On April 21, 2022, the story “No Library Left Behind” premiered on WLBT featuring an interview with Executive Director Floyd Council. The focus of the segment from reporter Melissa Payne was the future of the Jackson/Hinds Library System in terms of needed repairs to buildings and technology upgrades:
“I think one thing to understand is that our governing library board has the responsibility for governing the library system,” said Floyd Council, who is the new executive director for the Jackson Hinds Library System.
“But the buildings either belong to the City of Jackson or they belong to a city within the county,” he added. “Which means that the state law in the State of Mississippi prohibits library systems from owning the buildings and making substantial repairs to them. So the buildings have to be maintained by the owners for the benefit of the taxpaying citizens.”
Mr. Council also mentioned the possibility of special hotspots for teens and other technology advances to improve internet access for patrons.
The video and article are available at this link.
Special thanks to Melissa Faith Payne and her crew for the coverage.