Around Wesson, people know Ann Clark as a kid person, and they can't think of a better person to manage the town's public library.
Over the past eight years at the library, where she has been responsible for its programs, putting books into its system and helping meet the information needs of its users and to enjoy the pleasures of reading, Clark's forte has been working with the children the library serves. That goes, too, for the children that are still in adults of any age. Whether it's making computers user-friendly for them or connecting then to the right book or print medium, Clark's kid skills -- empathetic listening and patience -- make the difference at Wesson Public Library.
Born and raised in Wesson, Clark grew up with two brothers and a sister in the town, where she recalls riding a bike and swimming in a nearby lake. In 1978, she graduated from Wesson High School when it was based a Co-Lin prior to the opening of Wesson Attendance Center. While working at an auto parts store in Brookhaven, she met and married Mike Clark, who is now a foreman Westlake Chemical Corporation in Hazlehurst.
Clark discovered her kid skills rearing two children of her own, now grown -- Jennifer, who drives a school bus, and Joe, who works for a company that lays underground pipes for fiber optics. So she started a day care center at her house, where she could be with her children and help other parents with their childcare needs.
"I wanted to be with kids," she explains simply. And so it has been since.
She ended her day care business in the early 1990s after eight years to go to work at Wesson Elementary School for five years as a teacher assistant, and then joined Precious Moments Day Care in Center in 1996 as director and a specialist in teaching four-year-olds and providing infant care.
Clark's next stop was Wesson Public Library. "I am the library," Clark affirms, but credits Friends of the Library (FOL) members with providing much needed help to do her job, singling out Pat McCreary, FOL chairperson; Marilyn Britt, Jackie Coons, Annie Ruth Welter, Violet Correles, Sonya Cowen, Wesson Mayor Alton Shaw and Mildred Twiner.
What are your hobbies? I enjoy sewing. I make all kinds of clothes for infants and decorative item. During the pandemic, I have made masks. I also try to find time for being with my seven grandkids, ages 5, 6, 7, 10, 13, 15 and 18. For thirty years, I taught Sunday School at Zion Hill Baptist Church.
As a librarian, are you a reader?
Oh yes. Mysteries.
Are you into music?
Not really. At church, I am known for making a joyful noise.
Do you enjoy movies or theater?
I enjoy television movies, particularly mysteries.
What would you do with lottery winnings if you were so lucky? I would retire to focus on sewing and travel, which I never get to do very much. I have fond memories of travelling in Yellowstone Park, and would like to return there one day.
How would you change the world? By and large, I would leave that to others, but helping children would be a priority and getting rid of this pandemic once and for all!
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