New Corinth Librarian Speaks of ‘Inspector Gadget’, Stephen King, C.S. Lewis

By Josh Mitchell

When Corinth Librarian Cody Daniel was a boy growing up in Iuka he stayed after school.

But it was not because he was in trouble, but rather his mom was a teacher.

Daniel and his brother would go to their mom’s classroom while she finished up work. Once he and his brother did their homework they would go to the school gym or watch “Inspector Gadget,” Daniel recalls.

As an adult, Daniel also spends much of his time in a learning environment now that he is the new head librarian at the Corinth Public Library.

He moved to Corinth when he was in eighth grade and came back home after graduating from Ole Miss where he studied English and political science.

Daniel fell into library work upon returning home, saying he has always liked studying in a “nerdy kind of way.”

But he is not one who just likes to sit by a lamp poring over books in solitude.

“I like the people-oriented stuff,” said Daniel, adding that he was probably destined to go into some kind of public service.

He likes the variety of ways he can assist people in library work, whether it is helping them find a new author or do research for a book report.

“We’ve had people from Canada come through to go through the Civil War sites,” said Daniel. “They come here for information.”

Researching authors and different genres is part of his job so he can advise patrons on books they may enjoy.

He personally enjoys Stephen King and has a connection to the novel “It” since one of the main characters is the town librarian.

“He’s like the collector of the memories,” Daniel said, adding that King’s writing is “like you’re sitting down, and he’s telling you a story by a campfire.”

“It” is not just about the scary clown that a lot of people remember from the movie but an “excellent book about friendship,” Daniel noted.

Christian author C.S. Lewis is also one of his favorite writers, and Daniel also enjoys doing some “armchair theology” and being in local theater productions.

The Crossroads Poetry Project is another way he is involved, and he has read poetry at schools throughout the county and given architectural tours to children.

Daniel wants the library to have a good relationship with the cultural groups in town, and he is also looking forward to the summer library program.