The Jackson-George Regional Library System has several new hires. Lauria Barton has been appointed as manager of the Vancleave Public Library, located at 12604 Highway 57. Lauria Barton takes the position after having served as Youth Services Assistant which she began in 2020. She earned her bachelor’s degree from William Carey University in 1990 and is currently working on her Master’s in Library Science from the University of Southern Mississippi. Lauria has seven years teaching experience, including lead teacher at Grace Christian School in Pascagoula.

Lynn Rainey has been selected to serve as branch manager of the Ina Thompson Moss Point Library, located at 4119 Bellview Street. Ms. Rainey, a Tuscaloosa, Alabama native, attended the University of Alabama for both her bachelor’s degree and her MLIS. She has worked in a number of very different libraries from the medical library at UA to cataloging at the Jefferson County Library Cooperative. Her was previously at Mobile Public Library, where she served as Teen Services, Programing, and Collection Librarian for the past five years. “I am very passionate about library services and being involved in the community both in the library and other community spaces. I look forward to what I can bring to the Ida Thompson Moss Point Branch patrons and how to elevate both the library and the community we serve,” said Lynn.

George Broadus has been appointed as the the new branch manager of the East Central Public Library. The rural branch is located in the community of Hurley, about 25 miles north of Pascagoula, MS. Mr. Broadus took over the management duties of the East Central Public Library left vacant by a promotion given to former manager Ann Smith Rushing. Mr. Broadus started working for the Jackson-George Regional Library system in 2019, as a library page and was soon promoted to clerk. In 2020, he was promoted to First Assistant. He attended MS Gulf Coast Community College and later received a bachelor’s degree from The University of Southern Mississippi in 2015. Currently, George is a graduate student in the School of Library and Information Science at Southern Miss.

Laura Thompson has been selected to serve as the manager of the Singing River Genealogy and Local History Library in Pascagoula. As manager, Laura will guide the library into the modern era of digitization and organization in an effort to offer increased access to all resources pertaining to the history of the community and service area. Laura earned her bachelor’s degree in English with a minor in Psychology from the University of South Alabama in 2018. Soon after, she applied for and was accepted in the MLIS program at the University of Southern Mississippi. She is expected to graduate with a Masters in Archives Certification in late 2021. Laura previously worked at USA’s Marx Library and rekindled her love of libraries. In 2019, she began working at Biloxi Central Library as a clerk. While there, she aided the library by indexing collections in the local history department. Laura stated, “I look forward to working here at JGRLS. I am delighted to assist in creating a great digital collection and helping patrons discover their history!”

For more information about the genealogy library, branch libraries or library services, visit www.jgrls.org. Find the Singing River Genealogy-Local History Library on Facebook @SingingRiverLibrary and @JacksonGeorgeLibrary for the library system.

Submitted by:

Rex Bridges

PR & Marketing Manager

Jackson-George Regional Library