Mid-MS Regional Libraries receives Anti-Racism Reading Shelf grant
The Mid-Mississippi Regional Library System was recently awarded a grant through the Mississippi Humanities Council in the amount of $1,500 for the creation of an Anti-Racism Reading Shelf. Grant funds were used to acquire 18 titles that include books for children, young adults, and adults. This selection of materials will be available at the Attala County Library, Carthage-Leake County Library, Durant Public Library, Lexington Public Library, Winona-Montgomery County Library, and Winston County Library locations.
The following titles will be on display at the above locations in connection with the grant for a four-week period, and are available for immediate checkout: “Biased: Uncovering the Hidden Prejudice That Shapes What We See, Think and Do” by Jennifer L. Eberhardt; “Caste: The Origins of our Discontents” by Isabel Wilkerson; “Don’t Ask Me Where I’m From” by Jennifer De Leon; “Hair Love” by Matthew A. Cherry; “How to be an Antiracist” by Ibram X. Kendi; “I’m Not Dying With You Tonight” by Kimberly Jones and Gilly Segal; “Ready to Fly: How Sylvia Townsend Became the Bookmobile Ballerina” by Lea Lyon & Alexandria LaFaye; “New Kid” by Jerry Craft; “Me and White Supremacy: Combat Racism, Change the World, and Become a Good Ancestor” by Layla F. Saad; “This Book is Anti-Racist: 20 Lessons on How to Wake Up, Take Action, and Do the Work” by Tiffany Jewell; “Men We Reaped: A Memoir” by Jesmyn Ward; “Memorial Drive: A Daughter’s Memoir” by Natasha Trethewey; “American Like Me: Reflections on Life Between Cultures” by America Ferrera; “Counting on Katherine: How Katherine Johnson Saved Apollo 13” by Helaine Becker; “Breathe: A Letter To My Sons” by Imani Perry; “Good Kind of Trouble” by Lisa Moore Ramee; “Heavy: An American Memoir” by Kiese Laymon; and “Blind Spot: Hidden Biases of Good People” by Anthony G. Greenwald and Mahzarin R. Banaji.
This program is financially assisted by the Thomas M. Blake Charitable Fund #2 of the Community Foundation for Mississippi and the Mississippi Humanities Council. As part of the Anti-Racism Reading Shelf Grant, MMRLS will also be hosting a virtual program presented through the Mississippi Humanities Council. Be sure to follow the library’s social media platforms @midmisslib for updates. For more information, call or visit your local MMRLS branch library or the library’s website midmisslib.com.
Attala County Library reopens stacks after flooding
Late last week the Attala County Library was able to reopen all the stacks for browsing except one small area in the children’s area due to the leaking roof.
Masks are still required to enter the library. Health Guard hand sanitizing stations have been installed throughout the library for patron’s convenience.
The library now has limited adult and children’s seating areas. The children’s area has been moved to the front of the library where the Teen Bookworm District was previously located.
The majority of the book collections are now available for check-out, except Science Fiction, Paperback Westerns, and Biographies.
The meeting room is currently unavailable, and the library is in the process of converting the old children’s area into a computer lab.
Plans are to continue with curbside delivery service, at least throughout the COVID pandemic, so the handicapped entrance will continue to be the main entrance until the new computer lab is complete.
The library also has both state and federal tax forms available.
Contact the Attala County Library at 289-5141.
MMRLS awarded Star Library status
The Mississippi Library Commission (MLC) recently named 12 public library systems as Star Libraries based on their statistics for fiscal year 2019. The library systems are separated into four categories by expenditures. MLC then compares libraries’ per capita rates in these four areas:
• Mississippi Measures – this is a combination of interlibrary loan use, statewide database use, number of registered users, and items withdrawn.
• Circulation per capita
• Total program attendance per capita
• Public Internet terminal uses per capita
Star Library status is decided by recognizing the three highest scoring libraries in each of the four expenditure categories. Star Library status is awarded to the following libraries for their FY19 statistics:
The winning libraries received a certificate and a digital Star Library badge to feature on their website.
