Locations

East Mississippi Regional Library operates six branch libraries located around East Mississippi:

• Bay Springs
• Enterprise
• Mary Weems Parker
• Pachuta
• Quitman
• Stonewall

It is the policy of the East Ms Regional Library System to select books and materials which provide a general circulation and reference service to adults, young people, and children. 

This library's policies of book selection have been formulated to implement the following objectives: 

• Selection and purchase of books for both present and potential readers. 

• Consideration of the makeup of the area and the communities served. 

• Provision of a good collection on local and state history and authors. 

• Concentration on a collection of books that will grow in value over the years rather than on just numbers of books for temporary use. 

• Recognition of demand shall be a factor of selection without abandoning other stated principles of selection. 

• Selection of materials which tend toward the enrichment and development of life, with emphasis on authoritativeness, factual accuracy, effective expression, significance of subject, sincerity of the author's purpose and responsibility of the author's opinions. 

• Selection of materials that meet high standards of quality in content, expression, and format; that are related to basic standards of selection, purpose, and need; that include recreational materials for their contribution to the development and wholeness of the individual. 

• Selection of materials that will enable the library to provide individualized service for every patron. 

• Purchase of textbooks or school curriculum materials will be made only when that is the best source for information needed by the public. Textbooks will not be provided for individuals. 

• Selection of materials which will enable each citizen to form his own opinions. Books on controversial subjects will be judged on their factual authority and competence in presenting their viewpoint. Since the public library serves all the people, all sides of an issue must necessarily be presented in the collection. 

• Selection of serious works which present an honest aspect of life or of some human problem for their positive values. Books selected for children and young people will have the additional criteria of guiding and developing their reading tastes. 

Gifts will be judged on the same basis as purchased material. They are accepted without commitment as to final distribution or housing. They must be in good physical condition and of worthy content to justify the added cost of processing. 

Ultimate responsibility for book selection, as for all library activities, rests in the director who operates within the framework of policies determined by the Board of Trustees. Staff members, particularly branch librarians, are to be consulted on the needs of their communities and are encouraged to make suggestions. Requests from readers will also be considered.