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The Prentiss Public Library serves Prentiss, a small, economically-challenged rural city in Southern Mississippi where 34 percent of residents live below the poverty line. As the economy has worsened, this majority African-American community has been especially hard-hit, with crime on the rise and low employment levels. “Providing its service community with literature to promote literacy is a core responsibility of the library,” said Youth Services Librarian Ryda Worthy. “However, the residents of Prentiss do not merely need quality literature. They need to be inspired and motivated by positive images of fellow African-Americans. Every single child attending public school in Prentiss is eligible for Title I free lunch assistance. We feed their bodies, now we need to feed their spirits.”