Catawba County Employee Spotlight

Melissa Housel - Librarian I

Title: Librarian I
Department: Catawba County Library, Sherrills Ford-Terrell Branch

How long have you worked with the county?

3 years.

What does your job involve? Please describe what you do.
The library empowers lives and builds community by bringing people, information, and ideas together--connecting people with resources and expertise in an effort to enhance early and lifelong learning. As a librarian, I plan, promote, and implement a series of programs and services for all ages in and out of the library. I also provide reference and research assistance for peoples' information needs. As a member of the library's collection development team, I select some of the books to be purchased for the library’s diverse and robust collection. I love being able to connect patrons with their next favorite book!

What do you like most about what you do and why?
The best part of my job is the ability to inspire children and adults with lifelong learning opportunities. I love planning and facilitating programs for all ages. Through interactive and engaging storytimes, children and parents are introduced to early learning concepts and foster a love of reading. As children grow older, I am able to keep them engaged through other exciting programs like our STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) series. The empowerment continues through adulthood with educational programs and workshops focused on technology and career development.

Which of the county's core values (doing what's right, doing what matters, doing it together, doing it well) resonated most with you in the work you do, and why?
I think the county's core value of Doing It Well resonates most with the work I do. We provide exceptional service to the community with integrity and respect. The Library strives to anticipate and meet the needs of Catawba County with modern and relevant information, services, technology, and programming to empower all in our community. Our patrons always compliment the fantastic service they receive.