News

Carla Fulgham , Library Assistant at the Lafayette County & Oxford Public Library (a branch of First Regional Library), has been selected to present her paper  Hashtags and Instalove: A Webometric Analysis of Academic Special Collections on Instagram  at the international Qualitative and Quantitative Methods in Libraries (QQML) Conference this May in Chania, Crete.

Her research will use quantitative methods to analyze strategies for academic special collections on Instagram, including popular hashtags, and frequency and type of posts. Instagram's emphasis on visual content and its appeal to a young, diverse demographic make it an excellent platform for special collections to engage university students in rare books and other attractive collections. This research will contribute to best standards for academic special collections using, or interested in using, Instagram as a social media platform.

Carla will graduate this May from the University of Southern Mississippi with an MLIS and a certification in archives and special collections.

Elizabeth La Beaud started as the new Assistant Director for the Mississippi Digital Library (MDL) in January 2018. She is the Digital Lab Manager for the University of Southern Mississippi and holds a MLIS, certificate in Archives and Special Collections, the Digital Archives Specialist certificate from SAA, and is a Library of Congress trained Digital Preservation Topical Trainer. AS MDL’s Assistant Director, her duties will include helping to recruit new partner institutions, training institutions in digitization and related topics, and managing MDL’s technology stack.

Maryanne Anthony was presented with The University of Southern Mississippi (USM) University Libraries Staff Excellence Award in December 2017. Ms. Anthony has worked at Gunter Library (Gulf Coast Research Laboratory)  as Library Assistant since September 2013. She is currently enrolled at Southern Miss in the BLIS program. She serves as chair of the USM Staff Council Scholarship Committee.  Maryanne and her husband Tony own a small organic farm and raise alpacas in the Big Level community of Stone County. She teaches knitting at the Ocean Springs Municipal Library.

Alan Munshower joined the faculty of the University of Mississippi Libraries, as a Special Collections Librarian (Audio and Visual), in September 2017. Alan graduated from the University of Maryland in 2014, receiving his MLS with a specialization in Archives, Records and Information Management.  He also holds a BA in Music from Goucher College.  He has worked on projects at Maryland’s Performing Arts Special Collections, University of Baltimore’s film archive, Special Collections at the Loyola Notre Dame Library in Baltimore, and at the J.P. Webster Library in West Hartford, CT.  His research interests include American music, digital file distribution models, and copyright.  Alan's hobbies include playing music, hiking in the mountains, and growing his personal collection of over 2500 unpublished recordings.

Jenifer Ishee Hoffman joined Mississippi State University Library in August as an Assistant Professor/Coordinator of the Office of Thesis and Dissertation Format Review.  Ms. Hoffman is a native of Mobile, Alabama, and has worked for the past 20 years in public service as well as private law firms in Mobile, Hartford, and Washington, D.C.  Her extensive background formatting documents in the legal field led her to this position where she will be assisting graduate students in the formatting of their final papers.  Prior to joining MSU, Ms. Hoffman served as a supervisor in the Judicial Division of the Mobile County Probate Court, assisting the Judge of Probate with the deceased estates and involuntary commitment dockets.  Ms. Hoffman earned her B.S. in Paralegal Studies from the University of Southern Mississippi, an M.A. in History from the University of Nebraska, where she concentrated her studies on early American and British Reform periods, and an MLIS from Kent State University with a focus on Special Collections. 

Paul L. Weaver has joined the Mississippi State University Libraries as Assistant Professor / Continuing Resources Librarian. This position focuses on the management of the print serials collection. Paul previously served as Research Librarian at Bluffton University in Ohio, where his work included reference, government documents, serials and instruction. Paul received his MSLS in library science from the University of Kentucky and his undergraduate degree in Communication Arts from Malone College.

Howard Industries, Inc./Howard Technology Solutions donated 30 laptop computers, a printer, a cart, 2 tablets, and over 100 new books to West Jones Middle/High School.  The books are titles requested by students, and the tablets will be filled with ebooks and audio books.  The 30 laptops + printer+ cart will become a mobile lab for all West Jones teachers to utilize as needed.  The students and faculty are very thankful for the generosity of Howard Industries, Inc./Howard Technology Solutions.

Submitted by

Rhonda C. Perkins, NBCT

Media Center Specialist

West Jones High School

Mississippi Young Adult Author, Angie Thomas, visited the Madison Public Library for a signing of her debut novel, The Hate U Give. Prior to the signing, Angie Thomas spoke, to a packed room, about the art of writing and offered words of advice and encouragement to writers. Angie Thomas also shared stories from her personal life and how they shaped her as a writer and led her to write The Hate U Give. Patrons in attendance were able to ask questions about what it takes to be a writer as well as questions about her work, including her upcoming novel, On the Come Up. See what Angie Thomas had to say in this video about Madison County Library. https://www.facebook.com/MCLSlibraries/videos/2238180382864515/

Submitted by

Braley Reed

Assistant Systems Administrator

Madison County Library System

The Lafayette County & Oxford Public Library in Oxford, MS has partnered with Families First of North Mississippi to provide online job assistance including online applications, resumes, and setting up email addresses. We noticed that many of our patrons needed so much help with this and as a busy branch we did not feel we could always have enough time to help. Families First provides us with a volunteer once a week to do just that. The program began January 22nd and has been very successful so far. The word is out and patrons have begun to show up at the appointed time. This was much needed in our community and we are very excited to be able to offer this. 

Submitted by

Laura Beth Walker

Head Librarian

Lafayette County & Oxford Public Library

Richard Grant, author of Dispatches from Pluto, visited Brandon High School Comp students in January. Teachers Jessica Bartling, Lady Baker and Nicole Faulkner required research of social issues addressed in Grant’s book which is based in the Mississippi Delta area.

Submitted by

Susan Lott

Brandon High School