Photos courtesy of Richland Library
For Amanda Myers, libraries are more than books. They are a place for the community. As director of events and experience at Richland Library, her work centers on connection, service and listening to community needs.
Myers started her library career in 2007 shelving, maintaining and organizing the library’s collection of books.
Amanda Myers, director of events and experience at Richland Library.
“Shelving is not for me,” she recalls. “Put me in front of the people. I need to be where the people are.” That early insight led to years of public-facing roles and, eventually, to leadership and a career spanning two decades.
After transferring to the University of South Carolina, she found a home in the College of Information and Communications, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in information science and later a master’s degree in library and information science.
“USC opened up so many different doors and networks of people I would have never come in contact with,” she says. “The skills are so transferable. Every organization has information they need curated, stored or organized.”
After earning her MLIS in 2019, Myers was selected to deliver the student commencement speech, an experience that’s taken on even more meaning with time.
“They were looking to me to make a statement,” she says. “My grandparents were there, and I honored them in my speech about how you get where you are. My grandfather recently passed away, so that memory is even more special now.”
Shortly after graduating, Myers was invited by Kim Thompson, Ph.D., to co-author two research papers on how libraries responded to the COVID-19 pandemic.
One paper analyzed Richland Library’s evolving digital services using a tripartite model of physical, intellectual and social access. The second, published in the Library Journal of China, contributed to a global conversation on digital inclusion and sustainable development in alignment with the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda.
Since then, Myers has continued to build a career rooted in leadership, service and innovation. In 2023, she was named one of Columbia’s Best and Brightest Under 35, recognized for her years of service in public libraries and her impact across organizations like the South Carolina Library Association and Richland Library.
“A public library is an integral part of a community and a true third space,” she says. “This is my contribution and promise to our community.”