6070 libraries spring 2006 3/27/06 11:23 am page 1 · college and university libraries are part of...

Volume 70, No. 1 Spring 2006

6070 Libraries Spring 2006 3/27/06 11:23 AM

Vol. 70, No. 1, Spring 2006 Mississippi Libraries

Insurance Lessons

Learned From Katrina

While you may wonderat the title of this column,please read on. In the after-math of Katrina, many ofus who were not directlyaf fected by the disasternonetheless dealt with theindirect result – evacueesneeding services. As we allstruggled to accommodate ournewest patrons, we probablycontemplated our disasterplans. Planning for a disaster and plan-ning a disaster recovery are two totally dif-ferent concepts, as many found out.Granted, the disaster many of us experi-enced was one-of-a-kind – we hope–butthere are no guarantees in life. We shouldall take note of the lessons we havelearned since August 29, 2005.

Adequate insurance coverage is cer-tainly a topic that we have all read andheard about in the months since the disas-ter. We generally think of insurance interms of homeowner insurance. However,for our purposes, I will focus on propertydamage coverage. For public libraries, thelibrary building is usually owned by thefunding city or county. School librariesare part of campuses owned by schooldistricts. College and university librariesare part of campuses owned by specificcolleges or universities. Special librariesare as unique as the entities they serve.

For public libraries, this is where thesimilarities often end; while the librarybuilding (generally) is owned by a fundingentity, the collection (generally) is ownedby the library/Administrative Board ofTrustees. Some public libraries purchasetheir own property damage insurancepolicies, while some are insured as part oftheir city’s or county’s general “umbrella”coverage of all city- or county-ownedbuildings. The collection (contents) may,

or may not be, covered underthat general plan. This disaster

caused me, personally, toinquire what kind of cover-age we have. Our buildingis owned by the City ofNatchez and is insuredunder their policy whichcovers all city-owned prop-ert ies. However, the

library/administrative boardof trustees is not named as an

“additional named insured.” Ininsurance-ese, this meansthat an insurer could deny

coverage of the contents to the city, as thecity has no “insurable interest” in the con-tents, since they are not owned by thecity. Neither the city attorney, nor the cityclerk, was aware of that minor detail. Theinsurance agent wasn’t aware that the citydid not own the collection. I have sincetaken steps to correct this oversight. How-ever, this issue caused me to wonderabout whether other public libraries aresufficiently covered, if they are covered atall, or if they think they have all the cover-age they need, but really don’t.

Last October when this board wasasked, and agreed, to serve another yearin our current positions, I must confessone of my first thoughts was, “Oh, no,another four President’s Columns!” Dur-ing that same meeting, Bob Lipscomb,Harrison County Libraries’ Director andALA Councilor, gave his report, whichincluded insurance issues with several ofhis storm-damaged/destroyed buildings. Ifelt the topic, which may really only relateto public libraries, was important enoughto devote a column to. Administering alibrary can be likened to running a busi-ness, and in fact, often is! All libraryadministrators should check with theirspecific buildings’ owner(s) and ensurethat there is sufficient insurance coverageon both the buildings and the contentsunder their direction. �

Mississippi Library AssociationP.O. Box 13687 Jackson, MS 39236-3687Office Hours: 9 a.m.-1 p.m. M, Tu, Th, FE-mail: [email protected] Secretary: Mary Julia AndersonMLA Web site: http://www.misslib.orgWeb Master: Molly Signs McManus, [email protected]

PresidentSusan Cassagne, DirectorNatchez Adams Wilkinson Library Service220 South Commerce St.Natchez, MS [email protected]

Vice PresidentCatherine A. Nathan, DirectorFirst Regional Library System370 West Commerce St.Hernando, MS [email protected]

SecretaryLinda Milner, Assistant DirectorMid Mississippi Library System201 S. Huntington St.Kosciusko, MS [email protected]

TreasurerCarol Green, Serials LibrarianThe University of Southern Mississippi118 College Drive #5053Hattiesburg, MS [email protected]

Immediate Past PresidentJuanita Flanders, District Dean of Learning ResourcesHinds Community College McLendon LibraryP.O. Box 1100Raymond, MS [email protected]

ALA CouncilorRobert Lipscomb, DirectorHarrison County Library System1300 21st Ave.Gulfport, MS [email protected]

SELA CouncilorMary Beth Applin, Information Services LibrarianThe University of Southern Mississippi118 College Drive #5053Hattiesburg, MS [email protected]

ParliamentarianShirlene Stogner

2006 SECTIONS

ACRL SectionChair: Janet [email protected]

Public LibrariesChair: Jennifer [email protected]

School LibrariesChair: Bettie [email protected]

Special LibrariesChair: John [email protected]

TrusteesChair: Randy [email protected]

For additional information and a list of committees androundtables, see the Mississippi Library Association’sWeb site at http://www.misslib.org/.

PRESIDENT’S PAGE

Susan Cassagne


President’s Page ................................................................................................1

School Libraries: Budgets, Snakes, and Remembrance .................................3Elizabeth Stephan, Editor, Mississippi Libraries

K.I.D.S. Kits and a Snake: How One Library Media Center ..........................4Reaches Out to Its Students

Iris T. Collins, Library Media Specialist, Anniston Avenue Elementary School

Current School Library Legislation: Saving Our School Libraries.................7Josie Roberts, School Media Specialist, Purvis Elementary School

Shaking the Trees for Funding to Support School Libraries .........................9Joi Jones Phillips, Reference/Instructional Services Librarian, Delta State University

In Memoriam: Barbara Paddock Carroon ......................................................11Lauren M. Young, Assistant Editor, Mississippi Libraries

News Briefs .........................................................................................................12About Books........................................................................................................13People in the News ..............................................................................................15MLA Executive Board Minutes ..............................................................................16Mark Your Calendar .............................................................................................17MLA Membership Form .......................................................................................18

On the cover: This month’s cover is Keegan Sitting by James Price. Price received his BFA from the University of Mississippiin 2004. He lives and works in Taylor, Mississippi, and shows his paintings at Taylor Arts Gallery. Price may be contacted [email protected].

Mississippi Libraries is a publication of the Mississippi Library Association (MLA). The articles, reports, and features here-in represent the viewpoints of their respective authors and are not necessarily the official opinions of the Association.

Subscription Rates: $16.00 per year ($4.00 per issue); $24.00 per year outside of the U.S.; free to MLA members.Back issues are available from University Microfilms International.

Advertising Rates: Rates are available upon request from the Advertising Editor. Advertising Deadlines: Spring: February 10; Summer: May 10; Fall: August 10; Winter: November 10Submissions: Manuscripts must be submitted in electronic format in Microsoft Word, WordPerfect, or ASCII text for-

mat. Documents can be sent as an attachment via e-mail or on a CD-ROM or a 31⁄2 inch disk via surface mail. Deadlines for submission: Spring: February 2; Summer: May 2; Fall: August 2; Winter: November 2.In order to assure the widest possible audience for the work published in Mississippi Libraries, that work is added in elec-

tronic form to the Mississippi Library Association Web site and, by contractual agreement, to one or more EBSCO Publishingdatabases. Mississippi Libraries is also indexed in Library Literature and Information Sciences Abstracts.

Dues must be paid by March 1 in order to receive the Spring issue of Mississippi Libraries.

Mississippi Libraries Vol. 70, No. 1, Spring 2006 Page 2

A Quarterly Publication of the ISSN 0194-388X

Mississippi Library Association

©2006

ContentsEDITORIAL STAFF

EDITOR

Elizabeth StephanJD Williams Library

The University of MississippiUniversity, MS [email protected]

662-915-6628

ASSISTANT EDITOR

Lauren YoungRowland Medical Library

The University of Mississippi Medical Center2500 North State Street

Jackson, MS [email protected]

COPY EDITOR

Tisha ZelnerThe University of Southern Mississippi

[email protected]

BUSINESS MANAGER

Tisha ZelnerThe University of Southern Mississippi

[email protected]

ADVERTISING EDITOR

Missy MurpheyThe University of Mississippi

[email protected]

REPORTER

Tina HarryThe University of Mississippi

[email protected]

BOOK REVIEW EDITOR

Christina TorbertThe University of Mississippi

[email protected]

MLA PUBLICITY

COMMITTEE CHAIR

David BrownFirst Regional [email protected]

INDEXER

Shirlene StognerThe University of Southern Mississippi

[email protected]



Elizabeth StephanEditor, Mississippi Libraries

Business Reference LibrarianJD Williams Library

University of Mississippi

In the Spring issue of MississippiLibrar ies we are looking at schoollibraries. Although we planned the topicof this issue several months ago, it sadlycoincided with the death of long-timeschool librarian, Barbara Carroon. Car-roon’s involvement in Mississippi schoollibraries was both influential and worthy.Those of us at Mississippi Librarieswould like to dedicate this issue to Bar-bara Carroon and her work within MLAand our school libraries.

Iris Collins, School Media Specialist atthe Anniston Elementary School Library,writes about programs designed to drawkids and their parents into the library.K.I.D.S. Kits and a Snake: How OneLibrary Media Center Reaches Out to ItsStudents looks at three different programsthe Anniston Elementary Library hasdeveloped in order to reach their stu-dents. The K.I.D.S. Kit program teachescritical thinking through research projects.Their bibliotheraphy collection allowschildren to work through difficult prob-lems with a school counselor and a spe-cial library collection. Their nature center,which includes a snake named Flame,

teaches students, parents, and membersof the public about nature and the worldaround them. Even after the destructioncaused by Hurricane Katrina, the Annis-ton Elementary School Library will contin-ue to grow and develop ways to engagetheir students in non-traditional ways.

Josie Roberts, a National Board Certi-fied Library Media Specialist at PurvisElementary School, has long beeninvolved with state legislation relating toschool libraries. In her article CurrentSchool Library Legislation: Saving ourSchool Libraries, she discusses how with-in the last decade, Mississippi state legis-lation has been passed that requiresschools to employ librarians in order tomeet accreditation standards. Robertsexplains the history behind the legislationand how current legislation may changerequirements regarding the employmentof school librarians.

A topic often covered in MississippiLibraries and discussed among librarians ismoney. Where do you find the fundingneeded to develop new programs? Wheredo you find the money to pay for the basicnecessities? In Shaking the Trees for Fund-ing to Support School Libraries, Joi JonesPhilips lists several grant and fundraisingprograms geared towards school libraries.With funding for school libraries seeminglyalways in danger of being cut, extra fundsare often a necessity.

Both Iris Collins and Josie Roberts arepast recipients of the Carroon AppleAward. Mississippi Libraries assistant edi-tor Lauren Young looks back at the life ofCarroon in her remembrance, In Memori-am: Barbara Carroon.

The upcoming themes for MississippiLibraries have already been determined;be thinking now if you could contribute toany of the upcoming issues. This summerwe will focus on technical services. This fallwe will be looking back at the recoveryfrom Hurricane Katrina as well as informa-tion for the 2006 Annual Conference. TheFall 2005 issue of Mississippi Libraries, aswell as our annual conference, were dis-rupted when the storm came ashore inAugust 2005. It seems appropriate that wetake some time to look at how far we havecome. We would also like to thank thosewho assisted our libraries in the time afterKatrina. If you were part of a library assis-tance program, please share your story.The focus of the 2005 MLA Conferencewas to be Building Communities; in thelast six months, many of our peers havenot only been building, but rebuilding theircommunities and libraries. Send your sto-ries and pictures to editor ElizabethStephan at [email protected]. Winter2006 will focus on archives and specialcollections. If you are interested in submit-ting something for any of these issues,please contact editor Elizabeth Stephan. �

School Libraries: Budgets, Snakes, and Remembrance

Have an article or theme issue idea for Mississippi Libraries?

Contact us!

E-mail story suggestions and comments to editor Elizabeth Stephan at [email protected]



Iris T. CollinsLibrary Media Specialist

Anniston Avenue Elementary School

Abstract

According to the Oregon EducationalMedia Association, the mission of aschool library media center is “to provideavai labi l i ty of l ibrary media centerresources and services to students in anenvironment that promotes inquiry, cre-ativity, self-direction, communication andthe ability to think critically.” At AnnistonAvenue Elementary School in Gulfport,Mississippi, three programs help themlive up to this miss ion s ta tement:K.I.D.S. (Kids Interest Discover Studies)Kits, a bibliotheraphy collection, and anature center. These programs havemade the library a happening place at theschool. Students and parents are therewhen the doors open and when thedoors close. The visitors may be a moth-er and daughter with an opossum skele-ton, parents selecting a book about thedeath of a grandparent, or a studentengaged in the independent study ofmummies.

Kids Interest Discover

Studies (K.I.D.S.) Kits

Critical thinking! Enrichment!Independent study!

K.I.D.S. Kits are organizedthematic boxes of multimediamaterials. The concept forK.I.D.S. Kits came to Missis-sippi through the U.S. Dept. ofEducation’s National DiffusionNetwork. The kits require afour-step research process inorder for students to completea self-selected study. This pro-gram does not supersedeclassroom instruction, but it isdesigned to invoke active stu-dent involvement at higher levels of think-ing and independent learning. Students ofall abilities ask and answer questions ontopics of interest to them. Each kitincludes high interest materials that varyin terms of difficulty and learning style.

The four steps are:

1. Exploration: This time is used toexplore a topic and discover the infor-mation and resources in the kit. Mini-mum 1-2 visits.

2. Investigation: Thestudent must identify aspecif ic aspect of atopic that they want toinvestigate and deter-mine a research ques-t ion. Minimum 2-3visits.

3. Application: A prod-uct (not an art project)is created and an oralpresentation summa-rizing the independentstudy is prepared. Min-imum 2-3 visits.

4. Presentation: The student sharestheir product and research with theirteacher and classmates.

A survey is conducted within the stu-dent body to identify topics of interest.Based on the survey results, the topics forthe kits are selected. Once the topics areknown, available resources are collected.A letter may be sent home asking fordonations for specific topics. This encour-ages parental involvement. Many materi-als will need to be purchased. There areseveral methods to finance the building ofthese kits: (1) fund-raiser proceeds, (2) agrant, and (3) “extra” money from theprincipal. Containers should be createdwhile waiting for the resources to arrive.Those ubiquitous copy paper boxes workwell when covered with Contact© paper,which is strong and reinforces the boxes.Contact paper has a wide selection of col-ors and designs to choose from, and thecovered boxes are easily decorated toindicate the subject of the contents.

What type of materials should beincluded? Books, magazines, posters,DVDs, puppets, games, models, realia,prints, instruments, and puzzles areexamples of the items that may be found

K.I.D.S. Kits and a Snake: How One Library Media Center Reaches Out to Its Students

A display of the K.I.D.S. Kits. The kits are organized in thematic boxes.Photo by Iris T. Collins

Two students with materials from K.I.D.S. Kits. Photo by Iris T.Collins



in the kits. An area in the library should bedesignated for the kits. Tables and chairsare optional since children prefer to workon the floor, but allow ample space sinceseveral students may be working on differ-ent topics simultaneously. A sign-in binderis a good management tool, and its formsserve a dual purpose. One side is for sign-in for each visit. The reverse side can beused for an assessment. The evaluationside should include space for the requiredresearch question and for writing the factsdiscovered during the investigation.

During the exploration stage, the stu-dent tries to narrow down their topic andform a research question. The investiga-tion stage allows the student to gatherinformation on their topic. The applica-tion stage requires a variety of materialsfor the creation of the final product. Thestudent makes the decision on the formatof their product. A few examples are intable 1.

Written reports are allowed but rarely cho-sen. Once the product is completed, thestudent schedules a time with their teach-er for an oral presentation. This presenta-tion to the class includes the researchquestion, the information learned, and theproduct and its description. This final stepmay prove the most beneficial step for thepresenter and classmates alike.

Bibliotheraphy

Fearful students? Angry students? Anx-ious students?

How can the library media centermeet the needs of these students? Biblio-theraphy is the answer. Bibliotheraphymeans book therapy. The library mediaspecialist and guidance counselor atAnniston Avenue Elementary Schoolhave developed a partnership that benefitsthese students’ emotional needs/prob-

lems. The bibliotheraphy program hasbeen in place for four years at Anniston.Books are utilized to provide appropriatedevelopmental literature to address prob-lems or issues in the lives of students.

Children express their worries andfears differently from adults, and theirreactions are often misunderstood byadults. Children lacking the necessaryverbal skills may cause behavioral prob-lems at school. Unlike other therapies,bibliotheraphy begins with a book andseeks a response. The experiences ofcharacters in books allow an emotionaldistance for a child. Children who cannotsee their own behavior are able to recog-nize a similar behavior in a book’s char-acter. This narrative therapy provides aconnection for the counselor (or parent/teacher) to help students to relate toissues in their own lives.

This program requires two staff mem-bers working closely together: the librari-

an and theguidance coun-selor. Thecounselor iden-tifies the needsof the chi ld,evaluates thechild’s level ofdevelopment,and obtains the

permission of the parents. The librarian’srole is to recommend books with theidentified theme that will interest the child.The availability of the collection is crucialsince the counselor is a frequent visitor tothe collection, parents browse the collec-tion upon the recommendation of thecounselor, and students arrive at thelibrary with written referral notes from thecounselor. Consequently, the bibliothera-phy collection is housed separately fromthe general collection. Its titles circulateon an as-needed basis; therefore, the cir-culation cycle is shorter than the regularcollection.

Subjects to include in a bibliotheraphycollection are anger management, grief,divorce and step families, illness, drugabuse, child abuse, self-concept, handi-caps, and other subjects that affect stu-dents participating in the therapy. The

success of this collection is measured bythe counselor or the parent when thechild reacts with questions, a personalstory, or just an emotional response. Par-ents and the guidance counselor at ourschool have been so pleased with thepositive effects of this special collectionthat it has tripled in size since its incep-tion.

Nature Center

A hands-on Nature Center has been abig draw in our library. Do you want par-ents and members of the community tovisit? A nature center is the answer. Stu-dents and visitors are fascinated by the dif-ferent collections: fossils, kangaroo skin,and ostrich eggs are a few of the thingsthey can see when they visit. But howdoes a media center collect such a varietyof items? Our collection began with aturkey feather brought to school oneThanksgiving. The students were fascinat-ed. This piqued their interest. They want-ed to know what else we could collect.Soon after that we had birds’ nests,wasps’ nests, snake skins, lizard and frogskeletons, deer antlers, and a goat skull.These items had the desired effect – stu-dents were amazed that they were allowedto examine and actually touch such items.

Their enthusiasm became visible whenthey began to add to the collection.Everyone became very interested andbegan to contr ibute. I tems such asdinosaur fossils, sharks’ teeth, a largesnapping turtle skeleton, and many morewere brought in by fathers and othercommunity members. Even repairmenfound the collection interesting and askedto contribute a giant hornets’ nest, the tailof a rattlesnake, and a buffalo beard. Rela-tives in other states sent items such astwenty-five peacock feathers from a farmin Texas. If the school is open, someoneis in the library admiring and asking ques-tions about the nature center collection.Teachers appreciate having real speci-mens to enhance science lessons. Stu-dents become fascinated by the items andwant more information. They begin tosearch the non-fiction books or conductInternet searches to locate this informa-tion.

Letter Journal Sculpture Puppet show

Survey Skit Game Labeled diagram

Map Poster Diorama Transparency

Chart Collage Puzzle Advertisement

Poem Model Timeline Flannel board story

Table 1



The students were so interested in thevarious snake skins that the principal pur-chased a corn snake (non-poisonous) asthe library’s pet. A Name-the-Snake con-test was conducted after studying thecharacteristics of corn snakes. The stu-dent body selected “Flame” for a namebased on the snake’s coloring. As it is ayoung snake, Flame is small and fun tohold. The highlight of library visits is thechance to hold the snake, which hasbecome a wonderful method of maintain-ing well-behaved students. Many lessons(nature, behavioral, and academic)evolved from having Flame in the library.

Summary

One final note: This article has beenwritten in the present tense. These pro-grams were a vital part of the librarymedia program at Anniston Avenue Ele-mentary School. All of the above wereactually done on a daily basis withoutinterfering with the library’s basic missionof putting books in the hands of childrenand teaching these children how to use alibrary. However, Hurricane Katrinadestroyed Anniston’s library in August2005. We are now in a rebuilding mode.It is a golden opportunity to build a betterfacility, a better collection, and a betterinstructional program. And Flame sur-vived the storm. �

APPENDIX ONE: Steps to Create Kits

Resources� Identify materials on-hand and available� Solicit donations of materials� Select and order new materialsContainers� Gather copy paper boxes and cover with

Contact paper � Or order sturdy decorative boxes� Decorate boxes with large, colorful graphics

to depict topic withinEvaluation� Design a child-friendly form� Create a check-in process Location � Select a visible area to allow monitoring� Provide ample work space for students and kits� Electrical outlet available Conduct a teacher in-serviceConduct an orientation for students

APPENDIX TWO: Research Process

Step one: Explore� Examine all items in your kit� Requires one - two visitsStep two: Investigate � Select one aspect of your topic for study� State your research question� Requires two - four visitsStep three: Apply� Design a product to represent your study� Requires two - four visitsStep four: Present� Share your product and facts with your class� Presentation is conducted in your class-

room

OUR SERVICE ISUNSURPASSEDBinding periodicals and rebinding We take pride that our workmanship,books in quality bindings is our materials and service are amongbusiness, and has been since 1912. the best in the industry.

Less expensive Adhesive Type Bindingsavailable upon request.

100 Hembree Park DriveP. O. Box 428Roswell, GA 30077-9998Telephone 770-442-5490 FAX 770-442-0183An Equal Opportunity Employer

National Library Bindery Co. of Ga., Inc.A CERTIFIED LIBRARY BINDERY

Visit our

Website:www.misslib.org


Josie RobertsSchool Media Specialist

Purvis Elementary School

Abstract

For the last two years, a House billhas been filed that would allow schoolsmeeting Level 4 or 5 accreditation stan-dards to be exempt from the require-ments relating to school librarians. With-in the last decade, Mississippi state legis-lation was passed that required schoolsto employ librarians in order to meetthese accreditation standards. In this arti-cle, Roberts explains the history andimportance behind this legislation andcalls for advocacy on libraries’ behalf.

Librarians are known to be vocal. Lastyear when the Mississippi State Senate intro-duced a bill that would have exempted Level4 and 5 schools from having the requirednumber of certified school librarians, librari-ans and friends of libraries contacted theirlegislators. Because of their tenacity, theSenate removed the wording regardingschool librarians from the bill. A bill similarto last years’ is currently in the State Senate.Once again, librarians must speak up.

Recent History

In 1993 former Senator Jim Bean wit-nessed the impact of certified schoollibrarians on student achievement. Hedelighted in students actively engaged inresearch under the guidance of thoselibrarians.

Years before the Mississippi Curricu-lum Frameworks contained educationalbenchmarks and the National Board forProfessional Teaching Standards(NBPTS) published the Early Childhoodthrough Young Adulthood Library MediaStandards, Senator Bean watched class-room teachers collaborating with certifiedschool librarians to establish learninggoals and plan instructional sequence formultiple student learning styles. Bean sawstudents accessing various resources

through technology that was not availablewhen he was a student. He understoodthe necessity for Mississippi students tobecome information literate in a societythat must compete globally. He under-stood the importance of school librariansencouraging students’ love of reading anddevelopment of lifelong learning skills.

As a result of visiting active publicschool libraries, Bean authored a historicbill that became law beginning with the1994-1995 school year. The law man-dated that school districts must employcertified school librarians as a minimumrequirement for Level 3, 4, and 5 accred-itation. If a school has an enrollment ofup to 499 students, that school musthave at least a half-time certified librarian.For schools with 500 or more students,the school must have at least one full-timecertified school librarian. This becamepart of Section 37-17-6 of the MississippiCode of 1972 as amended.

The Mississippi Department of Educa-tion (MDE) published the “MississippiPublic School Accountability Standards,2004” that lists MS Code 37-17-6 forcertified school librarians (Standard 5.1and 5.2, 17). Standard 24 states:

The school district meets the fol-lowing requirements for library-media services: (Level 4 and 5schools are exempted.)

24.1 Each school has a library-media center with an organized col-lection of materials and equipmentthat represents a broad range ofcurrent learning media, includinginstructional technology.

24.2 The library staff offers a sys-tematic program of service to stu-dents and staff by providing accessto the materials and equipment, byproviding instruction in the use ofthe materials and equipment, and byworking with teachers and other staffmembers to provide learning activi-ties for the students. (20)

In a memorandum the Office of Accredi-tation provided clarification of the abovestandards thusly: “Regarding this stan-dard, all schools are required to have alibrary and library staff […] all schools arerequired to have a library-media center[…] MDE would not review the servicesoffered in the library (Level 4 and 5)assuming they were high performing.”

The law for certified school librariansand Standard 24 can be found on theMDE Web site by clicking on Publica-tions and then Library Media Guide. TheMDE Office of Academic Education creat-ed an excellent publication in 2002 enti-tled “Mississippi School Library MediaGuide.” Exemplary minimum librarystaffing recommendations are listed onpage 16.

Recent Developments

Last year there was a Senate bill thatwould have exempted Level 4 and 5schools from having the required numberof certified school librarians. Librariansand friends of libraries contacted their leg-islators and, on behalf of the children ofMississippi, this wording was removedfrom the bill.

As this article is being written, our leg-islature is in session and several bills havebeen filed that include school library pro-grams and services. This year, a Housebil l has been fi led that would allowschools meeting Level 4 or 5 accredita-tion standards to be exempt from therequirements relating to school librarians.

It is hard to understand why we mustcontinue to fight the battle for certifiedschool librarians and library serviceswhen the No Child Left Behind Actdemands highly qualified teachers. Everyschool must be required to have certifiedschool librarians with no exemptions, andevery school librarian should be collabo-rating with teachers and teaching skillsrelated to the Mississippi CurriculumFrameworks and the NBPTS LibraryMedia Standards.

Page 7 Vol. 70, No. 1, Spring 2006 Mississippi Libraries

Current School Library Legislation: Saving Our School Libraries


Librarians and those concerned for thefuture of Mississippi must monitor billseach session and contact legislators whenconcerned. To search bill status, go to theMississippi Legislature home page(www.ls.state.ms.us) and click on Bill Sta-tus. To find requirements for certifiedschool librarians, search by committeename (education committee) or by codesection (37-17-6).

Research has proven that certifiedschool librarians and strong library mediaprograms lead to higher student achieve-ment regardless of socioeconomic or edu-cational levels of the community. Theupdated research paper “School LibrariesWork!” outlines why school libraries areimportant. Included are Web addressesfor state studies showing the impact ofschool libraries and library media special-ists on student academic achievement.

In “Information Power: Building Part-nerships for Learning,” you will find chap-ters on information literacy standards, col-laboration, leadership, technology, learningand teaching, and information access anddelivery. The Language Arts section of theMississippi Curriculum Frameworks canbe downloaded from the Mississippi StateDepartment of Education Web site andschool librarians can use the benchmarksto collaborate with classroom teachers toteach library lessons to develop skills listedin the Curriculum Frameworks.

GN Associates, Inc.Library Furniture and Shelving

Rebuilding our communities one volume at a timeInsurance quotes availableBudget ProjectionsSpace PlanningCAD RenderingsSACS InformationMS State Contract Purchasing

Dunedin Public Library Wagner Branch Library

GN Associates, Inc. 1349 Lakeshore DriveMetairie, LA 70005

[email protected]


REFERENCES

Mississippi Department of Education. Mississippi Public School Accountability Standards, 2004.http://www.mde.k12.ms.us/accred/mpsas.doc

RELATED SOURCESScholastic Library Publishing. School Libraries Work! [Danbury, CT]: Scholastic Library, 2006.http://librarypublishing.scholastic.com/content/stores/LibraryStore/pages/images/slw_06.pdf

Mississippi Legislature http://www.ls.state.ms.us.Information from current and past legislative sessions can be found under Bill Status.

The Mississippi Legislature home page. From hereyou can access the status of bills in current andpast sessions.

Josie Roberts is National Board Certified Library Media Specialist at Purvis ElementarySchool. She represented Mississippi as a voting delegate to the White House Confer-ence on Libraries and Information Services and three AASL Affiliate Assemblies. Sheserved as Chair of MLA School Section, received the Carroon Apple Award and MLAOutstanding Achievement Award, and was included in the 2005 ALA National Advo-cacy Honor Roll. �



Shaking the Trees for Funding to Support School Libraries

Joi Jones PhillipsReference/Instructional Services Librarian

Delta State University

Identifying grants and fundraisers forschool libraries can be a laborious task,but grants and fundraisers are great oppor-tunities for school libraries to earn moneyto purchase books, materials, and equip-ment. Although both require hard workand dedication, they are proven methodsof generating funding. School libraries andmedia centers are often in need of extrafunding to support new programs andtechnology. Since money does not “growon trees” and budgets are normallystrained, funding has to come from othersources in order to achieve certain goals.This article will briefly describe ten fundingopportunities that could supplement thebudgets of school libraries in Mississippi.Consult the Web sites for complete details.

Grants and Foundations

Improving Literacy through School

Libraries (http://www.ed.gov/programs/lsl/index.html) This program offers discretionary/com-petitive grants to public school districtsthat are located in areas with a familypoverty rate of twenty percent or more.Mississippi has over one hundred schooldistricts that are eligible for this grant.Past recipients include Cleveland, NorthBolivar, Sunflower, and Lawrence County

School Districts. The grant application isavailable at http://www.grants.gov andregistration for Grants.gov may take fiveor more days to complete. Awardamounts vary and the deadline to apply ispublished in the Federal Register.

The Phil Hardin Foundation

(http://www.philhardin.org) The Foundation awards grants to publicschool districts and other tax-exempt orga-nizations in Mississippi. Grant proposalsshould be based on one or more of thefoundation’s themes: early childhood edu-cation, preparation for college, achievementgap, community-based initiatives, leader-ship, and philanthropic initiatives. Theamounts of the awards vary. Although thereis not a firm deadline, proposals and appli-cations should be submitted three monthsbefore a funding decision has to be made.

The Laura Bush Foundation for

America’s Libraries

(http://www.laurabushfoundation.org) The Laura Bush Foundation providesgrants to school libraries within the UnitedStates to purchase books. The purpose ofthe grant is to provide up-to-date books toschools that are in dire financial need.The maximum award amount is $5,000.To apply, contact the foundation by

phone, mail, or e-mail. The contact infor-mation is listed on the Web site.

The Edward E. Ford Foundation

(http://www.eeford.org) This foundation gives matching fundsgrants to independent secondary schools inthe United States. Schools must be mem-bers of the National Association of Indepen-dent Schools (NAIS) to apply. Grants are$50,000 or less. However, larger grantshave been awarded. Proposals are acceptedafter a place has been secured on the agen-da for one of the board meetings by calling410-823-2201. The board meets inNovember, April, and June. The deadlinesto submit proposals are September 1,February 1, and April 1, respectively.

The Coca-Cola Foundation

(http://www2.coca-cola.com/citizenship/foundation.html) Coca-Cola supports successful education-al programs in elementary and secondaryschools and other tax-exempt organiza-tions. The grant application is availableonline. Proposals should be very conciseand limited to five pages or less. Fundingdecisions are made quarterly by the boardof directors. The grant amounts vary.

American Association of School

Libraries (AASL)/Highsmith Research

Grant (http://www.ala.org/ala/aasl/aaslawards/highsmithgrant/aaslhighsmith.htm)This grant supports research that measuresand evaluates the value of school library

Improving Literacy through School Libraries

The Edward E. Ford Foundation

The Laura Bush Foundation



media programs in relation to learning andeducation. Grants are $5,000 or less.Applicants must be personal members ofAASL to receive a grant. The deadline isnormally February 1 of each year. Grantapplications are available online.

Fundraising Resources

General Mills Box Tops 4 Education

(http://boxtops4education.com)General Mills offers three ways to earnmoney for your school: (1) redeem boxtops from General Mills products, (2)shop online with stores through Box TopsMarketplace, and (3) make charges withthe Box Tops for Education Visa card. Eli-gible box tops are worth ten cents each.The program requires a site coordinatorthat collects the box tops and sends themto General Mills. Checks are mailed toparticipating schools twice a year on May15 (deadline February 28) and December15 (deadline October 31). The maximumamount per school is $20,000 each year.

Tyson’s Project A+

(http://www.tyson.com/projectaplus)Tyson allows schools to earn money byredeeming Tyson Project A+ labels. Eligi-ble products are identified with a ProjectA+ logo. Once a school has registeredwith the program, the site coordinator cancollect and redeem labels year round. Eachlabel is worth twenty-four cents and a mini-mum of one hundred labels can be submit-ted any time. Then a check will be mailedto the school within four weeks. A maxi-mum of $12,000 can be earned each year.

Campbell’s Labels for Education

(http://labelsforeducation.com)This program accepts labels from eligible

Campbell’s products in exchange for mate-rials, equipment, and even a minivan. Thesite coordinator collects the labels andselects items from the Campbell’s Labelsfor Education catalog. The redemptionperiod is August 1, 2005 to June 1,

2006. Labels must be postmarked by June1 and received by June 15, 2006.

Ecophones (http://www.ecophones.com)Ecophones has a fundraising program thatallows schools to recycle cell phones andink jet cartridges for cash. Schools canreceive up to $300 per cell phone and upto $5 per ink jet cartridge. A price list forthe cell phones and ink jet cartridges is ontheir Web site. A representative from theschool must register online to participatein the program. Ecophones will pay theshipping fees and mail a check to theschool within thirty days after receipt andinspection of the items. All promotionalmaterials, as well as tax deduction receiptsfor the donors, are available on their Website. Ecophones is a member of the BetterBusiness Bureau® Online Program. �

General Mills Box Tops 4 Education

Campbell’s Labels for Education


Lauren M. YoungAssistant Editor Mississippi Libraries

Instructor/Outreach Services LibrarianRowland Medical Library

The University of Mississippi Medical Center

Mississippi Libraries would like to rec-ognize the passing of a great Mississippilibrarian, Mrs. Barbara Paddock Carroon.Barbara died at the age of 82 on Decem-ber 7, 2005, in a hospice facility inRidgeland, Mississippi.

Barbara, a native of Pennsylvania, mether husband after moving to New Mexicoupon graduation from the Clarion StateTeachers College in 1945. She andLamar Carroon married in 1947. Thecouple made homes in Santa Fe;Louisville, Kentucky; Albany, New York;Montgomery and Tuscaloosa, Alabama;and Denver, Colorado, before settling inJackson, Mississippi in the 1960s. It wasat this point that Barbara earned her mas-ter of library science degree from the Uni-versity of Mississippi, a natural transitionas she had worked in libraries in NewMexico, Colorado, and Alabama.

Barbara’s service to Mississippilibraries was profound. As a school librari-an, and then an administrator with theHinds County Public Schools, sheworked to develop effective K12 schoollibrary services in small, rural communi-ties throughout the county. She workedwith the Mississippi Library Associationand the Mississippi State Department of

Education to implement the MississippiSchool Library Media Specialists Assess-ment Instrument in 1988 in an effort toensure qualified school library media spe-cialists in all schools. She served as theLibrary Media Supervisor for Hinds Coun-ty Schools and as Project Coordinator forMississippi Humanities Council programssuch as “Let’s Talk About It” and “Mind-scape.” She also worked on theMPA/MHC Newspaper Project.

The School Libraries Section of theMississippi Library Association estab-lished the Carroon Apple Award to honoroutstanding accomplishments in the fieldof school library media services. Barbarawas awarded the first Apple award, andsubsequent awardees have been awardedwith a brass apple engraved with thewords “MS. LIBRARY ASSN. – CAR-ROON APPLE – OUTSTANDING SER-VICE.” When asked what winning theCarroon Apple Award meant to her,2004 recipient Otha Keys said, “Win-ning the Carroon Award was an honorfor me and so very special because it’sgiven in honor of someone who spenther whole life promoting libraries andlibrarianship, something I love and try todo daily. The award and what it stands forinspired me to be better and try to live upto those standards that Mrs. Carroon setforth. It is doubly special in light of thefact that she is no longer with us and thatI was the last recipient prior to her death.Her legacy and what she has done for alllibrarians is amazing; it humbles me

every time I look at the award or it ismentioned. I just hope that in my career Ican be half the librarian and advocate forlibrarianship that she was and that I caninspire others as she has.”

Carroon was an active member of theMississippi Library Association, holdingthe offices of School Library SectionChair, Secretary and President for theMississippi Library Association, Presidentof the Friends of Mississippi Libraries.She served on the Administrative Boardfor the Jackson/Hinds Library Systemand the Consortium for Library Automa-tion in Mississippi Task Force. She washonored as a National Advocacy HonorRoll Advocate for the American LibraryAssociation. Carroon also had strongcommunity ties, including membership atthe Briarwood Presbyterian Church inJackson and in the Jackson Yacht Clubfor over thirty years.

Carroon is survived by her husband,Lamar Carroon of Jackson; son, RobertCarroon of Jackson; daughters, BarbaraAnn Carroon of San Leandro, CA andJean Carroon of Boston, MA; threegrandchildren, Catherine Carroon, LydiaCarroon and Carter Payne; brother, ClarkPaddock; and sisters, Elizabeth Jerniganand Phoebe Spence.

Memorial donations may be sent tothe Rebuild Mississippi Libraries Fund,c/o AmSouth Bank, 210 E. CapitolStreet, Jackson, MS 39201 and Briar-wood Presbyterian Church, 620 Briar-wood Drive, Jackson, MS 39211. �


In Memoriam: Barbara Paddock Carroon


Hancock Library Receives Mobile

Unit for Pearlington

Anne Arundel County Public Library(AACPL) and other libraries in Marylandare stepping in to help the HancockCounty Library System. The MarylandLibrary Association (MLA) Board hasrecently voted to adopt a “sister” library inthe community of Pearlington. MarionFrancis, AACPL Administrator and Mis-sissippi native, is chairing the committeein charge of this ef fort. The groupincludes representatives from public, aca-demic and special libraries and mediaspecialists from public school systems.

The Pearlington Public Library, a branchof the Hancock County Library System,served both an elementary school and thegeneral public. The facility, which opened in1999, received extensive wind and waterdamage from Hurricane Katrina. The con-tents of the building were destroyed.

As part of the MLA effort, the Alle-gany County Public Library is donating abookmobile to the Pearlington PublicLibrary. Cash and donations from librarysystems, corporations and the generalpublic were sought to refurbish the vehi-cle and outfit it with computers, booksand other materials that can be enjoyedby the residents of Pearlington and thesurrounding communities.

“The offers of assistance from librariesand individuals from all over the worldhas been incredible,” said Prima Plauché,

director of the Hancock County LibrarySystem. “The mobile unit from the Alle-gany County Library System, and thework of the Anne Arundel County PublicLibrary System and the Maryland LibraryAssociation, along with scores of individu-als, corporations and libraries is a brightspot in an otherwise overwhelming, heart-breaking and long-term recovery.”

SirsiDynix, one of the leading informa-tion technology providers for libraries andtheir users worldwide, installed the comput-er, barcode reader and printer for the mobileunit. Future plans call for obtaining satelliteInternet service and providing more com-puters for the public. “Libraries are vital tothe communities they serve,” said PatrickSommers, SirsiDynix chief executive officer.“The Hancock County Library System isproof of this. In a time of widespread devas-tation and uncertainty, Hancock County citi-zens looked to the library for informationand assistance. At SirsiDynix, we under-stand that the sooner the library returns tonormalcy then the sooner Hancock Countyreturns to normalcy. This, coupled with ourlongtime relationship with Hancock County,is why it is important to us to help outfit thisbookmobile for the community of Pearling-ton and the surrounding areas.”

More information on the mobile unitand the Hancock County Library Systemis available by calling 228-467-5282 orby accessing the library system’s Webpage at http://www.hancocklibraries.info.

Special Collections Gifts for Leon-

tyne Price Library

Librarians at Rust College’s LeontynePrice Library are very excited aboutreceiving two valuable gifts as part of theirspecial collections: the Toliver Gift ofWilliam Toliver serigraphs and oil paint-ings, and the contemporary “Inuit” sculp-ture gift of over forty pieces of carvedstones from the Arctic region.

2005 MLA Public Relations Awards

The 2005 MLA Public RelationsAwards were announced Monday, Jan-uary 9 at the MLA Board Meeting andthen displayed at the dedication of the

new MLC building later that afternoon. The winners were:

� First Regional Library – BestCoordinated Effort of Several Librariesto Publicize Library Services Around aSingle Theme or Event

� Lee County Library – Best Year-Round Effort by an Individual Library toPublicize Library Services in General

� Laurel-Jones County Library – BestNewsletter Submitted by Library Group

Hurricane Education Recovery Act

To all school library media specialists inAlabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas:

On December 30, President Bushsigned into law the Defense appropriationsbill, which included the Hurricane Educa-tion Recovery Act. This act provides fundsfor public and private schools that are edu-cating displaced students and schools thatwere damaged and/or destroyed by Hurri-cane Katrina or Hurricane Rita.

Section 101 of the Hurricane Educa-tion Recovery Act provided funds for the“Immediate Aid to Restart School Opera-tions.” According to the legislative lan-guage, these funds may be used for awide variety of activities including the ini-tial replacement of instructional materialsand equipment, including textbooks.Congress intended these funds to be flexi-ble. We have contacted officials at theU.S. Department of Education and theyconcur with Congressional intent.

If you are in any school that qualifies forthese funds, please contact your schooladministrator to ensure that the needs of theschool library are met. If you are told thatpurchasing materials and/or equipment forschool libraries is not an allowable use offunds, contact us immediately. We will pro-vide you with official clarification from theU.S. Department of Education.

Emily Sheketoff

[email protected]

Melanie Anderson

[email protected] �


Prima Plauché, center, Hancock County LibrarySystem Director, receives the keys to the donatedmobile unit from the Alleghany Public Library Sys-tem Director John Taube. Also pictured is MarionFrancis, Anne Arundel County Public LibraryAdministrator and a Mississippi native. Francisspearheaded a disaster committee that committedthe resources of the mobile unit, books and a cashdonation from the Maryland Library Association.Photo by Mary M. Perkins

News Briefs


Johnson, Mary Elizabeth and Carol

Vickers; photography by J.D.

Schwalm. Threading the Generations:A Mississippi Family’s Quilt Legacy.Jackson: University Press of Mississippi,2005. [119 pp., illustrated, notes, bibli-ography, index] $28.00 (hardback)

Alabama author Mary Elizabeth John-son has created another eye-catchingbook on Mississippi quilts. You mayremember her 2001 publication Missis-sippi Quilts, published as an extension ofthe Mississippi Quil t Associat ion’sstatewide documentation project. Thisnew book focuses on the historical jour-ney of one family’s heirloom quilts fromAbram Keller Shaifer’s early settlement in1813 to fourth generation and present-day owner, Mrs. El izabeth (Libby)Hollingsworth.

According to co-author Carol Vickers,Libby was just one of thousands of Missis-sippians who participated in the 1995-1997 statewide quilt-swaps. Yet, her visitwas the highlight of Vickers’ two-yearquest to document and photograph thestate’s treasures. Through Libby, Vickersdiscovered the Shaifer collection of quiltsspanning one hundred years and madeexclusively in Mississippi.

Libby had no idea how unique herquilts were until that day. After the eventshe stated, “I took five quilts, which wasthe limit. It was a slow day, so I took fivemore, then five more. By the time thequilt-sharing was over, I had taken twenty-nine quilts to be documented.” Out of hercollection, totaling over fifty, this bookwas born.

The book includes forty-four color,full-spread photographs of the Shaiferquilts. Many family photos are included inthe book and are a nice touch as you readtheir stories. The chronological placementof quilt photographs allows readers to seean evolution of popular styles; utilitarian,complexly pieced, crazy fad, appliqué anddecorative kits.

Both Johnson and Vickers are well-versed in the history of quilts and arealways eager to share with an audience.Carol Vickers, a Decatur resident, is a

current member of the MississippiHumanities Speaker’s Bureau. A “mustsee” event occurs when the two meet fora shared audience. Their friendship, likethe Shaifer pinwheels and nine patches, isthreaded together beautifully.

This book is recommended for publicand academic libraries. It appeals to histo-ry buffs, genealogy researchers, artists,crafters and any serious Mississippianacollector.

Maggie Moran

Public Services & Reference LibrarianNorthwest MS Community College

— ◆ —

Libby, David J. Slavery and FrontierMississippi, 1720–1835. Jackson: Uni-versity Press of Mississippi, 2004. 163pp. $42.00 (cloth binding)

Margaret Mitchell’s Gone with theWind may have given a romanticizedview of the antebellum South, but DavidJ. Libby’s Slavery and Frontier Mississip-pi, 1720–1835 exposes the sadistic reali-ty of the unjust and inhumane treatmentof slaves in the colonial to pre-Civil WarSouthern United States.

Libby focuses on slavery in Mississippiduring the period of 1720–1835, cover-ing the Spanish, French, and Englishcolonies and U.S. territories until earlystatehood. Some studies viewed Missis-sippi as “a culture frozen in time,” assum-ing that slavery or race relations in Missis-sippi were “static and unchanging.” Libbyargues that “slavery took many shapes inMississippi before it became the institu-tion stereotyped in so much scholarshipstudying the later antebellum period,” andthat this evolution spanned over one hun-dred years. Libby recognizes that in theearly colonial period, the French, Span-ish, Natchez Indians, Choctaw Indians,and the Senegambians in West Africa(where most of the slaves brought to theLower Mississippi Valley came from) allhad their own social construction of slav-ery. Natchez, Choctaw and Senegam-bians defined slavery in terms of member-ship in (or exclusion from) society. The

relationship between slave-owners andslaves was social rather than economic.

European colonial slavery, on theother hand, was economically driven.They brought with them people theythought were well-suited to enslavement.Slaves for them were property to beowned and protected. While there was noeconomic incentive to keep slaves in theformer system, with the growth anddemand of agricultural industry in Missis-sippi, slavery in Mississippi evolved as “apart of economic system related to Euro-pean colonization that created a transat-lantic marketplace.”

Unlike other topical or thematic stud-ies on slavery, this work examines slaveryin Mississippi with an emphasis on issuesof cultural exchanges and migrations,work patterns, economic transformations,slave communities, and planter ideologyin a chronological approach. The authoruses extensive primary and secondarysources to meticulously document andsupport his views on slavery in Mississippiin the colonial and early national periods.His analysis of runaway slaves advertisedin the Natchez Mississippi Messengerbetween 1805 and 1808 is a goodexample of the analytical research methodused in this study.

This book is highly recommended forall public and academic libraries in Missis-sippi and to all readers who are interestedin slavery in the United States.

Daisy Cheng

Head of CatalogingUniversity of Mississippi

— ◆ —

Huffman, Alan. Mississippi in Africa:The Saga of the Slaves of Prospect HillPlantation and Their Legacy in LiberiaToday. New York: Gotham Books,2004. 328 pp. $27.00 (cloth)

More a narrative than a history of aMississippi family, Mississippi in Africa:The Saga of the Slaves of Prospect HillPlantation and Their Legacy in LiberiaToday is a story that begins with the last

About Books




will of Isaac Ross: planter, slaveholder,philanthropist and, ultimately, abolitionist.Upon his death in 1836, he stipulates inhis last will that the majority of his slavesare to be emancipated and allowed toemigrate to the new American colony ofLiberia on the western coast of Africa ifthey so chose. In addition, from the prof-its of the sale of Prospect Hill, one of histhree plantations in Jefferson County,Mississippi, the freed slaves are to begiven funds to support themselves as theyestablish a new colony called Mississippiin the southern part of Liberia. Ross’ heirsfought to overturn the will, but in 1848,after twelve years of costly litigation, thecourts supported the will, and subse-quently, several hundred freed slavessailed to Liberia.

The author, Alan Huffman, is a Missis-sippian who grew up hearing this familystory. In his quest to document the facts,Huffman interviews several people whoknow the saga of the freed slaves ofProspect Hill, and, as descendents ofboth white and freed black families, theyshare their own versions of the tale. Inaddition to the oral histories handed downthrough the generations and family lettersand diaries, the author also researchedpublic, plantation and cemetery recordsthat proved invaluable in his fact-findingsearch for reliable information to supportthe story.

So what happened to the two hundredor more emancipated slaves who sailed toLiberia, Africa from Prospect Hill in Mis-sissippi? Huffman follows his story toLiberia in 2001 during a window of rela-t ive calm in the war-torn country.Through personal interviews with descen-dents, the author found that the freedblack families who arrived in Liberia in1848 encountered hardships, povertyand disease, and many died in the earlyyears. Those that survived, however,established a colony that in many waysreplicated the life they had known in Mis-sissippi by building fine, beautiful neo-classical Greek revival homes, establish-ing their own plantations with slave orindentured labor, and introducing a repre-sentative democratic style of governmentfor themselves. For 133 years, the Ameri-co-Liberians held power in Liberia untilthe descendents of the indigenous tribal

peoples revolted and overthrew their gov-ernment in the 1980s. Liberia still suffersfrom the aftermath of these troubled yearsand many members of the black colonialclass wish to immigrate to America asthere is a close idyllic bond with Americaand they take pride in their connection tothe United States.

This is highly readable narrative abouta little known event in nineteenth centuryJefferson County, Mississippi history, thelegacy of one family, and the fierce desirefor freedom. The author enlightens ourhistorical understanding of nineteenthcentury Mississippi and its impact on thecivil conflicts of colonial and modern Mis-sissippi in the African country of Liberia.The book includes an index and a list ofresources consulted. This book is highlyrecommended for public libraries and col-lections that support Mississippi historyand African American studies.

Ann Branton

Head of Bibliographic ServicesThe University of Southern Mississippi

— ◆ —

Ward, Cynthia. Sometimes There’s aDove. Kingsport, TN: Twilight TimesBooks, 2002, 2004. 164 pp. $14.95,(soft cover).

Poverty surrounds Claire but she wit-nesses strength. She finds friends amongstrangers and love within her family. Inher debut novel, Sometimes There’s aDove, Cynthia Ward uses Claire’s youth-ful voice to tell the story of a poor, share-cropper family, trying to survive in Missis-sippi during the early days of World WarII. Claire’s story reveals a history of a peo-ple with hard times, strong backbones,and the desire to make an honest living tosupport their families. She often sharesantidotes, sometimes humorous, some-times serious, about the children andadults who touch her young life.

Intrigued by the tales of her mother’slife as the daughter of a poor Mississippisharecropper during the 1940’s, Wardintroduces young Claire, a girl with a lovefor life and an uncanny observation forthe details of the lives around her. In thissweet coming of age story, Claire portrays

a kinder side of poverty where families arestrong and caring when life is rough andeveryone has to pull together for support.

The characters in Sometimes There’sa Dove portray likeable, real-life personas.Their contributions help make Claire’s lifefull and enjoyable while giving the readera chuckle or two. Ward has produced awell-written fiction which makes for anenjoyable read. She leaves the readeruplifted and wanting more.

Sometimes There’s a Dove by Cyn-thia Ward is recommended for all Missis-sippi libraries with an interest in fiction,history, and family values. Though theauthor does not call her work Christianfiction, it is truly moral fiction that willtouch any heart.

Donna Phelps Fite

Purvis Branch ManagerLamar County Library System

— ◆ —

Eakin, William R. Redgunk Tales:Apocalypse and Kudzu from Redgunk,Mississippi. Montpelier: Invisible CitiesPress, 2001. 272 pp. $14.95 (paper-back)

Welcome to Redgunk, Mississippi,population “somewhere between twohundred and four hundred people,depending on which story you read.” Toyour left you’ll see Uncle Joe’s Museumof Science and Egyptology. Over there isOrange Decker, a local UFO abductee,and that woman he’s talking to is OpalineRedon, handbell player for the ChristianLadies Auxiliary of First Mount ZionChristian Church of Redgunk. If you lis-ten real hard you might even be able tomake out the distant sound of Moe Hart’sghost mowing his forty acres with a 3.75horsepower Murray Model 83 pushmower from Walmart.

Arkansas native William R. Eakin cre-ates a fictional landscape that is a crossbetween Rod Sterling’s Twilight Zoneand Ray Bradbury’s Martian Chroniclesand sets it in the Deep South. While Flan-nery O’Connor may have claim on the“Christ-haunted South,” Eakin’s Missis-sippi town is just plain haunted. Mixing

(continued on page 17)



Anita Walton Moore, the HeadLibrarian at Rust College’s LeontynePrice Library, will receive the MississippiHumanities Council Teacher Award at the2006 Mississippi Humanities Councilbanquet in Jackson, Mississippi, for herpresentation on “Rust College SpecialCollections: The Travels of a Librarian.”She will also be traveling to China as aFulbright Scholar in June 2006.

— ◆ —

Glenice Stone,librarian at NortheastMississippi Communi-ty College, and herhusband Bill Stone,who teaches oral com-munication and philos-ophy classes atNEMCC, have beenselected by the Missis-s ippi Humanit iesCouncil to receive thisyear’s Chair Award.The MHC ChairAward “is presented toan individual, group,or institution for spe-cial achievements inthe humanities. Thisaward can recognize a program or projectof extraordinary quality or an individual,institution or corporation that has madean outstanding contribution to support thepublic humanities.” The letter receivedfrom MHC informing them of this awardsaid that the committee “cites in particularyour many years of ground-breaking workwith the annual humanities forum atNortheast and the presentation at lastyear’s Modern Language Associationconference outlining the long-term collab-oration between the state council and acommunity college to bring quality pro-gramming to a rural area with few culturalopportunities.” Their award was present-

ed on Friday, February 3, 2006, at theJackson Hilton at the Mississippi Humani-ties Council’s annual awards dinner.

— ◆ —

Mary Perkins ,Public Affairs/Devel-opment Officer for theHancock CountyLibrary System, hasbeen named to theHancock CountyChamber’s 2006Leadership Class. The purpose of Leader-ship 2006 is to develop leadership skillsfor Hancock County business leaders andenhance their knowledge of countyresources. The class meets once a monthfor a year, and will explore resourcessuch as Stennis Space Center.

— ◆ —

Prima Plauché,Hancock CountyLibrary System Direc-tor, is a member of theHancock CountyCommittee for theGovernor’s Committeeon Recovery, Rebuild-ing and Renewal. The mission of theCommission is to give local leaders onthe Gulf Coast and South Mississippiaccess to ideas and information that willhelp them decide what their town, county,and region will look like in the future.

— ◆ —

Former Como l ibrarian Maggie

Moran has been hired at Northwest Mis-sissippi Community College’s R.C. Pugh

Library. Moran, whocame to Northwest inAugust 2005 as a parttime public service andreference l ibrarian,began in that capacityfull time at the begin-ning of the spring2006 semester.

Before coming to Northwest, she spentnine years as library manager at the EmilyJ. Pointer Library in Como. “I am an activereader who loves to share books with oth-ers,” Moran said. While at the library inComo, she began writing a column aboutbooks for the Southern Reporter in Sardis.She is currently contributing a weekly com-mentary on available books free to localnewspapers in the counties served by thecollege as an outreach from the library. “Ihave an interest in promoting literacy andletting people know of interesting booksthat are out there,” Moran said.

Margaret Rogers, Director of LearningResources at Northwest said, “We aredelighted to have Maggie. She is commit-ted to encouraging people of all ages toread for fun and for information on newand interesting books to the communityNorthwest serves.” Moran was born inMineral Wells, Texas, and grew up in Gal-latin, Tenn. She received a bachelor’sdegree in aerospace management fromMiddle Tennessee State University. Anavid pilot, she worked as an air traffic con-troller for six years. She received her mas-ter’s in library and information servicesfrom the University of Alabama this year.During the time she was library manager inComo, she wrote grants for the communityof Como totaling over $20,000 and host-ed eleven traveling exhibits. She was amember of the Como Rotary Club from1997 to 2004 and is currently a memberof the Mississippi Library Association,American Library Association and PublicLibrary Association. Moran enjoys reading,flying, gardening, walking for fitness andcaring for her four dogs and one cat. Sheand her husband Pete live in Como. �

People in the News

Glenice Stone

Mary Perkins

Maggie Moran

Prima Plauché

Bill Stone



OCTOBER 26, 2005

Board members attending:

Susan Cassagne, PresidentCatherine Nathan, Vice President/President-electCarol Green, TreasurerLinda Milner, SecretaryJennifer Smith, Public Libraries ChairJohn Whitlock, Special LibrariesRandy Sherard, Trustee Chair Robert Lipscomb, ALA CouncilorJuanita Flanders, Past President

Others in attendance:

Mary Julia Anderson, MLA Executive SecretaryJeff Slagell, 2007 Vice President/President-elect Molly Signs, Web Page ChairTisha Zelner, Mississippi LibrariesSherry Laughlin, Mississippi LibrariesDaisy Cheng, Membership Committee Co-ChairElizabeth Stephan, Mississippi Libraries Mary Edmond, Friends of Mississippi LibrariesJane Stauble, Mississippi Author’s Award ChairAlison Mays

MLA President, Susan Cassagne, called the meetingto order at 10:00 a.m. in the meeting room of theRidgeland Public Library. The agenda was present-ed and a quorum was declared.

OFFICER AND STAFF REPORTS

President Cassagne asked voting members of theboard if they had received the August 19, 2005minutes. Everyone agreed that they had receivedthe minutes. A motion was made and seconded toaccept the minutes as presented. The motion passedunanimously.

� Treasurer Report

Carol Green gave a financial report for August,September, and October. A copy of the finan-cial report was distributed to the board. Fourexhibitors requested refunds fees due to cancel-lation of the MLA Convention. The financialreport was accepted by the board.

� President Report

Susan Cassagne reported that the MLA Con-vention to be held in Vicksburg in October wascancelled due to Hurricane Katrina. She report-ed that she had attended the ALA Conference inChicago and had a wonderful time.

� Vice President Report

Catherine Nathan reported there had been awonderful conference planned for 2005 but due

to Hurricane Katrina it was cancelled. Tunicawill be the site for the 2006 MLA Conference.

� ALA Councilor Report

Robert Lipscomb reported that libraries all overthe country had been kind in sending theirregrets over the destruction of Mississippilibraries. He stated that he had received a phonecall from the ALA president informing him thatAmerican Libraries is planning a feature storyabout the lost of coastal libraries.

� SELA Report

A written report was submitted by Mary BethApplin, SELA representative.

� ML Co-Editor Report

Sherry Laughlin reported that the fall issue ofML was only about a week late due to Hurri-cane Katrina. Elizabeth Stephan, editor for2006, stated there will be a special section inthe ML winter issue relating to the destruction oflibraries due to Hurricane Katrina. The springissue will be devoted to school libraries and thefall issue will be related to the recovery oflibraries due to the hurricane. Elizabeth reportedthe following editors with ML will be: LaurenYoung, assistant editor; Tisha Zelner, copy edi-tor; and Christina Torbert, book review editor.

� Executive Secretary Report

Mary Julia Anderson reported that she is mov-ing in November into the MLA office, housed inthe new MLC building. MLC is moving theMLA materials.

SECTION REPORTS

� School Libraries Report

A written report was submitted by Bettie Coxrelating to the Dollar General grants.

� Special Libraries Report

John Whitlock presented a report.

ROUNDTABLE AND COMMITTEE

REPORTS

� Friends of Mississippi Libraries Report

Mary Edmond gave a report on Rebuilding Mis-sissippi Library Fund. She is encouragingFriends chapters to donate money.

� Membership Report

Daisy Cheng reported that the MLA member-ship form has been updated on the MLA Website.

� Fiscal Management Report

Jennifer Smith, co-chair, stated that plans are inthe making for a fiscal management meeting.

� Web Page Report

Molly Signs made the motion to move the MLAlist serve back to USM. Jennifer Smith second-ed the motion and the motion carried.

OLD BUSINESS

The l is ts of members of each Sect ion andRoundtable are now avai lable by sect ion orroundtable on the MLA Web site.

NEW BUSINESS

Randy Sherard made a motion that the current MLAofficers continue in their present positions for anotheryear. Robert Lipscomb seconded the motion. Therecommendation for the motion came from a formerpresident who felt that, because of the events result-ing in the need to cancel the 2005 Conference, andin the best interest of the continuity of MLA, this wasthe best solution. After some discussion during whichseveral officers, including the vice president/presi-dent-elect voiced approval, the president called for avote and the motion passed with Juanita Flanders,MLA Past President, casting the only dissenting vote.

President Cassagne recommended that each sectionand roundtable make their own decision regardingtheir officers.

Catherine Nathan made a motion to hold the 2007MLA Conference in Vicksburg. Randy Sherard andJuanita Flanders seconded the motion. The motioncarried. Randy Sherard will negotiate the necessarycontracts.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Susan Cassagne reported the MLA office now haswireless capability.

The new address for MLA is: P.O. Box 13687,Jackson, MS 39236.

The date of the next MLA board meeting will beDecember 16, 2005 at the new MLC building.

ADJOURNMENT

There being no further business by the Board, amotion was made, seconded and unanimously passedto adjourn. The board adjourned at 11:45 a.m.

Respectfully submitted,Linda MilnerSecretary �

MLA Executive Board MeetingMinutes



ABOUT BOOKS(continued from page 14)

the mundane and ignorant with elementslike aliens, mythical creatures, psychics,spirits, and mummies, these tales arewoven together with a common geogra-phy. Each story trails fingers of familiarlandmarks and faces into the other sothat, even though this is a book of shortstories, they are interlocked in a way thatmakes this feel more like a novel.

The author’s writing style draws thereader in and often moves into aFaulkneresque style of poetic writing withrun-on sentences creating images andfeelings that cannot be conveyed withmere prose fiction. In the story “MeadowSong,” an elderly Redgunk nativereunites with the spirit of his disabled wife:

And my body lurches, as if theheart has stopped, again, complete-ly – no, as if some devil has rippedfrom me and away, and the scalesbefore my eyes have fallen aside,and I do not have to peer throughphysical cataracts to try to see you,or to see glimpses of you from thecorners of my eye there in thewoods or there among the freshcolumbines or bending to pick thestalks of poke salat. I see you,Laura. I see that you are close.Even readers who normally avoid sci-

ence fiction and fantasy may enjoy thebeauty of Eakin’s imagery, his under-standing of human nature and his atten-tion to detail. The author is able to takethe ordinary and give it a polish thatmakes it shine bright enough to rival thepresence of the supernatural in each ofthese tales.

Eakin has published previously inmagazines like Realms of Fantasy, Amaz-ing Stories and Science Fiction Age.Many of his stories are award-winningand he has been recommended for theNebula Award. This book is recommend-ed for public libraries and academiclibraries that have an interest in collectingscience fiction.

Adrienne Lee

Information Services LibrarianThe University of Southern Mississippi �

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

LLA Annual ConferenceLafayette, LAMarch 28-30, 2006http://www.llaonline.org/ne/lla_conference.php

National Library WeekApril 2-8, 2006http://www.ala.org/ala/pio/campaign/nlw/NLW.htm

TLA/SELA Joint ConferenceMemphis, TNApril 5-7, 2006http://www.tnla.org/displayconvention.cfm

ALLA Annual ConventionFlorence, ALApril 25-28, 2006http://allanet.org/www/convention/index.htm

ALA Annual ConferenceNew Orleans, LAJune 22-28, 2006http://www.ala.org/ala/eventsandconferencesb/annual/2006a/

2006an.htm

MLA Annual ConferenceTunica, MSOctober 24-27, 2006http://www.misslib.org/activities/conf/index.php


MISSISSIPPI LIBRARY ASSOCIATION

MEMBERSHIP FORMMembership Year January-December 2006

� New Membership � Renewal

Name _______________________________________Mailing address ____________________________________________________________________________City_____________________ State ___ Zip_________Position______________________________________Library ______________________________________Home Phone __________________________________Business Phone ________________________________Fax _________________________________________E-mail _______________________________________

One of the primary forms of communication between MLA andits members is the MLA listserv. As a member of the MLA list-serv you will receive important announcements from MLA viaemail and be able to discuss library related issues with yourpeers. If you are not already a MLA listserv member, can weadd your email address to the listserv? � Sign me up! � I decline

A. MEMBERSHIP TYPES

Membership (Any person currently working in a library orinformation center. Mark by salary range.)

$0 to $9,999 $15 per year $________$10,000 to $19,999 $25 per year $________$20,000 to $29,999 $35 per year $________$30,000 to $39,999 $45 per year $________$40,000 to $49,999 $50 per year $________$50,000 to $59,999 $55 per year $________$60,000 or above $60 per year $________Student (2 Year Limit)

Full or Part-time $10 per year $________Retired $15 per year $________Trustee $15 per year $________Friend of Library $15 per year $________Institutional Membership $45 per year $________Vendor $40 per year $________Lifetime membership

One-time Payment $1000 $________Installment Plan

(Payable in increments of a minimum of $200 each

year until paid in full) $________A. MEMBERSHIP TYPES SUBTOTAL $________

http://www.misslib.org/

601.981.4586 • Fax 601.981.4501

B. SECTIONS

Enter “FREE” for one section membership (Enter $6.00 for Additional Sections)Academic (ACRL) $_________Public $_________School $_________Special $_________Trustee $_________B. SECTIONS SUBTOTAL $_________

C. ROUNDTABLES

Join one or more roundtables for opportunities in professionalgrowth $3.00 EACH.

ANRT $_________(Automation and Networking)

BLACK CAUCUS $_________ECTRT $_________

(Educational Communication and Tech)GODORT $_________

(Government Documents)LIRT $_________

(Library Instruction)NMRT $_________

(New Members)SCRT $_________

(Special Collections)TSRT $_________

(Technical Services)2YCRT $_________

(2 Year College)YPSRT $_________

(Young People’s Services)C. ROUNDTABLES SUBTOTAL $_________

D. SCHOLARSHIPS

Donation to Peggy May Scholarship $_________Donation to Virgia Brock-Shedd Scholarship $_________D. SCHOLARSHIP SUBTOTAL $_________

GRAND MLA TOTAL

(DUES GRAND TOTAL (A+B+C) AND

SCHOLARSHIP D) $_________

___ Check enclosed (Make payable to Mississippi LibraryAssociation and mail to MLA, P.O. Box 13687, Jackson MS39236-3687). All dues include subscription to Mississippi

Libraries.

___ Please charge my MLA dues to my:� VISA � MasterCard

Account Number _______________________________Expiration Date_________________________________Signature_____________________________________

Dues must be paid by March 1 in order to receive the Spring issue of Mississippi Libraries and for annual election of officers. MLA may at timessupply its membership list to professional organizations or library vendors. � Check the box if you do not want your name included.

(Revised 11/05)


Mississippi Library AssociationP.O. Box 13687Jackson, Mississippi 39236-3687

NON-PROFITORGANIZATIONU. S. POSTAGE

P A I D

PERMIT NO. 312HATTIESBURG, MISSISSIPPI
