Remember when I said I wanted to highlight some hints, tricks, and collections that are specific to Mississippi? Well, let's return to the topic. And let's choose something for those of us who like doing our genealogical research in our pajamas!

In my opinion, one of the best resources for those who love to research from the comfort of their own home is the Mississippi Digital Library. This website, described as a "collaborative digital library for the state of Mississippi," [1] is an excellent resource. The site partners with numerous Mississippi Institutions in order to provide digital access (and other services) of its collections to researchers everywhere. 

Basically, how it works is that Mississippi institutions such as libraries, universities, historical societies, and genealogical societies upload their content in various collections. On the backend, the various partners work like crazy to make the information findable, searchable. And then they provide it to the public. Free.

I say free, but there's the typical caveats. If you use their information, you should cite it. If you want to publish their information in a book (especially if you're going to sell the book), you need to contact the institution that owns the material. There may be a publication fee.

Anyway, as a researcher you can search specific institutions, collections, or even search the entire site. All you need to know is how to navigate library search engines and you are good to go. (If all you can do is a basic keyword search that'll work fine). As a librarian and archivist, I often complain that library websites are often too dense, unruly, and too difficult to navigate. That's not the case here. The Mississippi Digital Library is clean, easy to read, and easily accessible, especially to those new to research. 

Overall, the Mississippi Digital Library is a great place for searching for your kin. There's all kinds of items to look for, from University publications, yearbooks and more, to photos from historic events like hurricanes and other natural disasters. There's correspondence and letters from Mississippians and even genealogical information. It's all there. I know some of you will find your family if you search the site. You just have to use it. Better yet, you can use it while wearing your pajamas. 

1. "About," Mississippi Digital Library, Mississippi Digital Library, 2015; accessed 29 July 2025: https://msdiglib.org/).