Lani Kaye Ford always had an interest in reading, so at the age of seven she signed up to receive her first library card from Henderson County Clint W. Murchinson Memorial Library. Little did Ford know her love for reading would grow into a career at that same library.

“The library had such an impact on me as a kid,” Ford shared. “It was so magical! I want to show others how inspiring it is and that the library is a safe place for whoever wants to come to here.”

For Ford, the process of becoming a librarian started at Trinity Valley Community College. While attending Cross Roads High School, she attended TVCC as a dual-credit student. Ford shared that she always knew she wanted to go to college, so when she was offered the chance to become a dual-credit student at TVCC while attending Cross Roads, she took it.

“Neither of my parents have anything higher than a high school diploma and I have always wanted more,” Ford said. “I wanted more than a high school diploma and wanted a background in something I love doing. Thankfully, I was able to make it happen with TVCC.”

With the help of dual-credit classes, Ford graduated Cross Roads ISD in May 2017 with over 40 college credits from TVCC and didn’t have to pay for a single class.

“With Cross Roads, the school would pay for two classes a semester,” Ford explained. “So, what I would do is complete a core class and class in a subject I was interested in like psychology or criminal justice. In high school, I had all these ideas of what I wanted to be and getting to try all these classes and different things at TVCC helped me figure out what route I wanted to take. It was cool that I got to experience that!”

After graduating from Cross Roads, Ford was accepted to Abilene Christian University where she pursed a bachelor’s degree in English.

“When I started at my four-year, I had most of the basic classes completed,” Ford noted.  “Although I was considered a freshman at ACU, I was taking courses for junior-level students and focusing on my major. I practically skipped two years of college!”

In late-2018, Ford moved back to Athens to help her family and decided to complete her bachelor's degree through the online program offered at Ashford University in 2020. While pursuing her degree, she started a part-time position at the Henderson County Library in January 2019.

Not long after completing her bachelor’s degree, Ford started on her master’s degree in library science at Texas Woman’s University. After she completed her master’s degree in December 2022, she was offered a full-time position at the library in January 2023.

“I have Trinity Valley Community College to thank for that,” Ford mentioned. “If I didn’t save money through dual credit in my undergraduate degrees, I would be in debt and might not be able to consider a master’s degree.”

When the discussion of banned books in Texas became prevalent, Ford felt determined to grow in her position as a librarian.

“Around late-2021 to mid-2022, the State of Texas announced it was ready to start banning books,” Ford explained. “I mean banning books has always been around, but when Texas decided to hop on, I was so angry. I was angry that they wanted to limit this access.”

Ford decided to take her frustration and focus it on how to advocate for banned books.

“With all the book banning that is going on, I’m proud to work at an institution that offers banned books and are happy to let you read them,” Ford expressed. “I’ve had people come in asking if we had one of the books and I said ‘Yep, here you go!’.”

Nowadays, Ford can be found bustling around the Henderson County Library with a book she’s currently reading in hand or creating a program for the library’s young adult patrons. She explained that in the past few years the library didn’t have a lot of opportunities for young adult patrons, so she is currently trying to more offer fun and exciting opportunities. Some of the programs Ford has begun to offer include a Silent Book Club, Librarian Vs. Teens Trivia Challenges, Minute to Win It, and a Teen Dungeons and Dragons Club.

“There are people at this library who had an impact on me when I was younger,” Ford shared. “I just want to leave an impact on someone due to their time visiting the library. I mainly work with young adults and teenagers at the library so I hope I can inspire one of them in their future career and goals.”