Humanities & Cultures

Although Mondays at the Margaret Walker Alexander Library in Jackson, Miss., are usually reserved for story time, these students were in for a special treat: a music lesson and performance by the longtime librarian and cellist.

On this December day, the librarian sat atop a wooden chair with her hair tucked away and wrapped in black cloth. She held her large string instrument upright by her side, and a book of sheet music sat fixed upon a black, tripod stand.

As the children’s murmuring faded, Olugbala’s lesson began.

After obtaining her degree from USM, she started a full-time position in the school’s library and worked her way to a supervisory role. “I’ve gone from periodicals to circulation, which is mainly just checking out books,” she said.

About six years ago, she found her way to the Jackson-Hinds Library System. Every week, through story times, sewing classes or chess club, she pours into Jackson’s youth and hopes to spark their own love of music and literature. Libraries, she explained, are “an integral part of education and culture.”

“The library is a repository of the hopes, dreams and understandings of a people,” she added.