Jackson/Hinds Library System is overrun with repair needs ...Middle East

Amber Safford had just gotten off the bus to enter the Medgar Evers Library in northwest Jackson when she was forced to leave. The library, part of the Jackson/Hinds Library System, closed early that day due to problems with its air conditioning system.       

“I was aggravated,” she said.

Safford, 35, is unhoused and stays at a women’s shelter. During the day, she uses the library’s computers to check her email and apply for jobs. The library closing was a massive inconvenience, made worse when she had issues getting back on the bus to leave the library.

Jeanne Williams, the library system’s executive director, explained that several other branches have maintenance problems.

The Annie Thompson Jeffers Library in Bolton is on abbreviated hours due to a mold problem. The Quisenberry Library in Clinton is sinking, and a rock facade has peeled away from one wall, Williams said. Both are still open and safe for users.

The boiler system at the Willie Morris Library in northeast Jackson needs to be repaired, and there are plans to replace the shelving in Raymond Public Library.

The Beverly J. Brown Library in Byram has been in what was supposed to be a temporary modular building since 2021.

“I think it hurts us, in that we can’t do as much for our community as we want to. And our patrons have high expectations,” said Williams.

“We should be able to provide those services that people expect. We really can’t with the budget that we have.”

There are maintenance issues throughout the Jackson/Hinds Library System, and some are disrupting user’s access to their local libraries.

Safford now uses the Fannie Lou Hamer Library in northwest Jackson, but still prefers the Evers branch about a mile and a half away. She said she wants all the libraries to be up and running.

“Every library is a resource to somebody,” she said.

The Evers library branch is still closed for repairs. Johnson Controls, contracted to perform the air-conditioning repairs, said costs increased by over $25,000 due to the city delaying payment for months. The Evers branch programming is being redirected to the Hamer Library and Jackson Medical Mall. 

At the Jeffers library in Bolton, longtime librarian Alfenette Robinson said she’s received multiple complaints about the shortened hours. She said her library is the “heart of the town,” and hopes normal hours will return soon.

“This is the best kept secret in the state of Mississippi,” she said, speaking of her library.

“Nothing but the best.”

Gloria Brown, 68, has been using the Bolton library for 35 years. She adjusted to the new hours. She believes libraries are an important community resource.

“You need to have your computers available to people that don’t have internet at home. You need to be able to check out books and have reading material. And it can be a gathering place for different meetings and things,” Brown said. 

Williams explained that a licensed professional is testing the air quality at the Jeffers library every two to three months. Both the Hinds County Board of Supervisors and the maintenance staff were informed of the issue. She added that no work has been done on the water intrusion from the ground and the roof, and doing so would be outside of the scope of the library system. 

According to state law, “the cost of purchasing land, erecting buildings and equipping and maintaining such public library or public library system shall be paid for in whole out of the general funds of the county or municipality.”

However, the 1986 agreement that created the library system states the board of trustees is responsible for “yard and grounds maintenance, repairs, replacements, janitorial and security services” and more. Each Hinds County municipality that has a library branch can choose to maintain its library instead.

The city of Jackson owns or leases library buildings within the city limits and manages all major repairs and capital improvements. For libraries outside Jackson, those responsibilities fall to either the local municipality or Hinds County, depending on the branch. 

Capital improvements include major plumbing repairs, HVAC and chiller replacements, parking lot reconstruction and more.

The library system’s board of trustees can authorize some maintenance and minor repairs at any branch. Williams said the trustees for a time didn’t understand that they could do minor repairs until Attorney General Lynn Fitch issued an opinion in 2023. 

Mississippi Today reached out to Robert Graham, president of the Hinds County Board of Supervisors; former Hinds County Administrator Lure Berry, before she left office; Pieter Teeuwissen, Jackson’s chief administrative officer; Byram’s Mayor Richard White; and Marlee Price-Cook, the city of Clinton’s communications and tourism director. None agreed to an interview or to provide a comment in time for publication.

Jackson City Councilman Kenneth Stokes told WLBT, “The funding formula that was used is outdated and it needs to change.” 

“We cannot close libraries forever, and that’s what’s happening in Jackson,” he added.

Williams believes the 1986 agreement needs to be updated.

According to the Jackson/Hinds Library System FAQ page, one reason library repairs may take longer is because they have to compete with other infrastructure needs. Williams said that lack of funding has been a problem for all public entities.

“We’re not trying to throw the city under the bus. We’re not trying to throw the county under the bus,” she said.

“We understand that the money may just not be there, and that’s how it is.”

The library system’s total budget for fiscal year 2026 is $4,039,031. The budget has $40,500 for maintenance and repairs. Williams said the board of trustees has almost used up $300,000 earmarked years ago for repairs.

Most of the library system’s funding comes from millage from Jackson and Hinds County. Section six of the original agreement states that the city of Jackson and Hinds County must fund the library system equally each fiscal year. However, the budget shows that Jackson contributed $1.9 million and Hinds County contributed $1.4 million.

Other sources of revenue include about $500,000 in state aid grants from the Institute of Museum and Library Services through the Mississippi Library Commission. Fees from printing and other services can only be used to recoup the costs of those services.

Morgan Hedglin, deputy director of the system, said not being able to afford repairs leads to higher expenses in the future.

“Whenever you have a building that needs repairs, if you can’t afford to fix it then, it gets worse and deteriorates. So what would have been a $5,000 fix may now be like a $20,000 fix because it got worse and worse in the waiting period,” she said.

That’s what happened to the Richard Wright branch in south Jackson. It closed in 2020 due to plumbing issues and has since been vandalized twice. All the books inside were removed after the first incident in 2023. Williams said the library system asked the city to assess the building to see if they could “rehab” it.

In 2021, Jackson’s former public works director Robert Miller and the library system’s board of trustees disagreed over which of them was responsible for fixing the building’s plumbing.

Both the Charles Tisdale branch in northeast Jackson and Eudora Welty branch in downtown were demolished in 2022 and 2025, respectively, after years of disrepair. 

The city is in talks to reopen the Tisdale branch across the street at the former Chastain Middle School. The former downtown site of the Welty library will soon be Margaret Ann Crigler Park, a green space facing the Two Mississippi Museums.

A new downtown library branch is still in the works.

“It’s a complicated relationship when it comes to owning the property, and we just want to try and do our best with the funding we have, but more funding would be great,” Williams said.

Hence then, the article about jackson hinds library system is overrun with repair needs was published today ( Thursday 09/07/2026 - 10:16 PM ) and is available on Mississippi Today ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.

Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Jackson/Hinds Library System is overrun with repair needs )

Also on site :

• Sony’s Indian Version of ‘Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?’ Hosted by Amitabh Bachchan, Adds Google Gemini as AI Guide (EXCLUSIVE)
• New Zodiac-Themed Energy Drink Pairs Your Sign With Your Perfect Sip
• AI unicorn Mercor acquires Deeptune after founder Brendan Foody backed the startup