It was established in 1926 by an Act of the Mississippi Legislature.

[1] It is overseen by a five-member Board of Commissioners.

[2] The MLC maintains statewide databases of online resources, offers statewide networked access to MS public library catalogs, manages the Talking Book Services for print-disabled readers and hosts the WPA County Files from Works Progress Administration programs in the 1930s.

[3] MLC publishes two quarterly newsletters, On the Same Page and The Reading Light.

[4] The MLC's headquarters is a 60,000 square foot building built in 2005 that is open to the public.