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.

Meet MLC Monday: Lucinda Ogden

Meet Lucinda Ogden, CE Coordinator at the Mississippi Library Commission! She arranges all MLC-hosted CE and non-CE training, both on and off site, and is point man during such events. Lucinda is also the coordinator for MLC's meeting rooms. She is available to answer questions about CEs and other MLC training and handles all the recordkeeping for these. In addition, she coordinates and facilitates webinars for the agency. She began at MLC back in February of this year, leaving a job at UMMC's Ryan White Program.

Ogden holds a Bachelor of Arts in Humanities from the University of Chicago with a focus on history, philosophy, and literature. She's worked in technical processing and acquisitions for libraries all over, including Cook Library at the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, the Center for Research Library at The University of Chicago in Illinois, the Jackson/Hinds Library System in Mississippi, and the Government Documents Repository at the University of Georgia Libraries in Athens, Georgia. "I love being around librarians, books, and bibliophiles. I feel at home around them. These are my kind of people." About MLC itself, Ogden said, "MLC is such a wonderful library. It's a library devoted to libraries. Not only that, the building itself is beautiful. What more could you ask for?"

When asked why she thinks libraries are important, Lucinda replied, "You can self-educate at the library, any library. You can follow your own impulses to knowledge and go wherever it is that leads you. You can browse and make discoveries on your own. There's no set curriculum or testing or anything like that. It's pure information revelation."

As you might think, Lucinda is passionate about reading. She describes her tastes as ever evolving. Recently she was entranced by the latest discoveries in genetic archaeology, which led to an interest in paleolithic Europe. Even she doesn't know what she'll read next! She cites Doris Lessing, Morgan Llywelyn, and Thomas Hardy as a few of her favorite authors. Lucinda stays busy when she's not at the library. She likes to sew and makes Barbie and American Girl clothes for her nieces' dolls. Every year she keeps a garden; mustard greens, lettuce, and ginger are growing in hers right now. If she sees a need for something, she'll create it. Recently she decided an empty spot in her home was lacking a table. Instead of buying one, she built one herself. Ogden lives in Jackson with her husband.

Reading Widely: Memoirs

As the holiday season approaches, many people like to dig into a good solid work of nonfiction. Here are some excellent memoirs from a wide variety of authors for your holiday reading pleasure!

Men We Reaped by Mississippi Native Jesmyn Ward is a reflection on how, in five years, she lost five black men in her life to death. This is her exploration of why this happened. A reflection on community, race, and economic struggle, Men We Reaped was nominated for multiple awards for nonfiction writing. Anyone that's already a fan of Ward's fiction will like this one.

Michaela DePrince was born in war-torn West Africa, and is now one of ballet's rising stars. A memoir written with a young adult audience in mind, this story tells the story of her journey from war orphan to star of the ballet world. This one, though aimed at young adults, will be enjoyed by anyone that's a fan of DePrince herself or ballet in general.

Originally published in French, Abirached's memoir is a work of graphic nonfiction recounting her time as a child during the Lebanese Civil War. She recalls ordinary events and regular days living in a war zone. The stark colors and lines of the comic underscore the serious subject matter but also insert a little levity. Comic fans will like this one, and so will people interested in the Middle East or war stories.

Azadeh Moaveni had always felt a pull between her two cultures--daughter of Iranian exiles and typical California girl. Her two cultures had always clashed, and after college, she moved to Iran as a journalist. Her exploration of the two sides of herself also coincides with the reformist movement in Iran, and she also takes the reader into modern underground Tehran, in a time desperate for change. Anyone interested in the Middle East or identity narratives will enjoy this one.

Gus Lee's first work of nonfiction takes the reader through his family history in China, taking the reader through four generations, through family affairs and major historical events. It's  a story of a unification of two Chinese families, of a Chinese family coming to America, and also of the journey to America itself. If you have any interest in Asian history, this family history will absolutely fascinate you.

Written by multiple award winning author Walter Dean Myers, this memoir (aimed at younger audiences) tells the story of his coming of age in 1940s and 1950s Harlem, New York. Myers was hugely prolific in his career and kids and adults alike that enjoyed his work will enjoy the story of his early years.

Meet MLC Monday: Charles Murray

Meet Charles Murray, Circulation Services Librarian for Talking Book Services at the Mississippi Library Commission. Charles, who passed his 17th year working for MLC last September, fills a number of vital roles for the agency. Murray is primarily charged with sending library materials to visually and physically impaired patrons across the state. This includes everything from digital books and magazines to DVDs with descriptive audio tracks to braille books and magazines. He is quick to point out that if we don't have a title that a patron wants, we can get it through interlibrary loan. Charles also shelves and processes returning material and mail.

When asked why he's dedicated so many years to MLC, Murray says, "I love helping people. The services we provide brighten our patrons' days and that makes me feel good." He's also become a big library advocate, pointing out all the great things libraries offer their communities. "Computer access, searching for and applying for jobs, a nice place to study, and all the books you could ever read--these are only a few of the advantages your local library offers."

Charles likes to read and says he likes his books like he likes his movies: drama and action packed. He also enjoys musicals like The Blues Brothers and Sister Act II. In his free time, Charles likes basketball, bowling, and traveling. A huge LA Lakers fan, he recently took a road trip to Los Angeles and got to tour the Staples Center and Universal Studios. "If it weren't so far, I'd be back in a minute!"

Meet MLC Monday: Mary Rodgers Beal

Meet Mary Rodgers Beal, Readers Advisor for Talking Book Services at the Mississippi Library Commission! Beal, who began at MLC in August of this year, already fills a number of important roles. She spends the majority of her time on the phone: she assists patrons with choosing books, accepts new BARD (Braille and Audio Reading Download) patrons and sets them up in the system, and explains how to use TBS's various services. She says that this makes it a perfect job for her because she gets to interact with a lot of different people from across the state, but all from the quiet of her office here in Jackson. "I like how much of an impact I make doing this job. So many of my patrons tell me that our service is their primary source of entertainment. They're extremely grateful." Beal also helps in various other capacities here at MLC, including filling in as back up Circulation Librarian and Front Desk Receptionist.

Mary Rodgers holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Mississippi and a Masters of Library and Information Science from the University of Southern Mississippi. She also has an Archives and Special Collections graduate certificate.She also attended MLC's last session of Librarianship 101 this fall.

Although this position at MLC is her first "official" library job, Beal has worked in and volunteered at libraries since she was a little girl. "I love libraries because they are always there, and yet they are always changing. I love how they adapt themselves to fit the demographics of the various communities they serve to best meet their needs," said Mary Rodgers. She also remarked on how you can see this change in terms of technological advances as well. "For example, in the last several years, TBS has moved from the old cassettes that they used to send out to digital cartridges, audio downloads, and mobile apps, like BARD. Libraries change and adapt to fit to the times."

Beal loves to read a variety of books, including mysteries, romance, and historical fiction. Her favorite author, though, is Jane Austen. The last book she read was Where'd You Go, Bernadette? When she's not reading, she likes to hang out with her dogs Lola and Pickles. She also loves to travel. Her favorite trip was a visit to London and Scotland when she participated in Dr. Welsh's British Studies program at USM.

Big House Books: Protecting the Right to Read in Mississippi

The right to read seems like something that should be available to every American citizen. Sadly, that is not the case for those incarcerated in our prison system. Here in Mississippi there has been a drastic increase in the prison population from 1983 to 2012, a 300% increase to be exact. At the time the Pew charitable trust compiled their data in 2013, there were around 22,400 inmates in the Mississippi prison complex.[1] The mission of the Mississippi Library Commission is to strengthen and enhance libraries and library services for all Mississippians through leadership, advocacy, and service. Should this not extend to our incarcerated Mississippians as well? Well, the Commission has recently partnered with Big House Books to develop a short film to bring awareness to the mission of Big House Books and to the plight of those Mississippians who have lost their right to read.

Big House Books is a non-profit, volunteer organization that sends free books by request to prisoners in Mississippi correctional facilities in order to promote literacy and be a vehicle of change for prison reform. They believe in literacy for all – even for those in our correctional facilities. That’s why Big House Books has set out to provide books to Mississippians in prisons and juvenile detention centers.

Our Public Relations Director Susan Liles, and Senior Library Consultant Lacy Ellinwood have been working with board members from Big House Books on a short film grant called The Magnifying Glass which is provided by Artless Media. The Magnifying Glass works to pair individuals committed to making crucially important progressive short documentaries with humble financial support.[2] The program supports the lenses of those who know injustice firsthand and are able to quickly bring awareness to specific injustices within their communities. In addition to financial support, this grant allows for the short film to be shown at a local film festival. In our state that festival is the Oxford Film Festival. I am happy to report that our short film submission titled “Big House Books: Protecting the Right to Read” was awarded $800 by Artless Media and will be shown at the Oxford Film Festival in February 2017. These funds will be provided to Big House Books for costs associated with making and promoting the film. Social media will play a major role in the outreach plan for this project. The Commission will be calling on its other partner organizations to spread the word regarding prison literacy and protecting the right to read by sharing the film.

It is our hope that Big House Books will be able to use this film to build awareness for their important work and to show that everyone has the right to read, to be literate, to be empowered, and to educate themselves. Be sure to follow the Mississippi Library Commission and Big House Books on all their social media platforms for updates on the film and ways to get involved with Big House Books.

[1] @pewtrusts. "Mississippi's 2014 Corrections and Criminal Justice Reform." Mississippi's 2014 Corrections and Criminal Justice Reform. N.p., May 2014. Web. 08 Nov. 2016. [2] "The Magnifying Glass - Artless Media." Artless Media. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Nov. 2016.

Pie? Or Cake? (Or Pie?) (Or Cake?)

Halloween, with its oodles and oodles of chocolate and other tasty candy, has passed. The holiday season, with its burgeoning tables of turkey and sides, is nearly upon us. Thanksgiving is merely two weeks away, on the 24th of November. Advent, the quiet season before Christmas, begins November 27 and always seems to be filled with endless parties with food and more food. Hanukkah begins December 24 and Christmas itself starts the day after that. It's nearly impossible to make it through the holidays without gaining a pound or two, but we've found that with a little pacing and self-denial, you can make it to the other side of the food tunnel. The important question you must ask yourself is: pie or cake?

We've found that many of the staff here at the Mississippi Library Commission are superfans of their favorite dessert. They espouse the wonderment of pie (or cake) with great passion and well-thought out arguments. To help settle the issue, we even created a book display so that people could enjoy their sweet treats without any of the guilt. It seems, though, that this can't be truly settled without a vote. In the spirit of American democracy, and with the grave importance given to our question, please participate in our very brief survey. Which is better: pie or cake?
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