and literacy for Mississippi public libraries through activities sponsored by the local Friends of Mississippi Libraries chapters. Three $1,000 grant recipients are named each year.

Como Branch Manager Amy Henderson receives the grant check
from Del Ann Billingsly, Treasurer of the Como Library Friends.

The Friends group of the Emily J. Pointer Library, a branch of the First Regional Library System, is one of this year's recipients. This library, located in Como, Mississippi, wanted to advance early literacy through collection development. Nearly 50% of children in this area perform below passing levels in language arts. Their goals were to attract and expose preschool age children to the alphabet and numbers in a fun way while keeping with current trends of collection development, especially with the inclusion of books featuring diverse characters. In their grant application, the group said, "By offering an appealing, up-dated collection of books to our young patrons, we hope to aid in the improvement of literacy levels in school age children."

Como Library Youth Specialist Veneda Ruby and Pat Hendren
show off some of the books ordered with grant funds.

Many congratulations to Emily J. Pointer Library and the children of Como, who will benefit from this grant for many years to come. Check back with us soon for more posts featuring this year's Margaret Murray Grant recipients!