We’ve all seen her in the library and on registration day—happily finding us books we’ll enjoy and calmly helping us when we’re frantically trying to match our friends’ schedules with our own.

Kerre Conerly is the behind-the-scenes, magical wizard who makes what seems messy and chaotic appear to be absolutely effortless.

In the past Ms. Conerly taught English and history at CA, but for many years she has been the registrar and now also runs the CA library.

“The library is a new challenge,” Conerly says.

On a normal school day, Conerly powers up all of the library computers, answers emails from students and parents, works with the iPads, does mounds of paperwork, and orders new books for the library for students to check out. Her standing record for book checkout is seventy-seven books in one day!

Of all of her recent updates and additions to CA’s library, Conerly’s most successful is making the library more inviting.

Conerly plans to acquire more hands-on learning materials such as 3-D puzzles and Lego for the library as well as monthly nature videos that will play throughout the day.

Conerly’s presence at Collegedale Academy proves author Jarret J. Krosoczka’s meaningful words: “The library is the heart of a school, and without a librarian, it is but an empty shell.”