Mississippi Libraries Vol

Volume 82, No. 1 Spring 2019 Mississippi Libraries Vol. 82 No. 1 • Spring 2019 Page 1

Editorial Staff Contents President’s Page...... 2 Editor Tina Harry National Library Week Proclamation...... 3 Catalog & Asst. Automation Librarian The University of Mississippi Working, But Not For All...... 4 [email protected] Monica M. Tompkins

Two Mississippi Writers...... 10 Assistant Editor Tracy Carr Tracey Bailey Library Services Bureau Director SLIS Notes...... 18 Mississippi Library Commission [email protected] Teresa S. Welsh People in the News...... 21

Copy Editor News Briefs...... 22 Audrey Beach Resource Librarian Book Reviews...... 23 Mississippi Delta Community College How We Bury Our Dead [email protected] Promise: A Novel The Graceland Conspiracy News Reporter Carol Green The Desegregation of Public Libraries in the Jim Crow South Interim Head of Technical Services University of Southern Mississippi [email protected]

Book Review Editor Michele Frasier-Robinson Education and Human Sciences Librarian University of Southern Mississippi [email protected]

MLA Reporter Janessa Ullendorf On the cover: True Colors by Braley Reed, Assistant System Admin / PIO / Webmaster at Madison Circulation/Media Specialist County Library System Univeristy of Southern Mississippi Gulf Coast The True Colors piece symbolizes integrity and the beauty we can achieve when we endeavor to [email protected] show our true selves. Most of us live behind a mask, never really putting ourselves out there in fear of rejection or abandonment because of our weaknesses and flaws. But this work of art dares us to come out behind the mask and show the world who we truly are, flaws and all, because even our Indexer flaws and weakness can be used for the greater good. Kristin Rogers Electronic Resources & Discovery Librarian Mississippi Libraries is a quarterly, open access publication of the Mississippi Library The University of Mississippi Association (MLA). The articles, reports, and features herein represent viewpoints of [email protected] their respective authors and are not necessarily the official options of the Association. In order to assure the widest possible audience for the works published in Mississippi Libraries, the work is added, by contractual agreement, to one or more EBSCO Publishing databases. Mississippi Libraries is also indexed in Library Literature and Information Science Abstracts. For more informaton, visit http://misslib.org/publications Mississippi Libraries Vol. 82 No. 1 • Spring 2019 Page 2

2019 Executive Board President’s Page President Sarah Crisler-Ruskey MLA leaders and members have Director been very busy in the last several Harrison County Public Library System months working to advance library support and visibility. Advocacy ef- Vice-President Mary Beth Applin forts targeting our state lawmakers District Dean of Learning Resources have gotten great coverage by the Hinds Community College press, which we certainly hope will Secretary yield positive returns. At our Legis- Victoria Penny lative Day Jan. 31, organized by Leg- Instructional Librarian islative Chair, Meredith Wickham, Northwest Miss. Community College Director of First Regional Library joining them for Library Day on Treasurer System, MLA members and officers March 12. These combined and sus- Jennifer Wann were interviewed by a reporter from tained efforts help us be heard by Director the Associated Press, who took no- Bolivar County Library System decision-makers, and lead to better tice of the oversized pennies on support for all Mississippi libraries. Immediate Past President display. These effective props were To enhance our communications Sarah Mangrum created by National Library Week Access Services Librarian and with legislators, we recently worked Assistant Clinical Professor Chair and Public Relations Officer with ALA to set up Engage software University Libraries (USM) at First Regional Library System, that allows members and supporters David Brown. The enormous pen- ALA Councilor to easily contact their elected offi- Ellen Ruffin nies were intended to underscore cials via email and to be “virtual ad- Curator, de Grummond Children’s this year’s theme: “My Two Cents,” vocates.” We hope this added means Literature Collection based on ALA data that nationwide, McCain Library and Archives of promoting our message will assist libraries receive less than two cents in our work to ensure strong sup- SELA Councilor per tax dollar. In Mississippi, that port for libraries. Ashley S. Dees amount is even lower. The AP arti- On the national level, ALA altered Research & Instruction Librarian cle appeared in several local news- University of Mississippi Libraries their Advocacy Day plans, holding papers throughout the state, ampli- an event from Feb. 25-27 separate Section Chairs fying our advocacy message. from the usual Mid-Winter and An- Association of College and Research Besides informing the media, li- nual meetings. Meredith Wickham Libraries (ACRL) Section Chair brarians and supporters set up in- Kristy Bariola attended on behalf of MLA. She formation stations in the Rotunda and state association leaders from Public Library Section Chair at the Capitol highlighting exciting around the country met with con- Antoinette Giamalva programs and work being done gressional leaders and staff to talk School Library Section Chair around the state. In between visiting about library needs. Jeanette Whisenton the chambers, MLA members met I attended ALA’s Mid-Winter with representatives from around Special Libraries Section Chair Conference in Seattle Jan. 25-29. We Sheila Cork the state. In addition, MLA was rec- had an informative Chapter Lead- ognized in the House and Senate, ers’ Workshop that gave us many Trustees Section Chair and pies were delivered to legislators Rickey Jones productive ideas for recruiting and to remind them of Mississippi librar- engaging members that I will be For more information, visit: ies when cutting up the tax-funding sharing with our board. http://misslib.org/Executive-Board pie. We were pleased to have MLC I hope that you will join use in Executive Director, Hulen Bivens, advocating for Mississippi libraries and MLC staff on hand to support and for our important mission. our efforts, and we look forward to Mississippi Libraries Vol. 82 No. 1 • Spring 2019 Page 3

National Library Week Proclamation Mississippi Libraries Vol. 82 No. 1 • Spring 2019 Page 4 Working, But Not For All A Webometric Study of Disability Information on the Web Sites of Mississippi’s Community College Libraries

Monica M. Tompkins violation of the many laws in place benefits from a site, system, or appli- Student to provide and protect them. cation. Accessibility is an important SLIS, University of Southern Mississippi part of the designing your site and Statement of Problem should be considered throughout The purpose of this study is to INTRODUCTION the development process. Section examine academic library websites Disabilities can range from phys- 508 is the governing principle and of the 15 community colleges in the ical, mental, intellectual, and sen- it requires that all government in- state of Mississippi for information sory. Within each type of disabili- formation be accessible to disabled related to each library's disability, more specific issues exist, some users.” (Accessibility basics, 2018) ty-related services, programs, and seen, and some are unseen. A dis- Americans with Disabilities Act technologies. ability should not hinder a person (ADA): This law came into existence from living an independent lifestyle. Research Questions in 1990 to require the United States Provisions must be made for them. R1. How accessible are the 15 government and businesses to pro- People with disabilities have rights community college websites in the vide and protect the civil rights of that are sometimes overlooked in state of Mississippi, based on acces- individuals with disabilities. (ADA, many professions including librari- sibility software? 2018) anship. The library is a place of ser- R2. What types of Web 2.0 tools Assistive Technology: is any type vice and in order to serve people are available on the 15 communi- of devise used to help a person with with disabilities, librarians must be ty college websites in the state of a disability. (ECTACenter.org, 2018) prepared. There are physical as well Mississippi? Individuals with Disabilities: “An as virtual responsibilities to provide R3. What kinds of directional individual with a disability is de- assistance to people with disabilities. (maps for handicap access) infor- fined by the ADA as a person who The convenience of the Internet mation do these libraries offer, if has a physical or mental impairment being fast, organized, simple, and any? that substantially limits one or more flexible, all seems so grand, but what R4. What indication is there, major life activities, a person who about those that need to connect an if any, that these libraries offer li- has a history or record of such an assistive technology device to read, brarian assistance for users with impairment, or a person who is per- or voice to text? Web developers disabilities? ceived by others as having such an and librarians tend to leave out or R5. What types of equipment or impairment.” (A Guide to Disability lack provisions for people with dis- forms of assistive technology are Rights Laws, 2018) abilities on websites. Bruyere (2008) available for users with disabilities World Wide Web Consortium noted that web designers and librar- in this study? (W3C): “The World Wide Web Con- ians must not assume that average sortium (W3C) is an international persons are the only ones using the Definitions organization committed to improv- website. People with disabilities have Academic Library: “Academic Li- ing the web. W3C sets standards for devices that help them to function brary is defined as the library asso- the World Wide Web (WWW) to in society, if creators and designers ciated with a degree-granting insti- facilitate interoperability and coop- provide a path for them to have ac- tution of higher education.” (ALA eration among all web stakehold- cess. Web designers should be aware Academic Libraries, 2018) ers.” (Techopedia, n.d.) that not providing access for people Accessible: “Accessibility focuses Web Content Accessibility Guide- with disabilities is discrimination or on how a disabled person accesses or lines (WCAG): “to create Web Mississippi Libraries Vol. 82 No. 1 • Spring 2019 Page 5 content that is perceivable, operable LITERATURE REVIEW examined accessibility with the and understandable by the broadest According to Bruyere (2008), software Bobby, which identifies el- possible range of users and compat- community colleges receive more ements not in accordance with the ible with their wide range of assis- students with disabilities than any WCAG guidelines and the Section tive technologies, now and in the other institution of higher edu- 508 standard. They go on to explain future.” (American Library Assoc- cation. Community colleges have what makes an accessible website ciation, n.d.) a variety of career and technical which are “provision of ALT tags for Webometrics: is known as cyber- programs, workforce development nontextual elements, such as imag- metrics, which studies the Internet programs, educational outreach es, animations and image map hot as a tool. “Description and evalu- services, and academic programs spots; meaningful link text; logical ation of the impact of the Internet to offer all students. With the many and persistent page organization, as a scholarly communication tool, programs offered by community and the inclusion of skip naviga- primarily by means of quantitative colleges, students with disabilities tion links” (Schmetzke & Comeaux, analysis of Web-based scholarly and can find their niche. However, to 2009). scientific communications.” (Reitz, find that niche, all students have to This research continued to re- 2018) access the academic library’s web- veal barriers that hinder website and redesign of website accessibil- Delimitations site as well as the college’s website. Library websites include a collection ity over a period of time. Cassner, This study does not include com- of resources that all students, includ- Maxey-Harris, and Anaya (2011) munity college websites in general, ing students with disabilities, should examined all services provided in but only the library web pages. It be able to access from anywhere. academic libraries for people with does not include a review of data- disabilities and delivered sugges- bases for assistive technology capa- The Web is the standard way in- tions. Many of the discussions de- bilities nor what databases are avail- formation is retrieved, sent, and livered solutions to situations that able or not available. stored (Smith, 2014). Being that it has become the standard, guidelines are commonly missed in the library Assumptions are in place to create equal access far as providing for people with dis- For the purpose of this study, it for all (Smith, 2014). Bruyere (2008) abilities. An observance made by is assumed that the community col- noted that the lack of accessibility on Cassner, Maxey-Harris, and Anaya leges may or may not have complete college websites can hinder students (2011) noted that it is a need for staff and fully-functional websites with with disabilities from receiving the training on assisting people with accurate and complete information. necessities needed to advance in an disabilities. They recommended A list of Mississippi community col- education. She shared how some that library staff receive “attitudinal lege websites is provided in Appen- community colleges complied and training, equipment training, ser- dix A. how some did not comply with the vice training, and legal information Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act on the ADA requirements.” Importance of Study of 1973 and went on to expound on Many laws are in place to assist This study is important because the difference in usability and acces- students with disabilities in life, es- community colleges hold the largest sibility of a website. Bruyere (2008) pecially in education. Green (2009) number of students with disabilities conducted a study with Cornell re- reviewed policies and procedures in attendance, seeking to advance searchers who used webaccesstool- that academic libraries should have in their education (Bruyere, 2008). kit.org to pinpoint inadequate fea- in place to cater to students with dis- Even though all students need to tures of community college websites abilities. These policies and proce- use the academic library on cam- and ensure assistive devices have dures address the accessibility of the pus, students with disabilities need access. This is also a recommended library websites and physical com- assistance to retrieve documents, software by the World Wide Web ponents as well. Green (2009) ex- research, copy, use assistive tech- Consortium (W3C) (Swan, 2008). plained that the Rehabilitation Act nologies, special assistance, etc. Schmetzke and Comeaux (2009) of 1973, Americans with Disabilities (Bruyere, 2008). Mississippi Libraries Vol. 82 No. 1 • Spring 2019 Page 6

Act (ADA), Tech Act, Carl D. Per- by allowing persons with visual issue and laws are in place to ensure kins Vocational and Applied Tech- impaired disabilities to test them. people with disabilities receive ac- nology Education Act Amendments Power and LeBeau (2009) suggested cess. Even though the government and the Office of Civil Rights (OCR) that academic libraries to turn up is involved, many organizations along with who and what are under the heat on vendors and hold them are advocating for web accessibili- each act. Cases were also used as accountable for quality databases ty. Web designers must provide the examples to exemplify how the that provide usability and accessibil- access on the website, so everyone law is applied. Schmetzke and Co- ity to the students with disabilities. can live with technology in the 21st meaux (2009) looked into the re- According to Parmanto and Zeng century. quirements for website meeting the (2005), to assess websites a host needs of people with disabilities. To of metrics are needed to examine METHODOLOGY ensure websites conformed to the the size, depth, rigor, and compo- The methodology of this research W3C’s Web Accessibility Guidelines nents involved in the makeup of was a webometric analysis. Each (WCAG) and the Section 508 of the web pages. The checkpoints that re- community college library website Rehabilitation Act were used. veal reliable websites were derived in the state of Mississippi was viewed Erickson, Trerise, VanLooy, Lee, from the Web Content Accessibili- and information recorded for the and Bruyere (2009) explained that ty Guidelines 1.0 (WCAG) and the components asked in the research common action created for every- Section 508 Guidelines, which in- questions. The data for this study one, but it was not well-thought tertwine to produce three confor- were recorded in a Microsoft Excel out to provide access to all, can lead mance levels. These levels are the table with headings in each column: to or be discrimination. Erickson, approval ratings for tested websites accessibility, publicity (attracting Trerise, VanLooy, Lee, and Bruyere giving people with disabilities cer- individuals with disabilities), con- (2009) viewed the mandatory use of tainty to use with limited flaws. In tact information to a person famil- websites that are in many cases in- related studies, Bobby was used, an iar with specific for disabilities, des- accessible as “a discriminatory envi- automatic assessment tool that al- ignated areas for individuals with ronment for students with disabili- lows comparison of website objects disabilities on website, and online ties.” Students with disabilities need and it produces results of either ac- tutorials. Basically, a table for each the assistance in the online environ- cessible or inaccessible. However, question to address the dynamics of ment that colleges are so adamant Parmanto and Zeng (2005) believes websites in detail. about in the 21st century. Erickson, that reliable web accessibility met- Data Collection and Analysis Trerise, VanLooy, Lee, and Bruyere rics should include the following: (2009) conducted a research study quantitative scores, resulting values The information was obtained to determine the magnitude of the that give an accurate gauge of web- from the Mississippi community Internet-provided services, to re- site performance, consider the size college websites listed in Appendix veal student accessibility and us- and rigorous development of the A. The webaccesssibility.com soft- ability, and to focus on making In- websites, and use a scale to evaluate ware evaluated the websites for ac- ternet-based services better on the various sizes. Parmanto and Zeng cessibility. After each community community college campus. (2005) noted that measuring is the college website address was entered in the software a report was printed Power and LeBeau’s (2009) re- best way to enhance scientific re- and compared with others. search deals with visually-impaired search of website accessibility. students using the databases on The 21st century is about technol- Procedures academic library websites and the ogy, where everyone is getting tech The Mississippi community col- caliber of their needs being met. savvy. However, everyone cannot be lege website's homepages were ex- This research included vendors that tech savvy unless access is given to amined, looking for useful links on deliver the major databases for aca- people with disabilities because they the homepage, menus, web tutori- demic library websites and whether may need to use a device to commu- als, and tools to assist students with vendors supported their databases nicate via the Web. This is a serious disabilities. Data were collected and Mississippi Libraries Vol. 82 No. 1 • Spring 2019 Page 7 stored in an Excel spreadsheet, to Figure 1. Web Accessibility Compliance Rating generate tables to show a graphical picture of the data. The academic library websites were analyzed to show accessibility, available tutorials, maps, contact information, etc. Limitations This research was limited to the information posted on the 15 community college websites in the State of Mississippi and the results are not generalizable to community college websites in other states. If a link did not work on the website, the academic library was not contacted. The software to check accessibility was free software that was Internet based. standard level AA has a rating of 95 faculty, and the community. Some to 97; and the highest-level AAA has of the Web 2.0 tools are common Privacy and Ethics a rating of 97 to 100. and some are advanced. Then there Privacy is not an issue, because The software only examines five is the issue of some libraries using the 15 community colleges in the pages of the library website address the bare minimum in Web 2.0 tools State of Mississippi all are public in- given, to show a glimpse of the func- to post tutorials and some using all stitutions with public websites. The tioning of the website and whether the tools to enhance students’ edu- gathering of information did not the website is designed to serve cational experience (Table 1). include any persons nor any risks people with disabilities. This exam- In a majority of the community or issues with confidentiality and/ ination reveals the violations that colleges, the library social media or privacy. This research did not re- hinder people with disabilities from webpage was underdeveloped and quire any clearance from the IRB. fully using the website. After the lacked updated posts. Some libraries software scanned the library web- used the social media logo but the RESULTS sites, a list of violations was generat- page lacks photos as well as past and R1. How accessible are the 15 ed, and a list of the violations labeled present events. One college posted community college websites in the as best practices was displayed along only the hours of operation. The so- state of Mississippi, based on ac- with the number of occurrences for cial media hyperlinks look profes- cessibility software? the organization. From the list of sional on the library website, but it Using the Web Accessibility web- 15 Mississippi Community College, is just a look, not an ongoing cycle site to evaluate the 15 community one of the college websites would that exhibits the library as a place of college websites in the state of Mis- not produce results with the www. learning, excitement, or communi- sissippi showed that few websites webaccessibility.com software. The ty. A popular Web 2.0 tool shared in were close to the level of compliance report was blank. the Mississippi Community College according to the Web Content Ac- libraries is Ask a Librarian, which is cessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0. R2. What types of Web 2.0 tools a live online reference librarian an- None of the websites ranked on the are available on the Mississippi swering questions via the Internet. three levels that exist with Level Ac- community college websites? Some schools call it a different name cess Company (Figure 1). The lev- Mississippi Community Col- such as 24/7 Librarian, Ask a Librar- els are A, AA, and AAA. The low- leges are using Web 2.0 tools to en- ian, or Online Help from a Librari- est level A has a rating of 93-95; the hance library services for students, an. All of these link library patrons Mississippi Libraries Vol. 82 No. 1 • Spring 2019 Page 8

Table 1. Web 2.0 Tools and Number of plan in a pdf file on the library web- converts scanned text to a file. Assis- Mississippi Community Colleges site. The floor plans are limited, only tive technology equipment used in (list in rank order – greatest to least) identifying elevators, restrooms, the library is a mouse called EasyCat Ask a Librarian 8 study areas, and hallways, nothing and scanner. Northwest Communi- to assure people with disabilities ty College has a list of equipment for Facebook 7 that they are a part of the library each library location, and their as- Tutorials 7 community. The other 13 Mississip- sistive technology is a SARA (Scan- Twitter 6 pi Community College libraries do ning & Reading Appliance), which Pinterest 6 not share any type of map nor floor scans the text and reads the text Instagram 5 plan so that patrons will not have to aloud. Northwest Community Col- eBooks 5 dig to discover information about lege has three locations, but SARA is Campus News 4 disability services in the library. If only at the Senatobia location. Film on Demand 4 library patrons with disabilities read Many of the Mississippi Commu- Cloud Apps to Print 4 the available library handbook, in- nity College websites did not have Google Scholar 3 formation is available in paragraph an online handbook or guide to give Overdrive ebooks 3 form about locations of designated details of services for students with Blogs 2 areas for people with disabilities. disabilities. In addition, there are no YouTub e 2 hyperlinks to easily navigate to dis- Flipter 2 R4. Does the library have a li- cover services. If there is any infor- eLibrary 2 brarian with the title, designated mation, it is in paragraph form. Tumbir 1 to assist users with disabilities? LinkedIn 1 After viewing the 15 Mississip- DISCUSSION AND Library Mobile 1 pi Community Colleges websites CONCLUSION Books on the go 1 it showed only one library that has No longer is building access an Homework Help 1 an individual named with a title issue for students with disabilities, that could assist students with dis- Library link in Quick Links 1 but now the issues are compliance abilities. All the other community with the WCAG 2.0. Web Content college websites list general infor- Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 (WCAG directly to the questonpoint.org mation such as the library director, 2.0) and W3C state that websites website to a 24-hour reference li- librarian, and library technical as- must be built so that users can iden- brarian. Even though only some of sistant. Jones County Junior College tify with it, use it, understand the the community colleges have the list the person to assist as Library information and the functions of link, all of the community colleges Assistant ADA Test Accommoda- the website so that it supports many are listed in the dialog box. tion Clerk. users with various needs. Billing- ham (2014) goes on to explain the R3. What kinds of directional R5. What assistive technolo- levels of testing to get the websites (maps for handicap access) infor- gy are available for users with up to standard and above. The low- mation do these libraries offer, if disabilities? est level A, what the community col- any? Many of the community colleges in this study rated, is the level There are maps, but none to iden- leges do not list assistive technol- that more groups may not be able to tify accessibility for people with ogy with easy access on the library use the website fully, level AA there disabilities, such as handicap park- websites. No two community col- is difficulty in using the website, and ing spaces, lifts, ramps, toilets, au- lege libraries have the same equip- at level AAA user will have problems tomated entries, or special seating/ ment. Pearl River Community Col- with information in the document. furniture. Only Coahoma Com- lege uses computer software Jaws, a The results of this study indicate munity College and Jones County screen reader; Dragon, a dictation that the most popular Web 2.0 appli- Community College shared a floor software; and Open Book, which cations on Mississippi community Mississippi Libraries Vol. 82 No. 1 • Spring 2019 Page 9 college library websites is “Ask a Li- Schmetzke (2013) who looked at 56 no one left out. brarian” (53%), followed by library North American academic library With Web 2.0 applications the 24- tutorials and Facebook (47% each). websites for accessibility and design hour librarian link seems to be avail- Only two (13%) of the websites in over a 10-year period, and to those able for all the community colleges, this study had floor plans on their of Smith (2014) who looked at equal but all of the libraries do not provide library websites, and those did not access to public and private aca- a link. Students can go to another include accessibility-related infor- demic library websites in the State community campus library website mation such as handicap parking of Alabama. and use their link to 24-hour librar- spaces, lifts, or ramps. Only one li- To conclude, the community col- ian and choose their college campus brary website in the study (0.07%) lege library is the place, that brings as the location. had a librarian with a designated clarity and closure in an educational title to assist students with disabili- environment, whether on campus REFERENCES A guide to disability rights laws. (2018, April 6). ties. Most of the library websites did or online. Many of the 15 commu- Retrieved from U.S. Department of Justice Civil not list assistive technology and for nity college library websites in the Rights Division Disability Rights Section: https:// www.ada.gov/cguide.htm those that did, no two had the same state of Mississippi have links that Accessibility basics. (2018, April 6). Retrieved from technology. do not work and no evidence that Usability.gov: Improving the user experience: https://www.usability.gov/what-and-why/accessi- Many websites are lagging be- people with disabilities have a part bility.html hind in meeting the needs of those in the library community. Students ALA Academic Libraries. (2018, April 6). Retrieved from ALA American Library Association : http:// with assistive technologies in 21st with disabilities need to see online www.ala.org/tools/research/librarystats/academic Century. In the testing of Missis- that areas are designated for them Billingham, L. (2014). Improving academic library sippi Community College academic through maps and signage. They website accessibility for people with disabilities. Library Management, 35(8/9), 565-581. websites using webaccessibility.com also need thorough guidance on- Blansett, J. (2008). Digital discrimination. Library software, none of the community line to connect to the library web- Journal, 133(13), 26-29. Brewer, J., & Jacobs, I. (Eds.). (1999). How people college in the state of Mississippi site with assistive technologies. The with disabilities use the web. Retrieved Decem- were meeting the guidelines set by research shows that people with ber 4, 2018, from https://www.w3.org/WAI/EO/ Drafts/WAI-access-profiles the WCAG 2.0. The community col- disabilities will have to search the Bruyere, S. (2008). Total access: making college web leges’ library websites ratings ranged library websites to discover services sites accessible to students with disabilities. Com- from 60 percent to 80 percent. The that are hidden in library hand- munity College Journal, 79(1), 36-39. Cassner, M., Maxey-Harris, C., & Anaya, a. T. (2011). results indicate that assistive tech- books or just do not exist. With Differently able: a review of academic library nology needs of students may not Web 2.0, media apps are the top in websites for people with disabilities. Behavioral & Social Sciences Librarian, 33–51. be met. For instance, several of the the ratings, but the community col- Comeaux, D., & Schmetzke, A. (2013). Accessibility community colleges received a vi- lege libraries must keep in mind the of academic library web sites in north america: current status and trends. Library Hi Tech, 31(1), olation of “provide alterative text reason for media use by the library, 8-33. for images,” which means that im- which is to inform. ECTACenter.org: The early childhood technical assistance center. (2018, April 6). Retrieved from ages are lacking descriptive text for WCAG 2.0 came about because ectacenter.org: http://ectacenter.org/topics/atech/ sight-impaired patrons. The vio- WCAG 1.0 was not meeting the definitions.asp Erickson, W., Trerise, S., VanLooy, S., Lee, C., and lation with the highest number of standards of today, and these guide- Bruyère, S. (2009). Web accessibility policies and instances was “provide a valid label lines are in place for all organiza- practices at american community colleges. Com- munity College Journal of Research and Practice, for form fields.” This violation deals tions to use. When these standards 33(5), 403-414. with vision, when the form fields are not met, violations occur and Green, R. A. (2009). Assistive technology and academic libraries: legal issues and problem reso- are not labeled correctly, individ- people with disabilities do not con- lution. Journal of Access Services, 36-47. uals cannot tab through or move tinue to standby, they begin to fight LeBeau, C., & Power, R. (2009). How well do academ- about the screen using keys on the ic library web sites address the needs of database back through government officials, users with visual disabilities? The Reference keyboard not the mouse (Brewer & to enforce the law. Community col- Librarian, 50(1), 55-72. Jacobs, 1999). leges in the state of Mississippi must Reitz, J. M. (2018, May 6). Online Dictionary for Library and Information Science. Retrieved from The results of this study were fix the problems so everyone can get abc-clio.com: https://www.abc-clio.com/ODLIS/ similar to those of Comeaux and into library websites with ease and odlis_c.aspx Mississippi Libraries Vol. 82 No. 1 • Spring 2019 Page 10

Schmetzke, A., & Comeaux, D. (2009). Accessibility Appendix A Jones County Junior College http://www.jcjc.edu/ trends among academic library and library school Coahoma Community College http://www.coa- library/ web sites in the USA and Canada. Journal of homacc.edu/library/index Meridian Community College http://www.meridi- Access Services, 137-152. Copiah-Lincoln Community College http://www. ancc.edu/library/index Smith, A. E. (2014). A comparison of public versus colin.edu/students/student-services/libraries/ Mississippi Delta Community College http://www. private academic library web sites in alabama for East Central Community College https://www. msdelta.edu/2013-06-13-14-50-16 accessibility and web 2.0. SLIS Connecting, 3(2), eccc.edu/library Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College https:// Article 8. East Mississippi Community College http://mlp. www.mgccc.edu/library/ Swan, H. (2008, July 29). https://www.w3.org/TR/mo- ent.sirsi.net/client/en_US/emcc/ Northeast Mississippi Community College http:// bile-bp/. Retrieved from http://www.iheni.com/: Hinds Community College http://libguides.hind- www.nemcc.edu/library/ http://www.iheni.com/mobile-web-access-toolkit/ scc.edu/home Northwest Mississippi Community College http:// The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. (2018, Holmes Community College https://www.holmes- www.northwestms.edu/index.php/?page_id=860 April 6). Retrieved from Equal Employment cc.edu/library/index.aspx Pearl River Community College http://www.prcc.edu/ Opportunity Commission: https://www.eeoc.gov/ libraries eeoc/history/35th/1990s/ada.html Itawamba Community College https://www.iccms. edu/LRCResources Southwest Mississippi Community College http:// www.smcc.edu/library/library.php

Two Mississippi Writers Collection Analysis on the Works of Eudora Welty and William Faulkner in Two- and Four- Year Colleges in Mississippi.

Tracey Bailey Purpose of the study Research Questions Student Taking a closer look at two fa- The following questions were the SLIS, University of Southern Mississippi mous Mississippi Writers, Eudora guide for this study: Welty and William Faulkner, this R1. What are the holdings for Eu- INTRODUCTION paper focuses specifically on the dora Welty and William Faulkner in Coverage of local writers is im- collection coverage in colleges and four-year university libraries across portant to the culture of the people university libraries across Missis- the state of Mississippi? who live in the surrounding areas. sippi. This paper examines two-year R2. What are the holdings for Eu- Students should understand the and four-year institutions as a com- dora Welty and William Faulkner in origins or heritage of local writers. parative study using bibliometrics to two-year college libraries across the Students who have an interest in determine coverage. Language Arts state of Mississippi? writing are inquisitive of other writ- programs have a need for local or R3. What are the similarities of ers’ beginnings. Their modest be- regional talents as part of their stud- in-house collections between the ginnings indicate that one does not ies both in the undergraduate, and four-year and two-year colleges have to be born to a certain type of graduate levels. Studying local writ- when comparing famous Mississip- family or status to be a great writer. ers as part of a writing class gives a pi writers? Their writing will determine if they student familiar examples that are R4. What variations in coverage rise in popularity or gain fame. The local. Southern culture and south- exist, if any, with the writers’ works writers’ ability is the best precursor ern studies are programs offered at in relation to both writer’s former to the future. Knowing how one many universities who showcase residence? overcame the obstacles of life is an such writers. inspiration to other writers. Many Definitions: times, it will enhance the story if a Problem Statement Bibliometric Study: the applica- reader understands where a writer This study examines coverage tion of statistical methods to the produced the characters, settings or of two southern writers, William study of bibliographic data (Merri- conflicts of a story. Faulkner and Eudora Welty, in am-Webster, 2018). academic libraries collections in Checklist Collection Analy- Mississippi. sis: Checklist analysis (CLA) is a Mississippi Libraries Vol. 82 No. 1 • Spring 2019 Page 11 technique that can be used to iden- LITERATURE REVIEW the novel The Optimist’s Daughter. tify and manage risk. The checklist Welty, recognized as the ‘Master of is developed by listing items, steps, Background the Short Story,’ won eight O. Henry or tasks and is then analyzed against William Faulkner, born in New awards; the gold medal of fiction; the criteria to determine if the proce- Albany, MS, was raised in Oxford, Legion d’Honneur from the French dure is completed correctly. The Mississippi. Faulkner is known for government; and the NEH’s Charles checklists should be developed using his multiple struggles as a writer. Frankel Prize (Heitman, 2014). historical information or knowledge Writing novels, short stories, plays, Collection Analysis gained from similar projects in the essays, and scripts for Hollywood, Lesniaski (2004) wrote an article past (Safeopedia, 2108). Faulkner is known for his southern gothic style as a classic writer on the process of content analysis Delimitations of the Study of 20th Century literature (Millgate, of a library collection with the ob- This study includes publicly 2018). Faulkner’s first novel Soldiers jective of how to compare a library’s funded universities and colleges Pay was published in 1926, and nine collection to another library. By or- within the state of Mississippi, but of his works are considered nota- dering the methods, one must first not privately funded institutions. ble (Appendix A) (Iltchev, 2016), choose a subject or area to evalu- The specific works sought for com- though numerous works were writ- ate; secondly, create a list of items parative collection coverage are the ten before his death in 1962. Faulk- within the boundaries of your in- works listed in the appendix (A and ner was also known for his challeng- vestigation to determine which is B), which are well known works ing prose and dictation of southern basic, minimal, instructional, or of fiction and poetry. The works speech. His writings discussed social research; thirdly, search each title credited are those that are physi- issues that were sometimes shock- for the number of holdings in the cally available on the shelves of the ing, which other writers avoided. collections; then, create a master parent institution including special Faulkner won the Nobel Prize in list, using the four categories listed collections. literature in 1949 (Nobelprize.org, from the third step. Lastly, use this master list as a tool to search anoth- Assumptions 2014) and was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1955 for A Fable, then a sec- er library’s collection and evaluate Using the catalogs of the col- ond after his death in 1962 for The the holdings against the master list lege and universities in this study, Reivers (Biography.com, 2017). created by the research. it is assumed that the holdings are Ciszek and Young (2010) exam- indexed correctly and completely, Eudora Welty was born in Jackson, ined library collections as a whole and the catalogs are accurately rep- Mississippi in 1909. Welty is known to determine how diverse a collec- resentative of the libraries’ current as a great American short-story and tion can be. Using qualitative and holdings. novel writer. She never married nor had children (Johnston, 2005) quantitative measures, they fo- Importance of Study and her first published short-sto- cused on user-centered and collec- This study adds to the body of ry, Death of a Traveling Salesman, tion-centered methods and found library and information science was published in 1936. Welty is four ways to determine diversity literature and may be useful for also known for her photographs, of a collection. These four ways are collection development librarians. essays, and book reviews. Her no- based on the nature of assessment Others who may be interested in table works (Appendix B) includes and scope. Qualitative is based on this study include writers, instruc- nine of her most loved stories (En- measuring human behavior and tors of writing or Southern Writing cyclopædia Britannica, 2018). Welty opinion, whereas, quantitative is Programs, persons who have inter- commonly wrote using sly humor based on numbers and statistical ests in Southern Studies or Southern and vivid text, but was best known data. The collections are also as- Writing Programs, and lovers of the for her modesty (Marrs, n.d.). sessed by the scope or focus of the classics. While Welty received many honors, collection. Using nature and scope she is best known for being named to evaluate collections brings the the Pulitzer Prize winner in 1972 for process to four basic evaluations Mississippi Libraries Vol. 82 No. 1 • Spring 2019 Page 12 tools-quantitative-collection cen- number of titles on the list of Doo- differs from the previous studies in tered, quantitative-user centered, dy’s Core Titles in their collection. that it focuses on the works of two qualitative-collection centered, and The study revealed many levels of specific writers of the same state but qualitative-user centered. Quan- quality in the levels of the partic- of different regions. titative-collection centered allows ipating libraries. Their range was a researcher to analyze the collec- from a high percentage of match METHODOLOGY tion by subject and allows for the titles, non-matched or near-match This study examined the library collections to be classified in terms titles, to poor collections with few collections of colleges and universi- of numbers per subject heading. title matches. Budget, benchmark ties across Mississippi using check- Quantitative-user collection al- list’s such as Doody’s Core Titles and lists methodology to analyze the lows for the collection to be deter- the person in charge of the selection comparative coverage of specific au- mined in numbers of circulation, of titles have a large impact on a col- thors in each collection. usage, and online retrieval. Quali- lection’s quality. Data Collection and Analysis tative assessments are identified by Heidelberg (2103) used a similar collection-centered determination analysis on the de Grummond Chil- Each college and university li- and facilitated by a subject special- dren’s collection where a checklist brary’s online catalog was used to ist who is responsible for building methodology was used to examine determine how many of the list of collections that meets the patrons’ the holdings of well-known poets notable works of Eudora Welty (En- needs. Qualitative assessment that is from the eras of The Black Arts cyclopædia Britannica, 2018) were user-centered uses focus groups as Movement and The Harlem Renais- in each collection, then how many an assessment tool to determine the sance. The checklist was composed of the notable works of William needs of the library collection and of past and present poets that are Faulkner (Iltchev, 2016) were in allows for the selection and devel- documented from the earlier list- each collection. Data were then col- opment of the collections according ed eras and was used to evaluate lected in an Excel file, compiled, and to their needs. the collection. The results yielded analyzed to address each research only two African-American poetry question. Checklist Methodology books from the Harlem Renaissance A collection development meth- Public Community Colleges in era and three from the Black Arts odology used by the study is a Mississippi Movement demonstrating room for checklist methodology in which a The following community col- growth of the de Grummond Col- list or lists of works are identified leges and their parent locations are lection in this area. The de Grum- by a reliable source as a “best of” listed as the institutions used in this mond Collection held one hundred or “notable works of” a particular study. They are all public communi- percent of the poets in anthologies genre, topic, or author is used as a ty colleges within the state of Mis- from the Harlem Renaissance, ac- checklist to determine the number sissippi with online searchable cata- cording to Patton’s list, and eight and variety of the works in a specif- logs. (Collegesimply.com, 2018) out of twenty-one poets from the ic library collection or collections. • Coahoma Community College, Black Arts Movement on poets.org This method is collection-oriented Clarksdale list. No winners of the Cave Canem rather than usage-oriented and is • Copiah-Lincoln Community Award were represented in the de “one of the oldest and most widely College, Wesson Grummond Collection, and only used methods of evaluation” (Oke & one Coretta Scott King Award-win- • East Central Community Col- Tyrrell, 1998). ning book was represented. lege, Decatur Torres (2017) conducted a study The methodology of this study • East Mississippi Community using Doody’s Core Titles as a ref- was similar to that of Torres (2017) College, Scooba erence checklist for evaluating one and Heidelberg (2013) in that it used • Hinds Community College, collection against another. With lists of notable works as a checklist Raymond the data collected, each library was to evaluate library collections. It • Holmes Community College, either rated weak or strong by the Mississippi Libraries Vol. 82 No. 1 • Spring 2019 Page 13

Goodman using tables and figures to visually had similar, but considerably lower • Itawamba Community College, illustrate the results. Particular in- numbers. Fulton terest was paid to colleges and uni- • Jones County Junior College, versities in the regional area of each R2. What are the holdings for Ellisville writer to determine if the number Eudora Welty and William Faulk- • Meridian Community College, of their works in local collections ner in two-year colleges across the Meridian reflected a higher interest than in state of Mississippi? other regions of the state. • Mississippi Delta Community The holdings researched among College, Moorhead Limitations the community colleges were a more analogous number for both • Mississippi Gulf Coast Commu- The study was limited to the li- authors (Figure 2). While Pearl had nity College, Perkinston brary collections of public colleges and universities in the state of Mis- the highest number among William • Northeast Mississippi Commu- Faulkner’s books with the highest nity College, Booneville sissippi, so the results are not gener- alized to other states or library col- number of books at 34; Hinds and • Northwest Mississippi Commu- Jones were the closest having 27 and nity College, Senatobia lections, although the methodology could be replicated in other similar 24 books respectively. The remain- • Pearl River Community College, studies. der of the colleges fell below twenty Poplarville with the lowest of Meridian with 11 • Southwest Mississippi Commu- RESULTS books of William Faulkner’s. nity College, Summit Pearl also had the highest num- The research was completed over ber among Eudora Welty holdings Public Universities in a seven-day period. During this pe- with a 47, while Coahoma and Mississippi riod, books were counted and logged Mississippi Gulf Coast were a close The following universities and from each library and from each au- second with 37 and 36 respectively. their parent locations are listed as thor. The numbers were charted in Northwest had the lowest holdings the institutions used in this study. an Excel document and construct- with only 9 books belonging to Eu- They are all public universities with- ed into tables and graphs. The re- dora Welty. in the state of Mississippi with on- sults gave a clear picture about the line searchable catalogs. (Collegesi- holdings at both the university level mply.com, 2018) and the community college level for R3. What are the similarities of in-house collections between the • Alcorn State University, Lorman these two Mississippi authors. four-year and two-year colleges • Delta State University, Cleveland when comparing famous Missis- R1. What are the holdings for • Jackson State University, Jackson sippi writers? Eudora Welty and William Faulk- • Mississippi State University ner in four-year universities across Looking at the numbers of each (MSU), Mississippi State the state of Mississippi? book individually (Figures 3 & 4) William Faulkner’s The Sound and • Mississippi University for The results were diverse. Two the Fury, Absalom, Absalom, and Women (MUW), Columbus universities held a noticeable high- Light in August held higher numbers • Mississippi Valley State Universi- er count for both writers while the in both higher education settings. ty (MVSU), Itta Bena other universities examined both A Rose for Emily and The Hamlet • University of Mississippi (UM), held a lower yet similar number for each held sparse numbers in both University each writer (Figure 1). While the settings. • University of Southern Missis- University of Mississippi (UM) and sippi (USM), Hattiesburg Mississippi State (MS) both had high In a comparison of Welty’s works counts of books, the high counts “Wide Net and Other Stories” had the largest holding in both the uni- The number of the authors’ works held true for both writers examined. versity and the college setting, “The in each collection was compared by All other four-year universities Golden Apples” and “A Curtain Mississippi Libraries Vol. 82 No. 1 • Spring 2019 Page 14

Figure 1. University Library Coverage of William Faulkner and Eudora Welty Figure 3. College Holdings

of Green” were also found in high numbers in both settings (Figures 5 & 6). “Why I Live at the P.O.” was Figure 2. Community College Coverage of William Faulkner and Eudora Welty found as the book with the least holdings of any other book carried in both university and community college settings with “One Writer’s Beginnings” with similar lower per- centages in both settings.

R4. What variations in coverage exist, if any, with the writers’ works in relation to both writer’s former residence? College and university locations were first labeled on a map of Missis- sippi (Appendix C). The high numbers from the University of Missis- sippi in Oxford (William Faulkner’s residence) at first looked to reflect a Figure 4. University Holdings high coverage for William Faulkner works as a representation of his residence, looking at the colleges near- est to Oxford (Northwest, Itawamba, Coahoma, and Northeast) revealed a mid-range number according to the overall collected data. Eudora Welty’s residence was in Jackson Mississippi where Jackson State University is also located. Jack- son State did not reveal large numbers nor did Alcorn State which a seventy-three-mile drive south. Colleges near Jackson include Hinds, Copiah-Lincoln neither Mississippi Libraries Vol. 82 No. 1 • Spring 2019 Page 15 ranking in the top three holding of Figure 5. College Holdings Welty’s books. Going further out are the colleges of East, East Central, Jones, and Southwest, all of which had mid-range results according to the overall collected data.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION Discussion Examining the data collected on the community college level, the collections maintained similar numbers in the respect that there was no outlier. The range could be explained by the need of the resources for ed- Figure 6. University Holdings ucational purposes versus the resources availability for maintaining a complete collection of the author. Most colleges and universities in the study had at least one copy of each book from both authors, however (Appendix D). Some community colleges held no copy of some titles. This brought up the question of the strength of their inter-library loan system. When researching library’s holdings, the MSU catalog listings showed the holdings for nearby colleges and universities, providing options for finding books in multiple areas. most works for both William Faulk- for William Faulkner and North- At the University level, most of the ner and Eudora Welty. Mississippi west held the least for Eudora Welty. colleges maintained a similar return Valley State University held the least At the college level, the numbers of except for the University of Missis- works of William Faulkner, while works for each writer in each insti- sippi and Mississippi State Univer- Alcorn University held the least tution was less distributed and had sity (Appendix E). Both universities works for Eudora Welty. At the uni- many duplicate numbers as a whole. had an abundant number of works versity level, the numbers of works for both authors researched, which for each writer in each institution Conclusion may coincide with the Universities was more distributed showing no Data indicate that the colleges curriculum needs for the purpose pattern. and universities have similar re- of writing class or southern studies Appendix D illustrates that the turns for William Faulkner and Eu- with an emphasis on native or suc- most holding for William Faulkner dora Welty. Two Universities have cessful writers. and Eudora Welty was Pearl Com- a wealth of works on both authors Appendix E illustrates that the munity College, while Meridian which could relate back to the pro- University of Mississippi held the Community College held the least grams offered by each university. Mississippi Libraries Vol. 82 No. 1 • Spring 2019 Page 16

Further studies would be needed lic&sat=&act=&admit=comp&major=&radi- Iltchev, P. (2016, December 16). Culture Trip. “The us=300&zip=&state=mississippi&size=&tu- 9 best books by William Faulkner you should in this area of research to give solid ition-fees=&net-price= read”. Retrieved from https://theculturetrip.com/ reasons for this difference in collec- Encyclopædia Britannica. (2018). Eudora Welty. north-america/articles/the-9-best-books-by-wil- Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/ liam-faulkner-you-should-read/ tions. Suggestions include to inquir- biography/Eudora-Welty Johnston, C. A. (2005). Eudora Welty. The Mississippi ing about the unique programs and Heidelberg, S. J. (2103). A collection analysis of the Writer’s Page. Retrieved from http://mwp.olemiss. African-American poetry holdings in the de edu/dir/welty_eudora/ instructor’s projected area of stud- Grummond Collection. SLIS Connecting, 2(1), Lesniaski, D. (2004). Evaluating collections: A dis- ies. As for the area of each writer’s Article 9. cussion and extension of brief tests of collection Heitman, D. (2014). The quiet greatness of Eu- strength. College & Undergraduate Libraries, former residence, there seems to be dora Welty. Humanities: The magazine of the 11(1), 11-24. no relationship between high book national endowment for the humanities. Retrieved Marrs, S. (n.d.). The Eudora Welty Foundation. Re- counts and the proximity to author’s from https://www.neh.gov/humanities/2014/ trieved from https://eudorawelty.org/biography/ marchapril/feature/the-quiet-greatness-eudo- Millgate, M. (2018). William Faulkner: American residence. ra-welty author. Britannica. Retrieved from https://www.

Suggestions for Further APPENDIX C. Map of Mississippi with university and college names added near Research their relative location. (Waterproofpaper.com, 2018) Suggestions for future research would include a comparison of the student population to the writer’s holdings to have a perspective on the population that each library serves. It is also relevant to know if the number of library systems of whom work together and share their collections through inter-library loan. Reasons for having a small collection may be that the service is available to borrow from nearby facilities. Future research may also include bibliometric research on the total holdings to include all the works from each author in college and university setting which includes works in other languages and eBooks. Using the checklist methodology for the total holdings of books written by each author would also be interesting.

REFERENCES Bibliometric. (2018). Merriam-Webster. Retrieved from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bibliometrics Biography. (2017). William Faulkner. Retrieved from https://www.biography.com/people/william-faulkner-9292252 Checklist Collection Analysis. (2018). Safeopedia. Retrieved from https://www.safeopedia.com/ definition/5005/checklist-analysis-cla Ciszek, M. P., & Young, C. L. (2010). Diversity collection assessment in large academic libraries. Collection Management, 29(4), 154-161. Collegesimply.com. (2018). Mississippi. Retrieved from https://www.collegesimply.com/colleges/ search?sort=&place=&years=4&type=pub- Mississippi Libraries Vol. 82 No. 1 • Spring 2019 Page 17

britannica.com/biography/William-Faulkner APPENDIX E Mississippi. (2018). Waterproof paper.com Retrieved from https://www.waterproofpaper.com/print- able-maps/mississippi/mississippi-cities-location-map-labeled.pdf Nobelprize.org (2104). William Faulkner. Nobel Me- dia AB. Retrieved from https://www.nobelprize. org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/1949/faulkner-bio.html Oke, G. & Tyrrell, B. (1998). Cumulative approach to collection evaluation. Retrieved from http://vuir. vu.edu.au/46/1/alia98.htm Torres Jr., E. (2017). Collection-based analysis of selected medical libraries in the Philippines using Doody’s Core Titles. Journal of Medical Library Association, 105(1), 20-26. DOI:dx.doi. org/10.5195/jmla.2017.103

APPENDIX A Notable Works of William Faulkner A Rose for Emily Absalom, Absalom! As I Lay Dying The Hamlet Light in August The Reivers Sanctuary Soldiers Pay The Sound and the Fury (Iltchev, 2016)

APPENDIX B APPENDIX D Notable Works of Eudora Welty “Why I live at the P.O.” Delta Wedding “The Wide Net and Other Stories” “The Golden Apples” The Ponder Heart The Optimist’s Daughter Losing Battles “A Curtain of Green” “One Writer’s Beginnings” (Biography, 2018)

Key Code for Community Colleges, APPENDIX D A-Coahoma Community College B-Copiah-Lincoln Community College C- East Central Community College D- East Mississippi Community College E- Hinds Community College F- Holmes Community College G-Itawamba Community College H- Jones Community College I- Meridian Community College J- Mississippi Delta Community College K- Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College L- Northeast Community College M-Northwest Community College N- Pearl River Community College O-Southwest Community College Mississippi Libraries Vol. 82 No. 1 • Spring 2019 Page 18 SLIS Notes Teresa S. Welsh slides at http://www.slideshare. and can be used as guidelines to Professor and Director net/drtwelsh/presentations. determine needed areas for profes- School of Library and Information Science sional development. The University of Southern Mississippi • has an attitude of public service and a desire to help others. Librar- Basic Competencies of Greetings, dear scholars. Have ianship is a public service pro- Librarianship you ever given thought to your ca- fession and SLIS faculty are con- The American Library Associa- reer as a professional or considered stantly amazed at the wonderful tion’s Core Competencies of Librar- what it means to be a professional work librarians and archivist do in ianship (2009) “defines the basic librarian or archivist? our state and region to serve their knowledge to be possessed by all communities. persons graduating from an accred- Professionalism ited master’s program in library and According to Merriam-Webster. Another characteristic of a pro- information studies” (http://www. com, professionalism is “the con- fessional is having an appropriate, ala.org/educationcareers/files/ca- duct, aims, or qualities that char- well-groomed, professional appear- reers/corecomp/corecompetences/ acterize or mark a profession or a ance that is neat yet approachable. finalcorecompstat09.pdf): professional person.” So, what are The Southern Miss Career Guide in- 1. Foundations of the Profession some qualities of professionalism as cludes a “Dress for Success” page that 2. Information Resources illustrates the differences between it relates to librarians and archivists? 3. Organization of Recorded casual, business casual, and profes- Some qualities or characteristics Knowledge and Information sional dress (2018-19, p. 13). It also of a library or archival professional: 4. Technological Knowledge and contains some useful tips on how • is a member of one or more pro- Skills to prepare for a job interview, build fessional organizations such as 5. Reference and User Services MLA, SELA, SAA, ALA a portfolio, and construct a professional resume http://www.usm. 6. Research • maintains a professional resume edu/sites/default/files/groups/ca- 7. Continuing Education and Life- for grant submissions, promotion reer-services/images/2018-2019ca- long Learning applications, etc. reerguide.pdf. 8. Administration and Manage- • attends conferences to network ment. with other professionals Competencies • demonstrates professional com- According to the Cambridge En- A more recent set of general commitment by mentoring LIS stu- glish Dictionary, a profession is petencies is the Competency Index dents or new librarians “any type of work that needs spe- for the Library Field (Gutsche & • is a life-long learner and keeps cial training or a particular skill, Hough, 2015), which includes 1) up with new trends and online often one that is respected because Library Collection Competencies, tools through LIS publications, it involves a high level of educa- 2) Library Management Compe- workshops, and other training tion” or “the people who do a par- tencies, 3) Public Services Compe- opportunities ticular type of work, considered as a tencies, and 4) Technical Compe- • shares new knowledge with oth- group.” Whether the definition of a tencies (http://www.webjunction. ers through publications, presen- professional is based on education, org/content/dam/WebJunction/ tations, and social media such as experience, or work group, one way Documents/webJunction/2015-03/ a professional account on Face- a profession is defined is by a set of Competency%20Index%20for%20 book, Twitter, and/or LinkedIn. professional competencies. These the%20Library%20Field%20(2014). SlideShare.net is particularly use- competencies are usually compiled docx). ful for sharing conference presen- by related professional organizations tation slides and you may view my Mississippi Libraries Vol. 82 No. 1 • Spring 2019 Page 19

Specialized brarians as teaching and learn- Information Technologies & Data Competencies ing trainers in concert with Management Instruction; 3) Man- In addition to general competen- an increasing need for liaison agement, Supervision, & Leadership; cies, many library positions require librarians to teach 4) Preservation & Conservation; specialized knowledge beyond the 7. an understanding of signature 5) Promotion & Outreach; and 6) basic, general knowledge and/or disciplinary pedagogies. Reference (http://www.ala.org/acrl/ standards/comp4specollect#fund). training such as the examples below Children’s Services (Note: The competencies by ALSC Librarians Young Adult/Teen Services and YALSA are summarized in cre- Competencies for Librarians Serv- Librarians ative graphic handouts.) ing Children in Public Libraries by Teen Services Competencies for Academic Librarians the Association for Library Service Library Staff by the Young Adult Li- Framework for Information Lit- to Children (ALSC, 2015), include brary Services Association (YALSA, eracy for Higher Education by the 1) Commitment to Client Group, 2017) lists ten areas of competence: Association of College and Research 2) Reference and User Services, 3) 1) Teen Growth & Development, 2) Libraries (ACRL, 2016) focuses on Programming Skills, 4) Knowledge, Interactions with Teens, 3) Learn- the seven roles of academic librar- Curation, and Management of Ma- ing Environments, 4) Learning Ex- ians as advocate, coordinator, in- terials, 5) Outreach and Advocacy, periences, 5) Youth Engagement & structional designer, lifelong learn- 6) Administrative and Management Leadership, 6) Community & Fami- er, leader, teacher, and teaching Skills, and 7) Professionalism and ly Engagement, 7) Cultural Compe- partner (http://www.ala.org/acrl/ Professional Development (http:// tency & Responsiveness, 8) Equity standards/teachinglibrarians). www.alsc.ala.org/blog/2015/12/ of Access, 9) Outcomes & Assess- The seven roles were based on re- core-competencies-in-comics/). ment, and 10) Continuous Learn- ing (http://www.ala.org/yalsa/sites/ search published by Gold and Grotti School Librarians ala.org.yalsa/files/content/Teen%20 (2013), “Do Job Advertisements Re- Standards for the Initial Prepa- flect ACRL’s Standards for Proficien- Services%20Competencies_Snap- ration of School Librarians by the shot.pdf). cies for Instruction Librarians and American Association of School Coordinators? A Content Analysis,” Librarians (AASL, 2010) include Other Special Librarian which identified seven trends in job five standards: 1) Teaching for Competencies: descriptions for academic librari- Learning, 2) Literacy and Read- American Association of Law ans (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acal- ing, 3) Information and Knowl- Libraries, Guidelines for Gradu- ib.2013.05.013) : edge, 4) Advocacy and Leadership, ate Programs in Law Librarian- 1. disciplinary and curricular 5) Program Management and Ad- ship (AALL, 1988) (http://www. integration knowledge promot- ministration (http://www.ala.org/ aallnet.org/bok_profleadership/ ing consistency with the larger aasl/sites/ala.org.aasl/files/content/ aall-guidelines-for-graduate-pro- institution aasleducation/schoollibrary/2010_ grams-in-law-librarianship/) 2. knowledge about online module standards_with_rubrics_and_state- Federal Library and Information creation and appropriate tools ments_1-31-11.pdf). Center Committee, Federal Librar- 3. a range of teaching skills in- ian Competencies (FLICC, 2008) Special Collection cluding a variety of formats and (http://www.loc.gov/flicc/publi- Librarians methods cations/Lib_Compt/Lib_Compt_ Competencies for Special Col- 4. knowledge of outcomes, assess- Oct2008.pdf). lections Professionals (ACRL Rare ment, and scholarly communi- Medical Library Association, Books and Manuscripts Section, cation Competencies for Lifelong Learn- 2017) includes a list of fundamental 5. collaboration with teaching ing and Professional Success (MLA, competencies and specialized com- faculty 2017) (http://www.mlanet.org/p/ petencies in collection development cm/ld/fid=1217). 6. ability to work with other li- such as: 1) Description & Access; 2) Mississippi Libraries Vol. 82 No. 1 • Spring 2019 Page 20

Upcoming Events on Accreditation External Review I will attend ALA in June to appear Panel (ERP). The three ERP mem- before the 17-member ALA Com- Children’s Book Festival 2019 bers were greatly impressed by the mittee on Accreditation to answer It is not too late to register for the accomplishments of our alumni, any final questions they have about 52nd Annual Fay B. Kaigler Chil- the enthusiasm of our students, our self-study or about the Exter- dren’s Book Festival, April 3–5, at and the feedback that was given by nal Review Panel’s report. They will the Southern Miss Thad Cochran everyone. They were further im- then vote on awarding re-accredita- Center (http://www.usm.edu/chil- pressed with the graciousness of the tion and formally notify us. drens-book-festival/2019-registra- Southern Miss administration and tion-rates). the support and interest President Feedback and suggestions are • The 2019 tentative schedule has Bennett and Dean Gould had in our welcome – send to [email protected] or been posted and it is a great one, as program. The oral report they pre- [email protected]. are the concurrent sessions, pan- sented to President Bennett was a Visit https://www.usm.edu/slis els, and luncheons (https://www. positive one and SLIS is very grate- for additional information, email usm.edu/childrens-book-festi- ful to all who participated in this [email protected] or call 601.266.4228. val/2019-tentative-schedule) important re-accreditation process. • CEU credit is available for Mis- sissippi educators • Concurrent sessions and luncheon menus are available at (https://www.usm.edu/childrens-book-festival/tentative-2019-schedule-concurrent-sessions) Cook Library Gallery Exhibit If you attend the Children’s Book Festival or if you are interested in the art of children’s literature, consider viewing an exhibit in the Cook Library Gallery. TheHistory of the School of Library and Information Science & Art of the Fay B. Kaigler Book Festival, a colorful exhibit of history and art related to SLIS and the Children’s Book Festival, will run through the end of the semester, May 10th.

A Big Thank-You from SLIS! A very big thank-you to our dis- tinguished alums, MLIS students, Advisory Board members, and em- ployers who attended the reception to meet with the American Library Association Committee Mississippi Libraries Vol. 82 No. 1 • Spring 2019 Page 21 People in the News Carol Green to teach secondary education. Rebecca (Becky) Bickford is now Interim Head of Technical Services —◆— Assistant Professor/Social Sciences University of Southern Mississippi Librarian in the Research Services Bonnie Thornton joined Missis- department of the Mississippi State Mariah Grant was promoted to sippi State University Libraries in University Libraries. Becky joined the position of Associate College Li- December in the Assistant Profes- MSU in late 2017 as a Library As- brarian at Millsaps College. In this sor/Continuing Resources position. sociate in Research Services. Becky faculty position, she serves as the This position is her first profession- graduated in 2006 from the Univer- Millsaps-Wilson Library’s assistant al librarian role and focuses on the sity of West Georgia with a BS in director, coordinates all public ser- management of the print serials Early Childhood Education. Becky vices, and holds the rank of Assis- collection and other duties as as- obtained her MLIS from The Uni- tant Professor. She previously held signed. Bonnie graduated with her versity of Southern Mississippi in the positions of Public Services and MSLIS from the University of Illi- 2016. Upon completion of her MLIS, Instruction Librarian and Acquisi- nois at Urbana-Champaign, where she worked as the Information Ser- tions and Serials Librarian at Mill- she worked as a graduate assistant in vices Librarian at South Georgia saps College. Grant has a M.A. in the History, Philosophy, and News- State College in Douglas, Georgia. Library and Information Science, paper Library providing reference —◆— a Graduate Certificate in Archives, and instruction services. She also and a B.A. in English Literature worked as a copy cataloger at their Stephen Cunetto, the Associ- from the University of Arizona. large density storage facility. Prior ate Dean for University Libraries at —◆— to her time at Illinois, she earned Mississippi State University, was re- her B.A. in History and Spanish at cently appointed to the MLC Board Mary Kirkham is the new Col- Augustana College, with a focus on of Commissioners by Governor Phil lection Development and Interli- public history and Colonial Spain. Bryant. He earned his B.S. in Com- brary Loan Librarian at Millsaps She’s glad to have escaped the Mid- munication at Mississippi State Uni- College. In this faculty position, she west with her cats before the snow versity and his Masters in Library coordinates the Interlibrary Loan could bury her. and Information Science at The Office, serves as the primary liaison —◆— University of Southern Mississippi to academic departments, manages in 2006. As the Associate Dean, he collection development, and holds Teri M. Robinson joined the fac- provides strategic direction, over- the rank of Assistant Professor. ulty of Mississippi State University sight, and maintenance of the Li- Kirkham has a M.L.I.S. and a B.S. in as an Assistant Professor/Coordina- braries’ technological infrastructure Business Administration from The tor of Office of Thesis and Disserta- and technology services, ensuring University of Southern Mississippi. tion Format Review. Previously, she tight integration of all digital and —◆— was the supervisor for records and online services, as well as assists in transcripts in the Registrar’s Office the overall management and stra- Rachel Long is the new Instruc- at the University of Southern Mis- tegic operation of the University tional Technologist at Millsaps Col- sissippi. In 2018, Teri earned her Libraries. lege. In her new role, she serves on MLIS and a Graduate Certificate —◆— the library team and is the adminis- in Archives and Special Collections trator of the campus course manage- from The University of Southern Carol Green has been named In- ment system. Long joined the Mill- Mississippi. She received her BA in terim Head of Technical Services at saps-Wilson Library as the Library Anthropology from the University The University of Southern Missis- Assistant in 2017 after graduating of Alabama. sippi Libraries. from Millsaps College with a B.A. in —◆— Literature in English and a licensure Mississippi Libraries Vol. 82 No. 1 • Spring 2019 Page 22 News Briefs Carol Green was “Volunteers Love Our Librar- The Friends of the Pascagoula Interim Head of Technical Services ies” with over 110 in attendance. Public Library won the Friends of University of Southern Mississippi Along with a luncheon, the vol- the Library 2019 award which was unteers attending from the nine presented by Library Director Lori MSU LIBRARIES HOSTING branch libraries received a certifi- Barnes. This award is given for out- TEMPLETON RAGTIME & JAZZ cate recognizing their service and standing support for Friends proj- FESTIVAL AND GATSBY GALA a chance for door prizes. The guest ects, program sponsorships, fund- The MSU Libraries will host its speaker for the event was Mississip- raising efforts, and membership annual Charles Templeton Ragtime pi Library Commission Executive drives for the library. & Jazz Festival and the Gatsby Gala Director Hulen Bivins. “Volunteers donated nearly 8,000 March 28-30, 2019. The Festival hours of service to the library sys- features pianist Martin Spitznagel, tem for 2018 and is the equivalent Larisa Migachyov, multi-instru- of more than four full-time em- mentalist Dave Bennett and drum- ployees,” said library director Lori mer Ha Smith. This year’s festi- Barnes. “We couldn’t do all we do val will feature a salute to Benny without them,” she said. Goodman and Jerry Lee Lewis. The See photos on the library Face- Gatsby Gala, a 1920’s fashion show, book page – Jackson-George Re- features 1920’s inspired dresses de- gional Library or visit the library signed by the Fashion Design and MLC Executive Director Hulen Bivins website at http://www.jgrls.org for Merchandising students. The mis- more information about Friends sion of the Templeton Festival is to Awards were presented to the groups and locations. provide another educational and following: Rita Krebs Genealogy artistic opportunity for the citizens Volunteer of the Year was given to Submitted by of Starkville, Oktibbeha county and MS Digital Library for their assis- Rex Bridges the surrounding counties. The Fes- tance in helping digitize collections Public Relations & Marketing Manager tival endeavors to educate audiences for the genealogy library; the Mary Jackson-George Library System on these early forms of music from Ann Louviere Youth Services Vol- —◆— ragtime to blues, jazz, stride, and unteer of the Year was presented to MAD HATTER TEA PARTY AT more. For more information visit Aric Wirtz from the Ocean Springs PIKE-AMITE-WALTHALL LI- http://library.msstate.edu/festival Library with 181 hours of service. BRARY SYSTEM The Flora S. Scholtes Volunteer of The Pike-Amite-Walthall Library Submitted by System recently held their first an- Stephen Cunetto the Year was presented to Estelle Associated Dean, University Libraries Nettles from the Moss Point Library nual Mad Hatter Tea Party the Mississippi State University with 290 hours of service. week of December 10, 2018 in the headquarters library in McComb —◆— and two of their branch libraries. JACKSON-GEORGE REGIONAL With over 65 children and adults LIBRARY SYSTEM HONORS VOLUNTEERS AT ANNUAL attending, the tea was a huge suc- AWARDS RECEPTION cess! Everyone was encouraged to The Jackson-George Regional dress in character and finger foods Library System held the 32nd An- were served at the events. At the nual Volunteer Awards Reception McComb branch, there were three at the Pascagoula Public Library on different activities set up for the 2019 JGRLS Volunteers children. There was a face painting Tuesday, February 13. The theme Photographs by Rex Bridges Mississippi Libraries Vol. 82 No. 1 • Spring 2019 Page 23 table, a craft table, where they were Link to the interview: Pub- encouraged to make their own Mad lic Libraries Are Having To Make Hatter top-hat, and a photo booth. Sacrifices Miss Mattie entertained the children with music and singing, and Submitted by the story of “Alice in Wonderland” Janice Vaughn Branch Manager was read by the children’s activities Jesse Yancy Memorial Library director, Laura Stokes.

Submitted by Gwen Spain Librarian Iuka Public Library —◆— JESSE YANCY MEMORIAL LI- BRARY FEATURED ON WCBI NEWS Janice Vaughn, Branch Manager Rylie Livingston (right) with WCBI intern at the Jesse Yancy Memorial Library Photograph by Janice Vaughn in Bruce, was interviewed by Rylie Mad Hatter Tea Party Livingston of WCBI News. Photographs by Laura Stokes

Book Reviews

Michele Frasier-Robinson deeply personal, these experiences makes the flower whole. While these Education and Human Sciences Librarian are not unique, and it is this com- experiences of loss and grief are University of Southern Mississippi mon bond of loss that makes us re- universal, natural details of “dog- flect upon our own experiences with woods,” “cypress trees,” and “Span- Garbin, Faith grief. How We Bury Our Dead is or- ish moss [which] hangs like tangled ganized by different themes and ex- hair” ground the narrative and give How We Bury Our Dead periences with loss, beginning with readers a sense of place. These in- Mobile, AL: Negative Capabil- the unrelenting cold of February timate insights are showered with ity Press, 2016. 120 pp. $15.95 and the death of her husband. This gothic Southern imagery that lend (paperback). collection of poems touch on can- assistance in their interpretation In her first collection of poetry, cer, the loss of a child, suicide, men- and the overall mood of each poem. How We Bury Our Dead, Garbin tal illness, and many other subjects Garbin offers her own experience offers up uncensored and often that are often difficult to nail down up as sacrifice to remind us of the bleak views of the darker side of life - however, Garbin pins each of them all-too brief and often harsh nature by way of lyric. Garbin’s shadowy down like old photographs that you of life. Despite the dark subjects and hours of experience quickly make know by heart, but only open occa- tone of her poems, Garbin focuses their way onto the page and into sionally. Instead of flipping through on the ways in which we must move readers’ hearts. Loss and grief reso- the album, Garbin turns each page beyond loss to remain among the nate easily enough, however, Garbin of photographs slowly and delib- living. Encounters with loss and eloquently reveals the hardship that erately as she examines each petal grief shape us all, but Garbin’s words has brought her to this shore. While of life’s breadth of experience that whisper a reminder to “Imagine all Mississippi Libraries Vol. 82 No. 1 • Spring 2019 Page 24 we must let go of just to hold on.” were ignored by history. The story journey leads to Matt’s own self-dis- Although How We Bury Our is told through the perspectives of covery in an almost slightly delayed Dead is a debut collection of poet- Dovey Grand’homme, a poor Af- coming of age story. ry, Garbin’s work has appeared in a rican American laundress and Jo Having been estranged from number of publications, including McNabb, a wealthy white teenager his parents for eight years, Matt is Negative Capability Journal: Body in who is tasked with taking care of called home to support his mother D[ist]tress, Katrina Memories, The her mother who is suffering with after he is told his father has been Awakenings Review, and Imagine post-partum depression, and a baby in a serious accident. He packs his This! An ArtPrize Anthology, among she finds in the crepe myrtle outside few possessions, leaving his sparsely others. A co-founder of Women her home after the storm. Gwin’s de- furnished apartment to return to his of Words (WOW), Garbin is also scriptions of the horrors the storm childhood home in Birmingham, a member of the Poetry Society of wrought, both physical and mental, Alabama. It is quickly apparent that America, the Mississippi Poetry So- on both of these characters is grit- his father might not be the alcoholic ciety, the Gulf Coast Writers’ Asso- ty and often difficult to stomach. pencil pusher Matt thought. Thus, ciation, and the Alabama Writers’ Gwin also explores the differences Matt sets out to unravel the past. He Conclave. This title is highly rec- between the experiences of whites finds that his father was involved ommended for academic and public and African Americans in the sepa- with a decades old government con- libraries, especially those with an in- rate-but-equal South, and the com- spiracy centering on the famous terest in regional poetry and South- monplace attitudes that governed person hinted at in the novel’s title. ern gothic writing. race relations in 1936 Mississippi. Within this international crime For example, when Dovey suffers adventure, Matt finds himself re- Hali Black from a severe foot infection, a Red vising and reconciling his own past. First Year Experience Librarian Cross employee who attempts to get He reconnects with old friends in University of Southern Mississippi medical treatment for her is told by the process to uncover the mystery —◆— a doctor, “Down here we don’t mix” surrounding the crimes involving Gwin, Minrose (196). his parents. Consequently, he finds Promise: A Novel This book would be an excellent failures of his own that force him to New York: HarperCollins Publish- addition to a public library’s collec- grow up and perhaps slightly under- ers. 367 pp. $25.99 (hardcover) tion, or one that is focused on Mis- stand his parents. sissippi history. While the characters The Graceland Conspiracy is es- Set during the Great Depression, and their experiences are fictional, sentially a fun read. The plot is car- Promise is a touching and beauti- the destruction was real and had a ried by a series of action packed fully written story that brings to life huge impact on the town of Tupelo events involving likable characters, one of the greatest tragedies that has and on the state of Mississippi. some so entertaining that you hope occurred in the state of Mississip- they are the good guys. Matt Boy- pi. This story follows two charac- Alex Brower, MLIS kin’s transformation from disgrun- ters, one African American and one —◆— tled slacker to a hero by circum- stance makes the novel exciting and white, in the Mississippi town of Shirley, Philip Tupelo after an F5 tornado flattens relatable. Although fundamentally The Graceland Conspiracy the town on Palm Sunday, causing an international crime thriller, this Florence, Alabama: MindBridge widespread death, destruction, and novel is also funny with a hint of Press, 2019. 271 pp. $17.99 mayhem. romance. I highly recommend this (paperback) Since the toll on the town’s Af- novel to Elvis fans, but more specifi- rican American community was Matt Boykin is a rambling pool cally to public libraries or any librar- not recorded or reported upon, the hustler thrown into a set of circum- ies with Mississippi fiction writers’ author explores what the tragedy stances that compel him to uncov- collections. may have been like for those who er the truth about his parents. This Mississippi Libraries Vol. 82 No. 1 • Spring 2019 Page 25

Judith Hilkert Even with the limited sampling, this contentious time in American Technical Services Coordinator the authors do a great job finding history. It would also be of interest Hinds Community College different reactions and severity in to the general reader interested in —◆— responses, and show contrasts be- civil rights history. Because many Wiegand, Wayne and Shirley tween library systems and commu- of the activists mentioned in the Wiegand nity access. book were also involved in other The Desegregation of Public Libraries The research done for these chap- parts of the movement, the sources in the Jim Crow South ters include the use of local legal here provide context for the broader Baton Rouge, LA: Louisiana State cases and local and national news- civil rights discussion. The authors University Press, 2018. 266 pp. $38 paper coverage, as well as firsthand successfully illustrate the startling (hardback) accounts from librarians, library realities of the lack of access for Af- patrons, and prominent civil rights rican-American community mem- The Desegregation of Public Li- activists. The authors use prima- bers in the early and mid-twentieth braries in the Jim Crow South covers ry sources such as letters to library century, and highlight the strength, the varied experiences that southern boards, correspondence between tenacity, and courage of the com- communities faced when addressing librarians, and minutes from city munity members who took a stand and implementing desegregation council meetings to provide a to make a change. The authors pro- policies in public libraries. The au- well-rounded perspective. Each city vide a section with photographs thors begin by discussing the early and town had their own unique ex- from the read-ins, arrests, and other years of the civil rights movement, periences with desegregating their images related to the incidents men- and the effects of Brown v. Board library systems. Protests such as li- tioned in the chapters. They con- of Education on the segregation of brary read-ins, and even some vio- clude the work with a response from public schools in the South. They lent responses to integration efforts the American Library Association, a then examine desegregation efforts are chronicled, including the stories bibliography, primary source notes, state by state. The authors chose the of the Tougaloo Nine in Jackson, and an index. This book would fit areas within each state that had the Mississippi (1961) and the St. Hel- well in both academic and public most media coverage and the most ena Four in Greensburg, Louisiana libraries. accessible information about the (1964). This is a great resource for li- Whitney Baswell desegregation of library systems. Library Associate & MLIS Student In addition, they encourage readers brarians, students, and scholars in Mississippi University for Women to research their own local library’s understanding the role that public history and continue their research. libraries in the South played during

To join MLA, or to renew your membership: http://misslib.org/membership 2019 MLA Executive Board Minutes: http://misslib.org/page-1860516