Jackson-Hinds Library System asks residents to take new survey to determine what's needed

Charlie Drape, Mississippi Clarion Ledger
·2 min read

The Jackson-Hinds Library System is inviting the public to complete a new survey to see what residents want, need and expect from their local libraries.

The survey is part of the library system's 5-year strategic planning process, which is hoped to be complete by early summer, according to a press release sent to the Clarion Ledger on Wednesday.

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Please take the Jackson-Hinds Library survey

The survey will stay open until May 24.

"The Jackson Hinds Library System invites all City of Jackson and Hinds County residents to share their voices in response to our community survey," the press release states.

Library Strategies, a consulting firm based in Minnesota, has been hired to help with the strategic planning process. A steering committee will also help, with professionals from the Mississippi Library Commission, Jackson Friends of the Library, Revitalize Mississippi, Bean Path, Jackson Public Schools, Hinds County School District, Hinds County Economic Development and Mississippi State University Extensions to serve on the committee.

The Jackson-Hinds Library System is inviting the public to complete a new survey to see what residents want, need and expect from their local libraries.
The Jackson-Hinds Library System is inviting the public to complete a new survey to see what residents want, need and expect from their local libraries.

Multiple libraries throughout Jackson have been in a state of disrepair for years, but city leaders have made it a priority to get them back up-and-running.

The Eudora Welty Library, the city's flagship library, has been closed since summer 2023, after facing various maintenance issues over the past several years.

In December, the Jackson City Council voted to approve the transfer of the Eudora Welty Library building and property to the Mississippi Department of Archives and History. MDAH plans to create a green space after demolishing the building. In 2023, Mississippi state lawmakers allocated $2 million for the project.

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More recently, the Eudora Welty Library received $3.75 million in federal grant funds in March. Those funds will "in all likelihood be used for renovation of a new building in downtown," according to a statement made by Peyton Smith, chairman of the JHLS Board of Trustees, after the grant was announced.

The council also recently approved an agreement between the city and HESM&A Consulting Engineers to design replacement HVAC systems at the Medgar Evers Library, which had to close last summer after the heat made conditions unworkable.

Richard Wright Library remains closed due to needed repairs in the building.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Jackson-Hinds MS Library System announces new survey open to the public