Mississippi Library Commission Headquarters Building
Jackson, MS

Mississippi Library Commission

Jackson, MS

The Mississippi Library Commission is both a lending reference library and a service institution supporting libraries all over the state. The building houses all the divisions of the Library Commission including the library for the reading impaired, the Mississippi author first editions collection, the state’s reference library, and patent and trademark records. The design of the 60,000-square-foot building is organized by multiple public gathering spaces, including the entry lobby, gallery, main public meeting room, the northern-lit main reading room, and an outdoor green. Each of these centers is linked by an indirect pause, and the circulation strategy invites exploration and browsing. The building stakes its place on the site with a shadow plinth, and its exterior skin weaves southern highlights and shadows into an ever-changing surface that seems alive, breathing in the phenomena of its environment. The interior design was completed as an integral part of the project including all loose and system furnishings, shelving, artwork, and accessories for the building.

The Mississippi Library Commission building has been singled out as one of the 50 best libraries in the country, but more importantly, it has become a favorite sanctuary and library for its patrons and other librarians in the state.

Duvall Decker and Burris/Wagnon, JV, were assisted by Post & Witty, Gordin McCool, PE, Watkins O’Gwynn, Shen Milsom & Wilke, Williford Gearhart & Knight, Inc, and Construction Cost Analysis, Inc.

Awards

2010 AIA Design for Decades: Civic Buildings
2008 AIA Gulf State Region Honor Award
2007 American Architecture Awards
2006 AIA Mississippi Honor Award
2006 AIA Mississippi Sambo Mockbee Award

Publications

Only In Your State, Online Publication… “A Book Lover’s Dream” 2022
Manufacturing Architecture: An Architect’s Guide to Custom Processes, Materials, and Applications, 2018
Archinect News, 2018
ELLE DECOR online, 50 Best Libraries in the United States, 2016
Wallpaper* City Guide: New Orleans, 2012
ARCHITECT Magazine, 2010