Three weeks into her new role, Jeanne Williams already knows what her top priority is: fixing buildings.
Williams, a Mississippi native and veteran librarian with decades of leadership experience, was named executive director of the Jackson/Hinds Library System in May. She officially stepped into the role on June 15, following the resignation of former director Floyd Council in October 2024.
“All of the facilities have some pretty major issues, whether it’s HVAC or we have some county buildings that need roof replacements,” Williams said in an interview at the Medgar Evers Library. “So facilities is the biggest challenge, because we can’t provide the services I know this wonderful team can provide if the buildings are not functional.”
Before taking the position, Williams spent nearly a decade working in library districts in Washington state. She brings a unique blend of small-town sensibility and big-picture strategy to a system plagued by branch closures, chronic underfunding and long-standing maintenance backlogs — especially in Jackson.
Jeanne Williams, seen at Medgar Evers Library in Jackson, Miss., Wednesday, June 2, 2025, has been named the new executive director of the Jackson/Hinds Library System. Williams, a Mississippi native, has over two decades of library leadership experience.
But despite the obstacles, Williams said she’s here for the challenge and to be part of what she calls a “renaissance” of public libraries in the capital city.
“Because I worked and lived in the state I knew a lot about this library system. It was one of those systems you aspired to be part of,” she said. “And I know it’s had some challenges over the years, but it really seems poised for a renaissance, and I’d love to be part of that.”
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Mississippi to Washington, then back to Mississippi
Williams grew up in Mississippi and earned dual master’s degrees in library science and anthropology from the University of Southern Mississippi. Her early career as a librarian took her to Florida and back to Lamar County, where she eventually became director of the county library system for nearly 10 years.
But the job that most shaped her approach came in the Pacific Northwest, where she spent nearly a decade building the Central Skagit Library District from the ground up — literally. Located in Sedro-Woolley, Washington — just over an hour north of Seattle — the district was created by a ballot initiative in 2012. Williams led the development of everything from infrastructure and policies to the construction of an 11,000-square-foot library facility.
“When I got there, it was just an office and a tax ID number,” she said. “Everything had to be built.”
This experience puts Williams in a rare position: a librarian with firsthand knowledge of how to manage capital projects — from navigating bids and construction timelines to overseeing design and change orders. It’s an uncommon skill set in her field, and one that the Jackson/Hinds Library System sorely needs, as several of its aging buildings face serious infrastructure issues, from leaking roofs to broken HVAC systems.
“I hope that my experience building and just all the complications and intricacies of bidding projects, managing a construction project, managing all of the design for the interior, all the change orders. I just hope that having been through it once will be an asset to this,” Williams said.
Her return to Mississippi was prompted by family — her father lives in Lumberton — and a bit of serendipity.
“The day I decided I was going to start looking here, this job opened, and I was like, wow, that’s interesting synchronicity,” Williams said with a chuckle.
Williams was hired following a nationwide search that lasted about four months, according to Peyton Smith, chairman of the library system’s board of trustees. He said the board was impressed by her experience in Washington and is “thrilled” to have her on board.
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A system in need
The Jackson/Hinds Library System currently operates 12 branches — five in Jackson and seven in Hinds County — but several key facilities remain closed. The flagship Eudora Welty Library is being demolished, with no new location yet announced. The Richard Wright branch has been closed since 2020, and the Charles Tisdale Library shut down permanently in 2022. The Willie Morris Library — one of the system’s busiest — is relying on temporary air conditioning while its boiler-chiller unit awaits repairs. On Wednesday, July 2, it was forced to close temporarily due to the heat.
In Mississippi, library buildings are owned by the cities or counties in which they sit. Under state law, specifically Title 39 of the Mississippi Code, library systems are prohibited from using their budgets for capital improvements. That means fixing a roof or replacing an HVAC system isn’t something Williams can authorize — even if the money existed.
The system’s budget is around $4.2 million annually, split roughly between Jackson and Hinds County. That funding mostly covers staffing, internet service, equipment and programming. It’s enough to keep the doors open — when the doors can stay open.
With city and county budgets already stretched thin, libraries often fall down the list of priorities — especially in Jackson, where officials are grappling with water, roads and public safety. Williams acknowledged the challenge but said she remains determined to make the case for libraries.
“And the question has been put to me, how can the library expect to be prioritized? But what I say to that is, we’re that refuge from those problems, and we can add to quality of life,” Williams said. “People can come here to to do self-directed learning, to be entertained, to enrich their own lives and seek refuge from the problems like the water issues, the road issues, the crime.”
Jeanne Williams, seen at Medgar Evers Library in Jackson on Wednesday, June 2, 2025, has been named the new executive director of the Jackson/Hinds Library System. Williams, a Mississippi native, has over two decades of library leadership experience.
Restoring trust, one branch at a time
Williams said her short-term goal is to stabilize the system’s current operations. That means getting HVAC systems repaired, flood-damage mitigated and library hours back to a consistent schedule.
Her top priority: Willie Morris Library, which has absorbed many of the patrons displaced by the Eudora Welty and Tisdale closures. On a hot summer day, the building has been reaching temperatures in the high 80s — uncomfortable and potentially unsafe for both staff and visitors.
Williams is also focused on restoring the Medgar Evers Library, which, like Willie Morris, faced ongoing HVAC issues and was closed intermittently last year. It’s slowly coming back together, she said, with recent improvements including a new circulation desk. The branch is one of the busiest in Jackson and is heavily used by the surrounding community, including nearby daycares.
In the county, branches in Raymond and Bolton need roof replacements. Utica’s basement is leaking. And all of it depends on city and county maintenance departments with limited resources and long backlogs. The scope of repairs is wide, and progress depends on city and county maintenance teams already stretched thin. Still, Williams is hopeful.
“I’d like to see the libraries in better shape within six month,” Williams said. “I would like to see our current facilities consistently open and maybe to the point where we’ve gotten a few roof replacements and things like that done. But, construction is a very long game.”
‘We have to support what we have’
Beyond facilities, Williams said she plans building relationships — with both local officials and the public — and has begun meeting with Jackson City Council members and the Hinds County Board of Supervisors. She believes trust and collaboration with elected leaders are key to moving the system forward.
Reengaging the public is another priority. Plans are underway for a new website, refreshed branding and a potential listening tour to better understand community needs. Williams also plans to rotate her workspace between branches to stay connected to staff and patrons.
“I want to get the community excited,” she said. “It may be that some people have given up (on the libraries), but I want to get them back.”
Long-term funding solutions may include grants, fundraising, public events and support from groups like Friends of the Jackson/Hinds Library System. But Williams is realistic about the limited support expected from state or federal sources.
“We have to think hyper-locally,” she said. “We have to support what we have in our community. You know, libraries are the last place left where you can come in and just exist. You don’t have to buy a cup of coffee. You can just be. And I want people to remember that and to know that they are witnessing a renaissance of the Jackson/Hinds System and it’s going in the absolute right direction to serve this community the way it wants to be served.”
Contact Charlie Drape at cdrape@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Can Jackson libraries bounce back? New director says yes