By Autumn Fort (English ’24)
Sheryl Mann (English ’12) has always been drawn to literature.
At USC Upstate, Mann earned a major in English and a cognate in philosophy. Her passion for literature and the humanities has been central to her academic career, and it helped her achieve her current position as the Branch Manager at Cyrill-Westside Library in Spartanburg, SC.
In high school, Mann always had her nose in a book. “I remember being in high school and being the nerd that went straight to the library at lunchtime. I would go to the school media center and talk to the media specialist, and she would just throw book after book at me trying to get me to branch out,” she said.
“People would comment, ‘don’t you ever take a break from reading?’ and I would say, ‘no, it’s my escapism. It’s what I enjoy doing most.”
Sitting at the Westside Library, Mann said that she loves working as a librarian because she gets to work alongside fellow literature-lovers. She described her team as a ready-made book club.
That being said, Mann noted that being a librarian is more than getting paid to read, and libraries are more than a place to store books.
She explained that libraries are places for people to be social and form community connections–and they are one of the few places where people can join for free.
“I’ve always loved to read, I’ve always loved to write. I wanted to do something that I found personally fulfilling. I think it’s better to find something that works with how your brain works, that you enjoy, and that you’re passionate about, then build a life around that if you can,” Mann said.
For Mann, this is librarianship. Working in the library system, she has enjoyed being able to support her community and share her love of literature with others.