Wesson Library described as community service

By Bob Arnold 

Wesson Public Library (WPL) isn’t just about books, but rather community service, Marilyn Britt, its librarian, told Wesson Lions Club members at their organization’s Family Night last month.

Britt, whose mother served 15 years as WPL librarian and is following in her footsteps after retiring as vice president and manager at the Trustmark Bank Wesson branch, talked about her efforts to take the library to a new level as an integral part of town life, and accepted a $250 donation for the library’s work from the local Lions.

Britt sees her mission at the library as encouraging readership among wide-ranging population groups, providing a broad spectrum of services to the town and promoting community cultural programs.

“We’re trying to reach to everyone,” she says.

First and foremost, she wants people to read.  Towards that end, one of her first projects at WPL was “Books for Babies” to bring parents with their infants to the library.  She offered a basket filled with baby care items as a prize in a drawing that required moms or dads to come to WPL with their infants to get them free library cards and introduce them to age-appropriate books early in their lives.  Library programs also reach out to children at Wesson Baptist Pre-school and Precious Moments Day Care, she says. 

To encourage reading at the other end of the age spectrum, Britt has filled the library shelves with 700 large print books so reading remains a joy in the senior years of WPL users.  “At WPL, you can find fiction and non-fiction literature for all ages – children, juveniles and adults -- and reference works for research,” Britt summarizes. 

But the library goes beyond books for Britt.  WPL helps people address their business and personal needs on computers and through copying and faxing services, she points out.  It is also a venue where local artists regularly display their works and a setting for other members of the community talk about their work at events, such as the Summer Reading Program for children and National Library Week celebration and forum.

With all that, Britt has also made the library a comfortable space to meet or work alone, securing donations love seats from Tilden Furniture to help create a pleasant environment.

Although WPL is supported by government as part of the Copiah-Jefferson Libraries system,  Britt credits volunteers from the Wesson Attendance Center Beta service club, and, especially, the Wesson Friends of the Library (FOL) with providing valuable assistance, supplementary funding and staffing special events. 

A major project of FOL in partnership with WPL is a town history museum.  With the help of a $9,500 Home Depot grant, they are renovating a building constructed in 1915 to house the facility.