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!

Mississippi Museum Musts

It's International Museum Day! This day celebrates the fact that "museums are an important means of cultural exchange, enrichment of cultures and development of mutual understanding, cooperation and peace among peoples." What better day to mark off the Visit a Museum square on your Bicentennial Bingo card?

With its unique melting pot of peoples, cultures, and heritage, Mississippi has a number of fascinating and fun museum experiences to offer. Here are just a few tantalizing museum visits waiting for you:

• Winterville Mounds is a prehistoric ceremonial center of over twenty mounds located near Greenville. This site and museum is a must-see for those interested in the indigenous peoples of Mississippi.
• The Eudora Welty House in Jackson is where the famed author lived the majority of her life. The garden, created by Welty's mother Chestina and tended to by both women, is also available for viewing.
• The Walter Anderson Museum in Ocean Springs holds not only Walter Inglis Anderson's art, but also work by his two brothers Peter Anderson and James McConnell Anderson. There's even a portion of Anderson's cottage on the Mississippi coast, where he went to get away when he couldn't make the trip to Horn Island.
• The Smith Robertson Museum and Cultural Center is located in Jackson's first school for African American children. Renowned author Richard Wright's first short story was published while he was a student here in the 1920s. Visit the museum for exhibits on the African American experience, especially as relates to Mississippi.
• The African American Military History Museum in Hattiesburg is housed in the only remaining USO building built for African American soldiers. African Americans have fought in every war since our country's beginning and the AAMHM honors them all.
• The Mississippi Museum of Art in Jackson is Mississippi's largest museum. In 2010, it received the IMLS National Medal for Museum and Library Services, the nation’s highest honor for museum and library service to the community. Housing pieces from a multitude of artists, the museum also hosts traveling exhibits across Mississippi for the benefit of those who cannot travel to Jackson. An Art Across Mississippi exhibit is currently showing at the McComb Public Library.
• The Delta Blues Museum in Clarksdale is Mississippi's oldest music museum and a 2013 recipient of the IMLS National Medal for Museum and Library Services. On your visit, check out items like Muddy Waters and John Lee Hooker's guitars, among many, many more blues memorabilia items.
• The Mississippi Children's Museum in Jackson is an innovative discovery and exploration museum for kids. Exhibits focus on literacy, health and nutrition, culture and history, and STEM topics. It is a finalist for 2017's IMLS National Medal for Museum and Library Services.
• The Lynn Meadows Discovery Center in Gulfport received the IMLS National Medal for Museum and Library Services in 2016. Visit the center for interactive, hands-on fun with your children.
• In December, the Museum of Mississippi History and the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum will open to the public in Jackson. We can't wait to see all the fine artifacts, memorabilia, and exhibits these museums will offer.

There are many, many more museums located across our beautiful state. Visit one today for an life-changing experience and don't forget to check off your Bicentennial Bingo card. Until next time, happy reading!