June Greetings

June Greetings from the Reservoir

Greetings from the Northwest Point Reservoir Library! The staff of the library has been hard at work getting the library and all of our materials ready for our patron's return! We are so excited to begin curbside services at select branches within the Central Mississippi Library System.


Curbside services

The Library has been closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic however, we do have curbside services at the following branches: Pearl, Flowood, Richland, Raleigh, Magee, Mendenhall, beginning Tuesday, May 26th from 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. We hope to see all of our patrons during this new program!

Library services during continued lockdown. 

While the library may be closed, we continue to encourage our patrons to enjoy the many services that are still available. Such services include free wifi in the parking lot and on the back deck, ebooks from the Axis 360 app, Flipster, Tumblebooks, Freegal Music, FReading, and many others! We also encourage our patrons to walk on the Reservoir Botanical Gardens and walking trail located across the parking lot.



We hope to see all of our patrons soon! We know that these have been unprecedented times in our nation's history but we also know that we will overcome it.

Check it out!

We bring it too you! Now that is what I call service.
Today seven of Central MS libraries (Raleigh, Magee, Mendenhall, Forest, Pearl, Richland, and Flowood) will start curbside service for you.
I know you have been missing your library materials but now you can get that next book you wanted to read or that movie you have been waiting to see.
It is simple, just place a book on hold or give us a call, and we will pull the book for you. When you pull up to the library, call the library and we will bring your books. Yes, you will need your library card. Have it ready when you call. You will need to drop all returning materials into the book drop. We can't wait to serve you!

Library Services Update

May 12, 2020

Dear Valued Library Patron

On behalf of our entire family of libraries, we want to thank you for your support during the past couple of months. While our doors were physically closed to you, our Central Mississippi Regional Library System Board of Trustees and Library Team was committed to providing digital services which included access to eBooks, Databases, eContent, free WiFi at all branches. We are grateful that you have continued to support us from a distance. Because of your support, we have been able to promote safety for our communities and our library team. We sincerely appreciate your vast loyalty and look forward to having you visit our libraries again soon.

From the beginning of the pandemic, we have continued to prioritize the health and well-being of our library team members and library patrons. As we enter phased reopening plans in our branches, we want to inform you of the practices and safety protocols we are following to ensure our libraries remain a safe place to work and provide library services. Below is a list of policies and operations that our libraries will be following, along with estimated dates of when each location plans to reopen.

We kindly ask that you refrain from visiting our libraries if you have any symptoms (coughing, shortness of breath, sore throat, vomiting or diarrhea), if you have had a fever of 100.4 in the past 48hrs, or if you have been in close contact with a confirmed case of COVID19. Additionally, we request your participation in our social distancing practices to safeguard our CMRLS team and patrons. Thank you for your assistance in this matter!

• Libraries will follow all local guidelines to open at specified capacity rates.
• In-person library programming, such as but not limited to story times and book clubs, will not be offered until further notice.
• The Library Team Member is required to undergo a series of health screening questions before entering the building. Those showing any signs of symptoms or fever are prohibited from entering the library.
• Study tables and computer stations are seated at least 6ft apart from one another.
• Availability of computers will be limited. We will adhere to thirty-minute sessions to allow for others to use computers. Free Wifi can be accessed on the outside of the library building.
• Curbside Document Delivery Services such as printing, copying and faxing are available for a fee. Wireless printing is available at select branches: Flowood, Pearl, Magee, Mendenhall, Forest.
• Notary services are available for a nominal fee at the following branches: Flowood, Magee, Mendenhall
• Library Team Members are required to wear protective masks and gloves with frequent glove changes and hand washing.
• Tables, chairs, and other library surfaces are sanitized after every use.
• High-touch areas such as doorknobs, screens, restrooms, etc. are sanitized frequently throughout each shift.
• Antibacterial soap and hand sanitizer are readily available for Library Team Members and patrons in the libraries.
• Library Team Members are provided proper training and guidance on safety protocols and steps to minimize the spread of COVID19.
• Meeting room use and study room use are discontinued until further notice.

CMRLS has a plan for our libraries. The first part of the plan includes opening Book Drops and offering Curbside Services. During this phase, patrons will not be allowed to enter our libraries.

Book drops at selected locations will be open starting Monday, May 18, 2020 (at the following locations: Floyd J.Robinson Memorial Public Library (Raleigh, MS), Forest Public Library (Forest, MS), G. Chastaine Flynt Memorial Public Library (Flowood, MS), Magee PublicLibrary (Magee, MS), Mendenhall Public Library (Mendenhall, MS), Pearl PublicLibrary (Pearl, MS), Richland Public Library (Richland, MS)). All returned items will be quarantined for fourteen (14) days in the designated and approved area in the library. The returned items will be in quarantine. Items will remain on the patron’s account until the quarantine period is completed. However, it should not hinder the patron from borrowing more items.

Beginning Tuesday, May 26, 2020, Curbside Services will be available from 10:00 A.M.-5:30 P.M. at the following locations: Floyd J.Robinson Memorial Public Library (Raleigh, MS), Forest Public Library (Forest, MS), G. Chastaine Flynt Memorial Public Library (Flowood, MS), Magee PublicLibrary (Magee, MS), Mendenhall Public Library (Mendenhall, MS), Pearl PublicLibrary (Pearl, MS), Richland Public Library (Richland, MS).

We will continue to closely monitor the recommendations of local health departments and authorities to ensure we are serving you in the safest way possible.

Warm regards,

Mara V. Polk

Executive Director

Read Outside Your Comfort Zone

Why do you read? For companionship? for inspiration? to stimulate your imagination? for growth? We all have different reasons why we read. Some enjoy one specific genre: romance, suspense, fantasy, self-help; others thrive on variety. One might prefer first person narratives while others like to get into the minds of all the characters. Some visualize the characters and setting; others do not. We are quite a kaleidoscope when it comes down to our individual preferences.

Let me ask you this: Do you ever read with diversity in mind? Diversity, for most of us, brings to mind different races but that is just a part of diversity. Diversity can be a different culture, a different lifestyle, a different religion, etc. Reading a novel about New York City is diversity if you live in small-town America, because everyday life can be quite different for a big-city dweller versus one in a small town. Picking up a novel with characters of another race is diversity. Some books are culturally generic. They might have a cast of diverse characters, but the plot does not differ regardless of who the characters may be. Other books are culturally specific and the plot reflects diversity.

It is a challenge to me at times to read a culturally specific book because I don’t see myself in the story; however, I read on outside my comfort zone because I know these books expose me to a larger world and open my mind. I see that people that are different than me have many of the same thoughts and feelings I do but also it fosters understanding for our differences.  For this reason, I push on and try new titles. In the past few years, reading The Hate U Give provided many insights into concerns African American mothers have for their teenage sons that I never had for my two boys when they were teens and Every Falling Star opened my heart to the plight of the average citizen in North Korea. Recently, I watched a TED Talk entitled “The Danger of a Single Story.” The speech by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is less than 20 minutes and I would encourage you to watch it if you are on the fence about diversity in literature.

The Danger of a Single Story

Give it a try. Find a novel by a foreign author or with a plot that is different than your world. Encourage your children to read about different cultures and races. Acceptance comes with understanding and what a better place we would live in if we viewed our differences with an open mind.

Fun at Home

So, here we are. Day #?, I do not even remember.  One thing I do know is that we miss our library kids. Some we see on a more regular basis than we do our own family. At Magee, our Branch Manager Frances Meadows tells us that she wants the people that come in the library to feel like family when they leave.

That made me think about how I am spending my time at home with my family.  We have spent time together playing games. Board games and cards are our favorites. When we do, two things always happen. We smile and we laugh. Sometimes, we laugh a lot! This has made me remember the times that I spent as a child playing games with my family. Good memories to have.

As you try to find things to do during your time at home, how about playing games with your family? Maybe you will find out who is most competitive or silliest or something you never knew? Board games, cards, make up your own, just spend some time playing. Hopefully, you will have as much fun as I am having with my family.

When this is over, we look forward to seeing all of our library "family" again. Maybe we can talk Frances in to hosting a whole day of games? I know that will be fun!