School librarian Kathy Carroll likes to be in the middle of the action and that’s where she finds herself every day, whether it’s helping students at Westwood High School in Blythewood or advocating for her profession as president-elect of the American Association of School Librarians.

Carroll, the lead librarian at Westwood, wants everyone to know what she tells students and teachers: Libraries have something for every interest, and librarians teach as well as create curriculum. And that old stereotype of a prim and proper school librarian shushing children? Not even close to reality in today’s libraries.

“Everyone says the school library is the hub. It’s a cliché, but it is the hub. All facets of the school should lead to the library. As school librarians, we’re teachers with a focus on literacy, technology and many other resources that were almost unimaginable only a few short years ago,” says Carroll, who earned her undergraduate degree in English, a master’s in teaching and a master’s from the School of Library and Information Science, all at the University of South Carolina.

Carroll, who grew up in Sumter, South Carolina, started out in the classroom, teaching high school English for 16 years in Richland District 2. She loved it, but found she wanted “a broader scope.” She looked at various options, and decided to head back to her alma mater to become a librarian.  Read more here.