Cataloging and Metadata Commons^™

Mississippi Libraries Volume 88, Number 1 And 2

Mississippi Libraries

No abstract provided.

Book Reviews, Katie Gill, Audrey Beach

Mississippi Libraries

Reviews of:

Alsup, William. The Trial of Lee Harvey Oswald. Athens, GA: New South Books, 2022.

Loewen, James W., Byron D’Andra Orey, and Charles Sallis, eds. Mississippi, Conflict and Change. Jackson, MS: University Press of Mississippi, 2025.

Mississippi Library Association Annual Conference: 2025 Recap, Janessa Ullendorf

Mississippi Libraries

Recap from the 2025 annual conference of the Mississippi Library Association.

Slis Notes: Psst...Do You Have This Dirty Book?, Stacy Creel, Crystal Walker

Mississippi Libraries

Romance fiction is one of the most commercially successful and culturally significant genres in contemporary publishing, and this is not a one-year instance; it is a multi-year trend (Adams, 2026). In 2025, sales were up in the United States, and the growth was across platforms and formats—digital audio, e-books, and print. Two subgenres have sparked greater interest—romantasy and dark romance. Romantasy, the combination of romance and fantasy, has drawn new readers with the explosion of Sarah J. Maas, and dark romance, which gained some notoriety with Fifty Shades of Grey (2011) has seen strong growth and acceptance. In fact, the …

President's Page, Dawn Zimmerer

Mississippi Libraries

Update from the president of the Mississippi Library Association.

Front Matter

Mississippi Libraries

No abstract provided.

Ethos: A Computational Framework For Material Culture Research, Chelsea L. Grafe

Department of Textiles, Merchandising and Fashion Design: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Museum catalog records make large collections searchable, but they do not always preserve the reasoning behind the claims they contain. A record may present a quilt's identity as settled while leaving the reasoning behind that claim invisible, making it difficult for later researchers to check, question, or reuse. This project asks whether museum catalog data can be analyzed in a way that keeps each analytical claim connected to the evidence that supports it. To test this question, the project applies a material-first computational framework named Ethos. Ethos formalizes an object-centered inquiry sequence in which material dependencies establish where analysis begins …

Mississippi Libraries Volume 87, Number 3 And 4

Mississippi Libraries

Complete issue of Volume 87, Number 3 and 4 of Mississippi Libraries.

Curriculum Materials Cataloged For Browsing, Michelle Emanuel

Mississippi Libraries

When the University of Mississippi Libraries acquired a collection of state-adopted school textbooks for K-12 from its School of Education, a decision was made to catalog the collection for browsing to anticipate the needs of its primary users, both “in service” and “pre-service” teachers. The textbooks would be grouped according to their grade level, and cuttered by subject area, instead of being classed according to its subject area. As the collection would be integrated into the regular circulating collection, and not into a curriculum materials center, issues arose for both technical services and access services throughout the process, from cataloging …

The Last Human Place: Efficiency Is Killing Libraries, Gabriel Morley

Mississippi Libraries

This essay argues that libraries should de-prioritize efficiency. Instead, libraries should promote their value around connective labor, which is the human work of attention, care, and emotional understanding. Libraries are increasingly dominated by automation, data metrics, and speed. This essay puts forward the idea that libraries should shift focus to human relationships as an organizing principle. Drawing on Allison Pugh’s concept of connective labor, this essay contends that human-to-human engagement is essential infrastructure, as vital as technology or buildings. Efficiency-focused metrics like circulation and attendance fail to capture the deeper social function libraries play in communities and on campuses related …

The Generative Turn: Ai And The Future Of Libraries, Deborah Lee

Mississippi Libraries

The Generative Turn introduces Mississippi librarians to the growing influence of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and what it means for the future of library work. Rather than focusing on fear or hype, the column invites librarians to explore how tools such as ChatGPT or DALL-E can support creativity and professional learning. It explains how these systems differ from earlier forms of AI and how they can be used in everyday library tasks. The article highlights the librarian’s role in helping communities use these technologies responsibly while continuing to emphasize digital literacy. The column provides recommendations for books, online resources, conferences, …

Slis Notes: Building Advocacy, Stacy Creel, Sarah Mangrum

Mississippi Libraries

In 2016, the Pew Research Center found that 66 percent of adults believe that the public library has a positive role in their communities and believe in the educational role of libraries. Beyond education, respondents felt that libraries had a role in supporting businesses, technology, and other services, and were important parts of the community (Pew, 2016). Libraries continue to be “among the most trusted public institutions in our democratic society. Nevertheless, public libraries are struggling to regulate the library space as a space for all in democratic societies with increasing polarization” (Yamagishi, Koizumi, & Larsen, 2024, p. 1359). As …

President's Page, Matt Gully

Mississippi Libraries

Updates from the President of the Mississippi Library Association.

Front Matter

Mississippi Libraries

Front matter for Mississippi Libraries Vol. 87, Nos. 3 and 4.

Session E: Engaging Community In The Creation Of Gen Ai Tools, Alexis Braun Marks, Lee Dotson, Jennifer Saville

Learning Together at the Forefront of Change: GenAI Summit 2026

In February 2025 the Eastern Michigan University Archives joined the JSTOR initiative Project Odyssey as a beta community partner. The intention of Project Odyssey was to: “leverage generative AI to assist libraries and archives in processing their digital collections. This solution addresses frequent bottlenecks in the creation of descriptive metadata—a vital component for preserving and making collections discoverable.”

Two members of the JSTOR team, Jennifer Saville and Lee Dotson, will join EMU Archivist Alexis Braun Marks to share the experience of working with the tool; how JSTOR involves community members in the creation, testing and evolution of tools; and the …

Reawakening Waⁿdat: Community Research & Reclamation, Darcy Allred

Theses and Dissertations

The Wyandot(te) have undergone language dormancy due to settler colonial impacts of warfare, refugee relocation, forced removals, and U.S. assimilation projects. One of the most pressing priorities among our people today is reawakening our ancestral language, Waⁿdat. The common follow-up question is: how? Through the conduit of Waⁿdat language reclamation, this project grapples with the above question in collaboration with the Wyandot(te) community, and in adherence to the tribal sovereignty of the Wyandotte Nation. The project engages with diasporic perspectives, community-based pedagogy design, and tribally specific research protocols and policies. The living collective knowledgebase with which I engage in this …

Investigating The Relationship Between Noun Classes And Plant Folk Taxonomy In Chasu Language Of Kilimanjaro Region In Tanzania, Peter Rabson Mziray

Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

The current study investigates the relationship between noun classes and plant folk taxonomy in Chasu (G 22). The study focuses on two objectives: the first objective is to describe the plant folk taxonomy in Chasu and the second objective is to determine the relationship between noun classes and plant folk taxonomy in Chasu. Data were collected from rural villages in Same and Mwanga districts by using free listing, field interviews (jungle-walk-and-identify), and written texts containing Chasu plant names. The findings reveal that Chasu folk taxonomy reflects different ethnobotanical categories; including a unique beginner which is mmea/mimea ‘plant(s)’, and three life …

Mississippi Libraries Volume 87, Number 1 And 2

Mississippi Libraries

Complete issue of Vol. 87, Nos. 1 and 2 of Mississippi Libraries

Book Reviews, Melissa Brooks, Justin Easterday

Mississippi Libraries

Reviews of:

Watson, J. and J. Thomas, Jr., eds., Faulkner's Families. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi, 2023. 247 pp. $30.00 (Paperback).

Lemco, A. (2023). Wading In: Desegregation on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Univ. Press of Mississippi. 206 pp. $22 (Paperback).

First Regional Library Celebrates 75 Years, David Brown

Mississippi Libraries

In 1947, the Citizen’s Library Movement of DeSoto County was formed to advocate for public libraries in the communities of Northwest Mississippi. These early visionaries saw the advantages of having a regional library system to share resources and materials. The Movement’s efforts led to the Supervisors of DeSoto, Lafayette, Panola, and Tate Counties to form First Regional Library in 1950, the first multi-county library system in Mississippi. In 1968, Tunica County joined the library system.

These communities have shown much growth in the past 75 years, and First Regional Library has grown with the communities it serves.. When First Regional …

Mla Annual Conference 2024 Recap, Janessa Ullendorf

Mississippi Libraries

Recap of the 2024 Mississippi Library Association Conference held in Natchez, Mississippi on October 9-11, 2024.

Bridging The Gap: Fostering Collaboration And Professional Development With University And School Librarian Partnerships, Melissa Dennis, Melody Dale

Mississippi Libraries

In 1999, the Mississippi State University Libraries established the MegaResource School Librarian Workshop, a technology-focused workshop that provided K-12 librarians an opportunity to earn Continuing Education Units (CEUs). Over the past 25 years, the workshop has evolved to meet the ever-changing needs of school librarians, however, the popularity of the workshop and limited spacing meant there was often a waiting list, creating an opportunity for other institutions to help fill this need. In 2022, academic librarians and deans from Mississippi universities met to discuss ways that the University of Mississippi Libraries and others could create more outreach opportunities, specifically for …

Looking Ahead: Evolving Technology And Service In Mississippi Public Libraries, Gabriel Morley

Mississippi Libraries

Over the past two decades, Mississippi public libraries have experienced a significant shift in how patrons access technology and information. Once central to bridging the digital divide, public computers and in-person reference services are now in decline, reflecting broader trends in digital access and self-service information seeking. Between 2013 and 2023, computer use sessions in Mississippi libraries dropped by 75%, while reference transactions decreased by over 50% from 2003-2023. This article explores the evolution of library technology services in Mississippi public libraries and offers a forward-thinking vision for the future. It argues that adaptability, innovation, and strategic partnerships are key …

Slis Notes: The Ai Elephant In The Room, Stacy Creel, Andrew Sims

Mississippi Libraries

Notes and updates from the Director of the School of Library and Information Science at The University of Southern Mississippi. This column discusses the emergence of new AI tools and their potential effects on libraries.

President's Page, Matt Gully

Mississippi Libraries

Updates from the President of the Mississippi Library Association.

Front Matter

Mississippi Libraries

Cover and table of contents for Mississippi Libraries, Vol. 87, Nos. 1 and 2

Arts-Based Sustainability: From New York To Malawi, Martha B. Lerski

Publications and Research

Recognizing that libraries serve multiple constituencies and subject areas, this chapter documents and advocates for development of transdisciplinary arts-based research (ABR) and culture-related projects linked to environmental challenges. Libraries contribute collections and spaces, as well as the research of library and information scientists. Libraries are currently among invisible contributors to sustainability planning and services. The chapter will link this invisibility to the value of what visual arts refer to as negative space elements in subjects ranging from traditional ecological knowledge to environmental science. Library collections, projects, and research contribute to education for sustainable development (ESD) as required to achieve the …

One Object, Fluctuating Trajectories: Harnessing The Document Future Of Premodern Manuscripts, L.P. Coladangelo, Rose A. Mccandless

Proceedings from the Document Academy

Using copy theory as a framework to explore document surrogacy and simulation, this paper discusses premodern manuscripts as a case study for understanding relevant aspects of temporality and materiality in the experience of documents to speculate on the nature of immersive documents of the future. This speculation is powered on mapping and synthesizing the paths of interconnected temporal and material change manuscripts have followed by examining multiple “versions” of these documents based on various contexts of use and access and technological innovations. As hand copied documents of similar texts, premodern manuscripts are posited as both copies and originals depending on …

Mississippi Libraries 86(3) Fall 2023 (Full Issue)

Mississippi Libraries

Complete issue of Mississippi Libraries Volume 86 Number 3 Fall 2023

Mississippi Libraries 86(2) Summer 2023 (Full Issue)

Mississippi Libraries

Complete issue of Mississippi Libraries Volume 86 Number 2 Summer 2023