When thinking of education, people often picture classrooms filled with students, teachers at the front of the class and textbooks on desks. But there’s another group working behind the scenes to make the educational experience complete: Liberty High School’s library staff.
While their role might seem centered around managing books, the truth is, they do far more than that.
Leah Carlson (she/they), media secretary and head of Liberty’s Craft Club, joined the library staff just this year. Carlson was a paraeducator at Liberty for three years prior.
“I do such a variety of things, like shelving books, checking in and out books, preparing textbooks, getting copies for teachers, et cetera.”
As students flow in and out of the library throughout the day, Carlson remarks on the busy atmosphere that they work in.
“My favorite part about the job is doing so many different things because it never gets boring,” said Carlson.
While the library staff’s role extends beyond the bookshelves in their library, curating books is a large aspect of their job.
“We actually cover every single book that comes into this library, the resource room [and] every single book you get for class,” said Carlson.
Typically, high school libraries exist for the sole reason of distributing books. The Liberty Library staff have worked hard to expand the resources available to students.
“We are always willing to work with you. If you have a request or need, we are going to do what we can to try and make things happen,” Carlson said. “We want students to succeed.”
Ryan Swails (he/him), media secretary, has worked in the library for four years. Swails typically works on the multimedia and technological aspects of the library.
“When you walk down the hallways and you see the posters, or you see a kid with a book, it’s coming from us,” said Swails.
Along with the responsibilities that come with his position, Swails also runs the Cinema Club offered by the library. By using resources in the library, he can expose students to new experiences.
“I don’t think people help as much as they can in this world, and when you’re at least here, we interact with every single student, so we see all their struggles and all the good things that come with it. So I think helping… It’s kind of putting it forward,” said Swails.
Diane Brown (she/her) is the head librarian at Liberty.
“I love working with kids…especially high school kids,” Brown said.
As kids get older, they get busier and often forget about reading for fun.
“My favorite part about getting them back into reading is their excitement,” said Brown.
The Liberty Library staff are the heart of Liberty’s learning community, quietly shaping student success and supporting educators in ways that often go unnoticed by most.
