Feature #25: Neely Terrell, School Librarian...

Name: NEELY TERRELL 

Current Job Position Title: Author, Editor, School Librarian

Company Name: St. Andrew’s Country Day School

Contact Information: neelyterrell@gmail.com

Special skills:

Singing, writing, reading, motivating, making others laugh, dancing, entertaining, and a plethora of others

Describe your job story as a librarian:I was in my last semester of graduate school. My lease was days away from ending as well as my library assistant job. I was about to be broke and homeless. I didn't want to worry but I was nearing the end of my academic journey. At the time, my mind was clear and probably sprinkled with thoughts of where I would live and work after school. I didn’t want to move to Atlanta unless I was employed and didn’t want a roommate once I did move, despite my uncertainty of income. As I sat in the office working on an assignment, a librarian barged into the office and asked me and the other library school assistant, “Are either one of you school media?” My eyes lit up because that was me. I studied library science with a concentration in school media. The other library assistant, because there were two of us working there, studied to be in an academic, or college, library.

After I told the librarian that I studied school media, she excitedly approached and told me that a school was in desperate need of a librarian and needed one immediately. She gave me the information I needed and told me to contact them as soon as possible. I applied, interviewed, and was hired days later. Days before my lease ended. Days before completing graduate school. While most people frantically search for a job after graduation, I had already gotten one. All because of God’s blessing that barged in.

What did you want to be when you were a child/ teenager?  

I wanted to be a nurse and later, a writer.

Are doing your dream job?

 I am. I remember wanting to be five things in college: a writer, editor, actress, editor, and motivational speaker. Not to mention, I wanted to work with children. Those were a lot of choices and toward the end of my senior year in undergrad, I was determined to find one job that would included all of those things. Soon, I found interest in school librarianship. It was perfect. This job involves me doing everything I want. Like Joshua Grimes, in the 24^th entry, I have freedom to do what I want. I have many breaks in between classes and I am able to edit and write books.

What do you like MOST about what you do?

I love to see the children’s faces when they find a book that they have been wanting.

What do you like the LEAST?

I could use more income! Educators truly are underpaid but needed the most.

Where do you see yourself in the next 5 years?

I see myself having book signings and speaking engagements in high demand. I see myself having a happy marriage and beautiful family. I see myself clipping the ribbon to my new smoothie lounge. I see myself dancing in the mirror and singing in a hairbrush. I see myself laying on a blanket in the grass, feeling the breeze blow around my toes (that I will have exposed in privacy). I see myself unlocking the door to an SUV. I see no boundaries. I see myself writing and publishing another bestselling book.

Are you happy with where you are in life?

Yes, I am. I am very grateful to have the little that I have. I am away from home, living on my own in Buffalo, NY. I enjoy this life. I had the audacity to move to another corner of the United States by myself, into a state that has had my heart since childhood. I am grateful for the connections that I have made and the people who love me here. I would hate to leave, but I would hate to stay. However, I need to be closer to my family in Atlanta. I have gotten what I need from Buffalo, NY, but I wonder if it needs more from me. 

What more do you want to do with your life?

I want to do more volunteering, either in a nursing home or hospital. I want to talk to more people in need and help them with my ability to console. I love to help people through listening and giving advice to help them to feel better. I want to meet more people and network. I need more creative people around me. I need to spread more creativity. What more do I want? I want more imagination. I want more great memoirs and autobiographies to read.

What drives/motivates you?

God and creativity.

What else do you do?

I play the guitar and sing at open mic every now and then. If I am not performing somewhere live, I enjoy singing and making videos in my apartment. I love to take pictures from my cell phone, self portraits and pictures of random things. I’ve taken pictures of the following: a crayon covered in snow, an abandoned, dried corncob on the sidewalk, a flattened pumpkin in the street, and a chewed cucumber half that I threw in the snow at the bus stop.

What is your advice to those who are seeking employment and have no hope?

Shield out all negative people and negative things. Know that because you have been created by God, the One that is huger and bigger than everything on this earth, you have no limitations. Seek the job that will make you happy. Just because others are not happy with their job or does not mean that you have to be the same. Get out the box that you have allowed yourself to eat, drink, and sleep from. Now is the time to make room for expansion!