Meet MLC Monday: Amanda Redmond

Meet Amanda Redmond, Reference Librarian at the Mississippi Library Commission! Amanda spends the majority of her time at MLC answering all sorts of reference questions that arrive not only through traditional methods, like phone and email, but also more modern methods, like text and chat. Along with other members of the reference staff, she answers questions and tracks down information on all sorts of subjects, from genealogy and legal forms to phone numbers and help with homework. Amanda started at MLC in April of 2014.

Ms. Redmond received her Bachelor's Degree in English Literature from the University of Cincinatti and her Master's Degree in Library and Information Science from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. She says that she loves to read and loves to do research, so becoming a librarian seemed like a natural fit. "I like tracking down the right answer and finding people just what they need. It's very satisfying to locate the best answer to a question out of all the information swirling around out there." Amanda says that her career choice was a great decision. "I love that the library is not just about books. It's a melting pot of information, free information, that we provide to our community."

Speaking of loving to read, Amanda says she always has a few books she's working on and jokes that her to-read list has gotten a little out of control. Stephen King, Clive Barker, and the Harry Potter series are some of her all-time favorites. In the last few years, she's also become even more of a comic book and graphic novel fan. "I'm excited that MLC has been growing its collection of comic books and graphic novels. They're a fun intersection of art and literature and they're coming out with really great ones these days. I really like that we're able to offer these to our patrons."

In her spare time, Amanda likes going to concerts, like Avatar and AC/DC. She shares a home in the Jackson metro area with three super-intelligent cats.