University Libraries Honored at Mississippi Library Association Conference

Faculty and staff members of The University of Southern Mississippi University Libraries were honored at the Mississippi Library Association (MLA) annual conference held in Vicksburg Oct. 18 – 21. Emilie Aplin, Elizabeth La Beaud, Jennifer Brannock, Sarah Mangrum and Dawn Smith received awards for their dedication and services to University Libraries at Southern Miss.

Elizabeth La Beaud, Digital Lab Manager, and Emilie Aplin, Access Services Evening Supervisor, were inducted into the Beta Psi Chapter of Beta Phi Mu, the International Library and Information Studies Honor Society. Beta Phi Mu was founded in 1948 by a group of leading librarians and library educators to recognize and encourage scholastic achievement among library and information studies students. The Beta Psi chapter presently has 163 active members and a total of 265 inductees, and its primary mission is to support the profession.

University Libraries also received awards for successful efforts to publicize library services. The award for Best Effort by an Individual Library to Publicize Library Services Around a Single Event went to Jennifer Brannock, Sarah Mangrum and Dawn Smith for The Big Read: Edgar Allan Poe. The Big Read grant was a three-month long project that supported programming related to the stories and poetry of Edgar Allan Poe and included events such as book discussions, exhibits, scholarly lectures, film showings and a live radio performance. University Libraries was one of 75 institutions across the United States to receive the $10,000 grant in 2015. Brannock is the Curator of Rare Books and Mississippiana in McCain Library and Archives, Mangrum is the Access Services Librarian in Cook Library, and Dawn Smith is the Assistant to the Dean of University Libraries for Publicity and Outreach.

University Libraries at Southern Miss has long been known for leadership and participation in library and literacy activities, from local events to national and international professional associations and conferences. In addition to the awards, many from Southern Miss presented in conference sessions, displayed and discussed posters of their scholarly work, and volunteered in service areas. Earlier in 2016, Sarah Mangrum was elected as MLA's vice president. One of her responsibilities will be to organize the 2017 conference, which will be held in Hattiesburg.  

The mission of MLA is to provide professional leadership for the development, promotion, and improvement of library and information services and the profession of librarianship in order to enhance learning and ensure access to information for all. Library professionals in academic and public libraries across the state convene once a year at the MLA Conference to network with fellow colleagues and attend informative sessions and workshops.

For information about University Libraries, visit http://www.lib.usm.edu/.