LEGO Club Brings Families Together

For the past two years, one Saturday each month is dedicated to families at the McComb Public Library, a branch of the Pike-Amite-Walthall Library System! McComb Director Darlene Morgan learned about this fun activity at a conference she attended, applied for a LSTA grant through MLC, and she was off and running to create a LEGO Club.

Not only do the kids love this day each month, but so do the adults who bring them. This is a great time to connect with each other and do something fun. No electronics or other distractions... just each other and lots of fun.

MLC is putting together a short film to showcase this great activity for families, so be on the lookout for it in our "Mississippi Library Stories" series. In the meantime, get some LEGOs and start building memories with your family! (Don't forget: MLC has a special collection of LEGO and DUPLO blocks available for public libraries to check out.)

Library Stories: Mississippi's Congressional District 4

The fourth Congressional District in Mississippi reaches across the southern region of the state and includes all of the Gulf Coast, stretching 90 miles between the Alabama border and the Louisiana border. It also extends north into the Pine Belt, and includes three of Mississippi's four most heavily populated cities: Biloxi, Gulfport, and Hattiesburg.

The residents of this large area are represented by Representative Steven Palazzo of Gulfport. Did you know that Senator Thad Cochran represented the area from January 3, 1973 to December 26, 1978? He resigned to take his seat on the United States Senate and continues to serve in that capacity today. His fellow senator is Senator Roger Wicker.

As we visit this district, the last in our series, I am reminded of what a beautiful and diverse area of the state it covers. From the Piney Woods to the Gulf Coast, it is one of the most visited areas in our state. Many outstanding libraries with a vast list of services cater to the needs of the citizens of this area.

Two of the projects from libraries included in the brochure I put together for our Washington "Library Advocacy Day" travelers were from this district. The Library of Hattiesburg, Petal, and Forrest County is one of the most beautiful libraries in the area. With its expansive space and beautiful artwork, it is a testament to the dedication of this community to providing outstanding library services. One of the projects they completed with LSTA funding was something that is crucial to the success of our children: providing ample computers so that they may conduct research, complete homework projects and reports, and improve their digital skills.

The Jackson-George Regional Library System also used their LSTA funding to impact the lives of children in their area. The Vancleave Public Library is now equipped with an Early Literacy Station to help children ages eight and under learn about digital literacy through a variety of interactive and entertaining programs. The station is also used by a group of older special-needs students from Vancleave High School.

Now that you've seen the great benefits of LSTA funding in this series of stories, you hopefully have a better understanding of the importance of federal dollars for our state's libraries. Please take a moment to email, call, or write your United States Representative, as well as Senators Cochran and Wicker, to let them know that these funds are being put to good use in communities across Mississippi. Stay tuned for more important Mississippi library advocacy tips, news, and stories!

Library Stories: Mississippi's Congressional District 3

The third congressional district of Mississippi covers a large area of central Mississippi and meanders from the Louisiana border on the west to the Alabama border on the east. The capital city of Jackson is a part of this district, along with the towns of Meridian, Starkville, and Natchez. This area is represented in Washington by Congressman Gregg Harper, a resident of Brandon, along with Senator Thad Cochran and Senator Roger Wicker.

Mississippi's 3rd Congressional District (in beige)

Over the last couple of months, I have shared some information about Districts 1 and 2; now you'll learn about the great LSTA projects going on in Congressional District 3! This group had one of my favorite projects, the LEGO Club at the Pike-Amite-Walthall Library System. This is a fantastic way for children to practice fine motor skills, to learn how to share, and to spend some time simply having fun. Just look at those faces!

In Lincoln-Lawrence-Franklin Regional Library branches, staff were able to install AWE Early Literacy Stations. These are very popular among young patrons and even many older children. The workstations contain literacy games, puzzles, and stories presented in a colorful, child-friendly format. These stations provide pleasurable and fun learning experiences for children and help them become life-long learners.

The funds distributed to libraries through LSTA grants are vital to successful programing in the communities across our state. Be sure to write your congressmen and senators to tell them how much you appreciate their support of federal funding for libraries. It really does make a difference! Soon we will travel to Congressional District 4 and learn about our final group of projects. Stay tuned!

Library Stories: Mississippi's Congressional District 2

Congressional District 2
Jackson area highlighted

Covering much of western Mississippi, Congressional District 2 is over 275 miles long and 180 miles wide with the Mississippi River as its border. It encompasses Jackson and much of the Delta region of the state, and is home to four public colleges and universities. Representative Bennie Thompson serves the interests of this region in Washington, D.C., along with Senator Thad Cochran and Senator Roger Wicker, who represent the entire state.

A few weeks ago, I talked about the fantastic work being done with LSTA grant funds in libraries in Congressional District 1. These folks are doing great work and I continue to be amazed at what they accomplish for their patrons. This week I'd like to highlight some of the terrific projects in Congressional District 2 that are funded by the Grants to States program. Grants to States projects support the purposes and priorities outlined in the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA).

The terrific projects in this district have made a huge impact on their communities. Copiah-Jefferson Regional Library System wanted to expand their services and introduce Urban Fiction and African-American subject matter in sufficient quantities to meet the demands of their library community. They were able to purchase over 300 books on these subjects and have seen a 53% circulation rate of the new materials.

A patron enjoying one of the new books.

The Sunflower County Library System focused on the needs of their senior adult patrons by offering a basic computer training class to help these members of their library family acquire skills in word processing, basic internet searches, and keyboarding. One of their classes decided to put together a group of recipes and shared them with each other as their final class project!

Senior adult computer class graduates in Drew, Mississippi

These important projects are just part of what makes Mississippi's libraries vital to communities across the state. Our libraries are changing lives. Next time, learn about what great projects are happening in Congressional District 3!

Library Stories: Mississippi's Congressional District 1

Recently, we posted a story about representatives from Mississippi attending the National Library Legislative Day in Washington, D.C. to advocate for libraries on a federal level. For those of you who are not familiar with this, the agency's funding comes not only from the Mississippi Legislature, but also receives support from the federal government. Each year, over 2,500 Grants to States projects support the purposes and priorities outlined in the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA). Grants to States funds have been used to meet the needs of children, teenagers, adult learners, senior citizens, and others across America.

When she began planning her trip to Washington with members of MLC's Board of Commissioners, Susan C.asked me to put together a brochure for the group to take with them to share with Mississippi's members of Congress. I couldn't wait to get started! She chose a few of the projects funded by LSTA grants from each of the four Congressional Districts and my work began. Showing our members of Congress what these funds mean to their communities here in Mississippi made the task even more exciting. As I began to contact the libraries of the selected projects, I was incredibly moved by the stories I was told about what these funds are able to help libraries achieve. Once our officials have a chance to review the projects, we hope they will push for greater funding for us on a federal level.

Mississippi Congressional District 1

I've always found the workings of our government on a state and national level to be a bit daunting and hard to understand. Once I began my public service career over 10 years ago, it all started to make more sense. On a national level, Mississippi has two senators: The Honorable Thad Cochran and The Honorable Roger Wicker represent the entire state. On the House of Representatives side, the state is broken down into four districts, with one representative from each district.

Congressional District 1 is in the northeast corner of Mississippi and includes the communities of Columbus, Oxford, Southaven, and Tupelo. The Honorable Trent Kelly of Saltillo represents this district in the House of Representatives. Libraries in Congressional District 1 have accomplished a great deal with their LSTA grant funds.

The Benton County Library System used their 2015 LSTA grant funds to purchase new books for their young adult collection. This group of preteens and teens is a vital part of their library family. The young readers were excited to have the expanded, updated collection and were thrilled with the new selection of choices. They began to visit the library more often and the library realized an eight percent increase in visits from this group. Shannon L., age 14, read approximately 45 of the new books over the summer.

The LSTA grant allowed the Yalobusha County Public Library System to address specific development gaps in their collection. Materials for children and large print books for adults were their focus and they were able to acquire 37 large print titles and 60 children's titles. The new books in their collection were a very welcome addition. Library system director Patty Bailey stated, "Our library system is small and underfunded. Without LSTA grant funds, we could not keep up with the local need for books and materials. The funds give us a much-needed boost so we can provide better materials for our patrons."

Stay tuned for more great LSTA grant projects happening in Mississippi libraries!