Pike-Amite-Walthall Library System Director Darlene Morgan discussed system funding, new materials and future plans for the three-county system on Tuesday.
“We serve over 68,000 patrons in the nine libraries we operate,” Morgan told the McComb Lions Club. “We have a lot of stuff for all ages who use the library.”
System libraries include the headquarters on Virginia Avenue in McComb and at the Alpha Center in Baertown, as well as Magnolia, Osyka, Progress, Liberty, Gloster, Crosby and Tylertown.
Morgan said library funding comes from taxes, local and state appropriations, grants from the Mississippi Library Commission and from donations and memorials.
Morgan said the library commission awarded a $3,000 grant to the local system to go toward the purchase of e-books. Another $3,000 technology grant was used to upgrade staff computers.
“We’re about to apply for a Weyerhaeuser Community Grant to furnish the Osyka library,” she said. “The grant will furnish chairs, tables and study carrels.”
The Oyska library is moving into a renovated bank building.
As for policy changes, Morgan said VHS and cassette tapes will be phased out, preferably by the end of the year. She said the library’s audio books will be on CDs.
“We’re moving toward mp3 players,” Morgan said of audio books. “That’s something we’re building up and it’s a brand new thing.”
Morgan said e-books are all the rage at the moment.
“An e-book is strictly an electronic record. After they’re checked out, then they have to be re-ordered. An e-book is cost effective,” Morgan said. “We’ve got almost 1,000 now. You can check them out for two weeks at a time. At the end of two weeks, they will drop off your device.”
Morgan said the library has three genealogical heritage databases — Newsbank, which includes newspapers from across the U.S., Heritage Quest and Ancestry Library.
The creation of a teen area at the McComb branch is in the works, Morgan said.
Future plans also include classes to teach the community how to use e-Readers, offer wireless Internet in all nine libraries, upgrade the Internet bandwidth add staff members and a Liberty branch manager, adult reading programs and securing grants for microfilm readers.
