A Little Help with What to Read Next

Does your local librarian come to your aid when you are looking for something new to read? We always try. Sometimes, however, even the experts need a little help. "I like Danielle Steel and want a book like hers" or "I just finished all of Stuart Woods' novels and need another author" are fairly easy requests to fill, but sometimes things are a bit more complex. Where is a librarian to turn when they need help with recommending a next read? Often we turn to NoveList Plus. This digital resource provides multiple ways to find recommendations for your next book. And with your CMRLS library card, it is a free service for our patrons.

Recently, a patron read Lisa Wingate's best selling novel, Before We Were Yours, and raved about how much she enjoyed the book. Of course, she went straight to Lisa Wingate's novels on our shelf and checked out a few others. It wasn't long before she returned to bring back the novels, disappointed that they were not to her liking. Enter NoveList Plus where we were able to access a list of books that were read-alikes for the book Before We Were Yours.  With this information, we were able to pull novels for the patron that were what she was seeking to read.

To access NoveList Plus, click on the Digital Library tab on our web page and select Virtual Reference Collection. We have many excellent digital resources available that may be accessed through the Virtual Reference Collection page. If you click to access NoveList Plus, you will be prompted to input your CMRLS library card number.  Simple searches are easy to do if you are familiar with navigating on the Internet. NoveList Plus is linked with our card catalog so you can elect to place a hold on an item when you locate what you want to read. For more complicated searches, you may contact your local branch for assistance or there are YouTube videos from EBSCO that may assist you as well. Simply enter "NoveList" into the YouTube search bar to see what videos are available.

Another help feature for locating a book can be accessed by clicking on the Explore tab on our web page, The librarians at Mississippi Library Commission will recommend titles for you if you answer a few questions. Click on BookMatch to try this service. You will notice you may also access NoveList through the Explore tab. The Explore section of our website is full of reader's advisory help. NextReads and GoodReads are a few other digital resources for book recommendations. And if you are forever forgetting what books you have read, check out Beanstack. With this app, you can participate in reading challenges, log the books you read, and even write book reviews.

Happy reading!

Library System Continues to Serve During COVID-19 Outbreak

All branches of the Central Mississippi Regional Library System (CMRLS) are currently closed to the public, but many of the library’s digital resources are still available online during this time of social distancing.


CMRLS has created a remote “digital library card” sign-up option to ensure that library cards can be issued to those who want to access digital materials and services while they are at home. To sign up for a digital library card, or to reset the PIN number on an existing library card account, users can visit cmrls.lib.ms.us and click on the tab “Services” and be directed to complete the online application.

The library has a Virtual Reference Collection page, located at https://cmrls.lib.ms.us/digital-library/virtual-reference-collection, to make it easy for users to access all its digital content in one place. Regular updates are posted to this page, including links to additional free educational and informational content. Users will also find links to the library’s Axis360 eBook service and Freading where cardholders can access eBooks, eAudiobooks, music, and more.


Library staff members will be working to possibly offer virtual children’s story times, and regular updates to its social media pages to share useful and interesting content. Virtual story times will be available through the library’s Facebook page and Instagram pages. Users can find the library on Facebook (CMRLS.Libraries), Twitter (CMRLSLibrary), Twitter (CMRLSTeen) Pinterest (CMRLSLibrary), Flickr (CMRLS Photos), Instagram (CMRLSLibraries).


CMRLS also wants library users to know that all materials checked out from the library have been extended to May 4th and that no overdue fines will be charged during the library’s closure. Library book drops are also closed, and patrons are being asked to keep their checked-out materials until the library reopens.


“Acting on advice and recommendations from the CDC, Governor Tate Reeves, the Mississippi Library Association, and Mississippi Library Commission, nearly all public library systems in the State of Mississippi are currently closed,” said CMRLS Executive Director Mara Villa Polk. “Even so, the decision to close was a tremendously difficult one to make, and we really miss our
patrons. I am proud of our library team member’s efforts as they continue to engage with the community in a safe and responsible way while working to improve and adapt library services during this crisis.”


The Central Mississippi Regional Library System serves Rankin, Scott, Simpson and Smith Counties. Patrons can contact the library via email at: custsvc@cmrls.lib.ms.us or by calling 601-825-0100.

New Library Service Announced

New Service Announced

CMRLS Introduces Flipster^®, a New Way to Access Digital Magazines

~ The One-Stop-Shop for Digital Magazines Allows Library Patrons
to Browse the Latest Issues of the Most Sought After Magazines ~

Patrons of CMRLS Libraries can now access their favorite digital magazines using Flipster from EBSCO Information Services. Flipster is a next-generation magazine service that allows people to browse digital versions of the latest issues of popular magazines, courtesy of the library.

There are more than 30 titles in the collection; including People, Entertainment Weekly, Time, Southern Living, Country Living, Real Simple, Good Housekeeping, Cooking Light, Family Tree, Flex, Car and Driver, Essence, Ebony, and many more. Personal subscriptions would cost hundreds of dollars, but now everyone in the 4-county area has access to these titles. View the magazines on any online device; or download to Android™ phones and tablets, Apple^® phones and tables, and Kindle Fire tablets for offline reading anytime, anywhere. The Libraries also offer free Wifi.

Flipster offers an easy, browse-able reading experience. Users can browse magazines by category as well as perform searches for specific periodicals. An online newsstand provides a carousel of the most recent issues, as well as a carousel of all issues allowing for quick access to magazines. The table of contents contains links for quick access to articles of interest and hotlinks within magazines are hyperlinked, opening in separate tabs when clicked. In addition, there is an option to zoom in and out for better readability.

“This is one more Library service that makes information available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Log in to Flipster and other Library services with your Library card barcode number and your Library comes to you,” said Dorothy Vance, CMRLS Public Relations Coordinator. “We have downloadable eBooks, audiobooks, music, and now magazines. Numerous databases can be accessed from anywhere; these are credible, peer reviewed books and journals; just what is needed for homework or personal research.”

Contact your Library staff at any of the CMRLS Libraries; or visit online at cmrls.lib.ms.us to learn more about accessing the library’s digital magazines through Flipster.