MISSISSIPPI LIBRARY ASSOCIATION

News

  • Monday, December 14, 2015 1:14 PM | Anonymous

    Julia M. Rholes, Dean of Libraries at the University of Mississippi, is retiring at the end of December after twelve years of service to the University.  She can be credited with the creation of a Library Annex for the storage of archival materials and lesser used collections.  This helped free up space to transform the library to better meet the needs of the students and faculty.  She led several renovation projects, including the creation of several commons spaces, and a crowdfunding initiative that built StudioOne, a one stop video recording and editing studio. The addition of comfortable seating and a coffee shop created a welcoming environment for the students.  Rholes also oversaw the growth of critical research collections and the digitization of many archival and accountancy collections. Angela Barlow Brown, director of development for special projects at UM said “I love her passion for serving the students.  She wants only the best for them that she can provide as a dean and as a library team member.” The University of Mississippi is thankful for her dedication to the library and we wish her the best in retirement. 


  • Thursday, December 10, 2015 9:36 AM | Anonymous


    It is with great sadness that we inform you of the death of Mr. Billy Beal, who served on the MLA Executive Board in the position of ALA Councilor. 


    The Meridian Community College will hold a memorial service for Vice-President Billy Beal at 2:00 p.m. Thursday, December 10 in the McCain Theater. Mr. Beal's visitation will be at Berry & Gardner Funeral Home on Sunday evening December 13 from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. The funeral service will be held at 11:00 a.m. Monday morning, December 14 at Saint Joseph Catholic Church in Meridian.



  • Monday, November 23, 2015 8:55 AM | Anonymous
    On Thursday, October 29th, representatives from the MSU History Department and the MSU Libraries hosted a community forum on the history of Starkville’s civil rights movement at the Hilton Garden Inn of Starkville, MS.  The forum was a culmination of the work produced from the Starkville Civil Rightsproject, which began as a partnership in the summer of 2014. This event was funded by the Mississippi Humanities Council.


    The forum debuted a new digital history website (http://starkvillecivilrights.msstate.edu) on Starkville’s civil rights movement that includes a searchable collection of oral history interviews with local Starkville participants, archival documents from the Mississippi State University Libraries and other collections, and classroom resources developed with Mississippi teachers in mind.  Hillary Richardson, MSU Libraries Humanities Librarian, welcomed the audience and introduced and Dr. Stuart Rockoff of the Mississippi Humanities Council; Nickoal Eichmann, MSU Libraries History Librarian, gave a preview of the website and highlighted its unique features, and Dr. Judith Ridner, Associate Professor of History, presented on some of the themes from the oral histories themselves.  The forum also featured a panel of historians and project participants who discussed Starkville’s movement and its importance in Mississippi and the nation.  Panelists included Dr. Michael Vinson Williams, Dean of Social Sciences at Tougaloo College; Dr. Stephanie Rolph of Millsaps College; Dr.Shirley Hanshaw of Mississippi State University, who was interviewed for the project; Mr. Chris Taylor, President of the Oktibbeha County chapter of the NAACP, who was also interviewed for the project; and Mr. Nick Timmerman of Mississippi State University, project staff member and moderator of the panel.  


    Following the program, audience members had the chance to interact with the Starkville Civil Rights Website and to record their own brief memories of Starkville's civil rights movement for future inclusion in the site.  Recording equipment for the forum was purchased through an Institute of Museum and Library Services grant made available through the Mississippi Library Commission as apart of the Mississippi Library Leadership Institute. The forum was made possible by a grant from the Mississippi Humanities Council, through support from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities or the Mississippi Humanities Council.The representatives from the MSU History department and Libraries are still actively interviewing those who may remember or have participated in Civil Rights struggles in and around Starkville, MS. If you would like to be interviewed, or if you would like to refer someone else who might be interested in participating in an interview, please email starkvillecivilrights@lists.msstate.edu or call (662) 325-2838.



    photo by: Megan Bean, Mississippi State University 

  • Friday, November 20, 2015 5:58 PM | Anonymous


    Nan Crosby (pictured left) retired as the Branch Manager of the Ridgeland Public Library with the Madison County Library System in October 2015. She has worked with the library for 25 years and has enjoyed her time as the branch manager. She plans on still being an active patron and volunteer for libraries.


    Antoinette Giamalva is the new Branch Manager for the Ridgeland Public Library with the Madison County Library System. She received her MLIS from University of Southern Mississippi in 2013 and has worked previously for the Flowood Public Library as a Children’s Supervisor Assistant and Reference Librarian. She has also worked at the Delta State University Library as a Reference Librarian and an Access Services Librarian. She has presented at various conferences and has had various articles published. She is looking forward to this next stage in her life.


  • Friday, November 20, 2015 5:58 PM | Anonymous

    Greg Johnson, co-author of 100 Books Every Blues Fan Should Own (Rowman & Littlefield 2014), received the Award for Excellence in Historical Recorded Sound Research in the category of Best Historical Research in Blues, Gospel, Rhythm & Blues. 


  • Friday, November 20, 2015 5:56 PM | Anonymous

    Dr. Sheila Morgan, Instructional Technologist, joined the Millsaps College Library staff in October.  Sheila has a Ph. D. in instructional technology from the University of Alabama, and bachelor's and master's degrees from MSU.  She manages Course Connect (the Moodle-based LMS), supports faculty instructional technology needs, and provides reference and library instruction services.


  • Monday, October 26, 2015 8:55 AM | Tina Harry (Administrator)

    The Mississippi State University Libraries is sponsoring a screening of the new documentary “Bill Minor: Eyes on Mississippi,” which sheds light on the historic career of veteran journalist Bill Minor, on Tuesday, October 27 at 2 p.m. in the John Grisham Room in Mitchell Memorial Library.

     

    The one-hour film covers key moments in Civil Rights history from Minor’s first-hand perspective. Minor was the New Orleans Times-Picayune Mississippi correspondent throughout the Civil Rights era. He contributed frequently to The New York Times, Newsweek and other national outlets and covered controversial issues of racial inequality in an era when most Southern journalists would not touch them. Minor worked for the Times-Picayune from 1947 until 1976, when the newspaper closed its Mississippi office. He then purchased a weekly newspaper, The Capitol Reporter, where he continued investigative reporting that sometimes cost him advertising dollars and threatened his personal safety.

     

    Minor’s newspaper proved unprofitable, and he had to shut it down after six years. However, he continued writing his "Eyes On Mississippi" column. At 93, Minor still covers the state politics and other topics of interest, and his syndicated political column appears in a number of Mississippi newspapers.

    Appearing in the film are Justice Department attorney John Doar, New York Times civil rights journalist Claude Sitton, Myrlie Evers, Jackson physician Robert Smith, former Gov. William Winter, Times-Picayune editor Jim Amoss and Pulitzer Prize winner Hank Klibanoff. The film features photos and news footage from 15 U.S. Archives.

    Director and Producer Ellen Ann Fentress, with Lida Gibson as film editor and co-writer, finished “Eyes on Mississippi” after five years of production. Support for the production came from the Mississippi Humanities Council, the Community Foundation of Greater Jackson and private donors who admire Minor’s work.

     

    According to Fred Smith, MSU Libraries Rare Book Coordinator “Bill Minor has been covering Mississippi politics since the death of Theodore Bilbo. His coverage of politics and the Civil Rights era was often viewed as controversial, but it was always fair and accurate.  Bill Minor’s exceptional collection of papers and artifacts are an important part of the extensive and nationally significant journalism collection housed in Special Collections in Mitchell Memorial Library at Mississippi State University.”

     

    Bill Minor as well as director, producer Ellen Ann Fentress will attend the screening and be a part of the program.

     

    If you need additional information or require special assistance relating to a disability, please contact Lynda Graham at 662-325-6634 or lgraham@library.msstate.edu.

     

    About the MSU Libraries:

    Mississippi State University Libraries is a premier research library providing its communities of users an ongoing, creative, technologically advanced library program that provides new and emerging technologies; enhances and inspires teaching, research, and service of the highest caliber in an environment of free and open inquiry and with a commitment to excellence. For more information about MSU Libraries, please visit http://library.msstate.edu/.


    Submitted by

    Angela Patton

    Library Associate

    Mississippi State University Libraries

  • Tuesday, August 18, 2015 9:01 AM | Tina Harry (Administrator)

    Barbour


    On Monday, August 24, former Mississippi Governor and author Haley Barbour will be speaking and signing copies of his new book “America's Great Storm: Leading through Hurricane Katrina” at an event in the John Grisham Room of Mitchell Memorial Library from 2:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. This event is open to the public. Copies of the book will be available for purchase.


    When Hurricane Katrina hit Mississippi on August 29, 2005, it unleashed the costliest natural disaster in American history, and the third deadliest. Haley Barbour had been Mississippi's governor for only twenty months when he assumed responsibility for guiding his pummeled, stricken state's recovery and rebuilding efforts. “America's Great Storm” is not only a personal memoir of his role in that recovery, but also a sifting of the many lessons he learned about leadership in a time of massive crisis.


    For the book, the authors interviewed more than forty-five key people involved in helping Mississippi recover, including local, state, and federal officials as well as private citizens who played pivotal roles in the weeks and months following Katrina's landfall. In addition to covering in detail the days in September and October of 2005, chapters focus on the special legislative session that allowed casinos to build on shore; the role of the recovery commission chaired by Jim Barksdale; a behind-the-scenes description of working with Congress to pass an unprecedented, multi-billion-dollar emergency disaster assistance appropriation; and the enormous roles played by volunteers in rebuilding the entire housing, transportation, and education infrastructure of south Mississippi and the Gulf Coast. A final chapter analyzes the leadership skills and strategies Barbour employed on behalf of the people of his native state, observations that will be valuable to anyone tasked with managing in a crisis.


    If you need additional information or require special assistance relating to a disability, please contact Mandy Page at 662-325-0813 or mpage@library.msstate.edu. Find additional information online at http://library.msstate.edu/barbour.


    About the MSU Libraries:

    Mississippi State University Libraries is a premier research library providing its communities of users an ongoing, creative, technologically advanced library program that provides new and emerging technologies; enhances and inspires teaching, research, and service of the highest caliber in an environment of free and open inquiry and with a commitment to excellence. For more information about MSU Libraries, please visit http://library.msstate.edu/.


    Book Cover


    Submitted by
    Angela M. Patton
    Library Associate
    Mississippi State University Libraries

  • Tuesday, August 18, 2015 8:56 AM | Tina Harry (Administrator)

    In celebration of the 95th birthday of the late Congressman G. V. “Sonny” Montgomery, the Mississippi State University Libraries’ Congressional and Political Research Center announces the opening of the G. V. “Sonny” Montgomery Congressional Collection. Consisting of over 1,200 cubic feet of correspondence, memos, speeches, floor statements, photographs, and memorabilia, the Montgomery Collection covers the life of the Congressman from his time as at the McCallie School in Chattanooga, Tennessee, his leadership as a student athlete at Mississippi State University, his service in Europe in World War II (where he was awarded a Bronze Star with valor), his work in the Mississippi state legislature, and his thirty years in the United States Congress from 1967 to 1997.


    During a ceremony on August 5, 2015, university and library administrators, members of the G. V. “Sonny” Montgomery Foundation and Congressman Gregg Harper officially announced the opening of the Collection. Dr. Jerry Gilbert, Provost and Executive Vice President, spoke on behalf of the University recognizing and applauding Montgomery’s life-long service to the State of Mississippi and the nation. “From his years as a Mississippi State student throughout his lifetime, Sonny Montgomery was considered a leader who worked tirelessly on behalf of those he served”, said Gilbert. He added “Montgomery’s leadership and people skills served him well throughout his career. He was a devoted and loyal friend of Mississippi State’s and one who frequented the campus often throughout his life and whose legacy can been seen throughout the campus.”


    During his time in Congress, Montgomery worked on behalf of American military veterans, visiting Vietnam throughout the war, assisting in the return of POWs, and, most notably, on the extension of the G. I. Bill, which now bears his name as the “Montgomery G. I. Bill.” Also within the collection are materials highlighting the close friendship between Montgomery and former President George H. W. Bush. The two met on their first day in Congress in 1967 and remained friends for the remainder of the Congressman’s life. Congressman Montgomery passed away May 12, 2006.


    “Congressman Sonny Montgomery served the Third Congressional District of Mississippi and our country with integrity, compassion, and hard work in the U.S. House of Representatives. His efforts on behalf of our country’s veterans and the people of Mississippi are still realized today, and we are eternally grateful,” said Congressman Gregg Harper. He added “Sonny loved Mississippi State University and I know that he would be proud of the new G.V. "Sonny" Montgomery Collection. I hope that this collection will be a reminder of Sonny’s esteemed public service for generations to come.”


    The Montgomery collection is housed in the Congressional and Political Research Center at the Mississippi State University Libraries’ Mitchell Memorial Library. The CPRC is open Monday-Friday, 7:30am-5pm. For more information please visit the CPRC’s website at: http://library.msstate.edu/cprc/index.asp.


    About the MSU Libraries:

    Mississippi State University Libraries is a premier research library providing its communities of users an ongoing, creative, technologically advanced library program that provides new and emerging technologies; enhances and inspires teaching, research, and service of the highest caliber in an environment of free and open inquiry and with a commitment to excellence. For more information about MSU Libraries, please visit http://library.msstate.edu/.


    Speakers

    Photograph by Matt Motes


    Speakers honoring Montgomery during the August 5, 2015 ceremony include (from left) Robert J. “Bob Bailey, President Emeritus, G.V. “Sonny” Montgomery Foundation; Kyle Steward, MSU Executive Director of External Affairs; The Honorable Gregg Harper, United States Congressman, Mississippi Third District; Dr. Jerry Gilbert, Provost and Executive Vice President, Mississippi State University



    Submitted by
    Angela M. Patton
    Library Associate
    Mississippi State University Libraries

  • Tuesday, August 18, 2015 8:29 AM | Tina Harry (Administrator)

    This summer, First Regional Library held a contest to name the newest member of The Info Family, the Library's team of superheroes. The winner was 12 year old Princess Goodman of Tunica. She came up with the name "Mr. Readable" and described his powers as "flying around the world passing out books and repairing broken down libraries." For being selected as the winner, Princess received a basket of superhero themed prizes.


    Goodman

    Photo by: David Brown, First Regional Library



    Submitted by

    David Brown

    Public Relations Specialist

    First Regional Library

     

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