Today we’d like to introduce you to Felicia Knox.
Hi Felicia, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
My story begins in Memphis, Tennessee, as the only child of Wesley H. Knox, an Army veteran, and Geraldine J. Knox-Staten. Being raised by a father who served in Vietnam and Desert Storm instilled in me a deep respect for service, discipline, and community. From both of my parents, I learned the value of education, resilience, and showing up fully for the people around you. Those lessons have shaped every chapter of my life.
I am a proud graduate of Whitehaven High School, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, and Union University. My professional journey began in the classroom as an English teacher. I have always believed in the power of stories—how they shape identity, build empathy, and open doors. Teaching allowed me to help students find their voices, but I soon realized that I wanted to impact learning on an even broader scale. That calling led me to school librarianship, where I could merge literacy, technology, and access into one dynamic space.
My career continued to evolve when I served as a librarian at Rhodes College, where I also worked closely with students in technology support. There, I saw firsthand how libraries are not just repositories of books but hubs of innovation, collaboration, and personal growth. Working with college students—many of whom were discovering who they wanted to become—deepened my commitment to creating spaces where curiosity is nurtured and leadership is cultivated.
Today, as Director of the Bartlett Public Library, I have the privilege of leading an institution that serves as the heart of our community. My work is rooted in access and service. Inspired in part by my father’s military service, our library partners with Shelby County Community Services to host weekly veterans drop-in service, with an officer onsite to assist veterans with filing disability claims. It is one of the ways we ensure the library remains responsive to real community needs.
Beyond my professional life, I am someone who delights in the richness of experience. I love live music, fine dining, reading for pleasure, and a bit of shopping when time allows. These passions reflect my belief that life should be both meaningful and joyful. Libraries, to me, embody that balance—they are places of scholarship and imagination, structure and creativity.
At the core of my story is service: service to students, to families, to veterans, and to a community that trusts the library as a place of growth and belonging. I have spent my career championing literacy, access to information, and lifelong learning. And I believe the most powerful stories are the ones we help others discover about themselves.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
While there have been many starts and stops along the way, I fully believe everyone has their own journey to take through life. My personal journey cannot be compared to anyone else’s because it is mine alone to walk. Instead of thinking as certain life events as obstacles, I would rather like to think of them as things that had to happen to lead me to where I am today. The obstacles I have overcome have been many, but I am happy to say I learned from each set back and made a resolve to not let them stop me from being who I know I can be. At this stage in my life, I take each day one day at a time and try to be better than I was the day before.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am extremely excited about the work we are doing for the Bartlett community. We recently completed our first strategic plan, which developed mission and vision statements for the library, as well as library values. To develop the plan, there were planning sessions for everyone from Bartlett City employees to parents and other community members. My main take-a-way from those sessions was that everyone was on the same page in thinking what the library needed at this stage of its development. It was refreshing to see different sectors of the community agree. We are now in the implementation stages of the strategic plan, so our patrons can look forward to seeing some changes in library services and use of space.
We have established a presence in the city by setting up at events such as the Bartlett Fall Festival and farmer’s market. My staff provides monthly on-site programs at the different senior facilities, and we absolutely love the partnership we share with Bartlett City Schools.
I also had the privilege of participating in the 2025 Leadership Bartlett Program. As the new director of the library, the program was extremely instrumental in helping me make connections through Bartlett businesses and divisions of city government. My leadership classmates and I created a book as our class project called Robbie Racoon’s Bartlett Adventure. Robbie Raccoon lives in Mayor Parson’s (Bartlett mayor) backyard and finds himself trapped in a Public Works trash can trying to grab a piece of food. As he tries to find a way out of the truck, Robbie travels throughout Bartlett stopping at many city departments until the trash has piled high enough for him to jump out the truck. The book is geared towards elementary students and contains QR codes on each page that detail the city department the trash truck stopped. The Leadership Bartlett class of 2025 was able to get donations to print copies of the book and every kindergarten student in Bartlett City Schools received a copy of the book. Every Bartlett school library has copies of the book, and it is definitely available for checkout at Bartlett Public Library.
Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
Bartlett Public Library hours: Monday-Thursday, 10AM-8PM, Friday-Saturday, 10AM-6PM, Sunday 1:00PM-5:00PM
To obtain a Bartlett Public Library card, patrons must be a resident of the City of Bartlett, an employee of the City of Bartlett, an employee or student at Bartlett City Schools, an employee of St. Francis Bartlett Hospital, or active duty or retired armed forces service person.
Non-resident cards can be purchased for a yearly fee of $50, or $25 for patrons aged 55 and above.
Contact the Bartlett Area Chamber of Commerce to learn more about Leadership Bartlett.
Contact the Bartlett Education Foundation to purchase Robbie Racoon’s Bartlett Adventure.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.cityofbartlett.org/605/Bartlett-Library
- Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/bartlettpubliclibrary
- Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/people/City-of-Bartlett-Public-Library/61561466805761/
- Other: https://nextdoor.com/agency-detail/tn/bartlett/bartlett-public-library/
