Hannah Terrell currently serves as the Interim Director of the Austin Public Library system. The library system has almost 500 employees and operates out of 25 locations. In November 2021, Hannah relocated to Austin, Texas and joined the Austin Public Library as the Division Manager of Branch Services overseeing 21 of their 25 library locations. In November 2022, she was appointed as the Assistant Library Director of Public Services and served in that capacity until September of 2024 when she was appointed as Interim Director of the library.
Hannah came directly from the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library, Union County Public Library, and Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools systems in Charlotte, North Carolina. She carries with her over 20 years of experience in libraries and is a champion and advocate for public libraries and the communities they serve. She is honored to have an executive role in advancing the Austin Public Libraries’ mission of “Inspiring all to discover, learn and create”, and vision of “Austin Public Library: A model of equity, inclusion, access and diversity.”
Hannah’s strong partnership commitment efforts and superior communication skills has resulted in strengthened bonds and sustained relationships with the Library Foundation Board of Directors and Austin History Center Association. Hannah has served in various leadership roles with the Texas Library Association to include District 3 Chair, Immediate Past Chair, Secretary Black Caucus Roundtable and member Bylaws and Resolution Committee. She is a member of the American Library Association, Public Library Association and Urban Libraries Council organizations.
She continues to mentor librarians and inspire a new generation of library professionals to focus on prioritizing people over processes and how libraries can strengthen the access, aspirations, and resilience of the communities they serve.
Hannah, a native Detroiter, resides in Bee Cave with her husband Craig and their fur baby Cairo and has two loving grown children who reside in Atlanta and Charlotte.