At first glance, it would seem that Fredda Owens does not like change. She still lives in the same house in Seneca where she grew up, and she has worked for Clemson Libraries for more than 28 years. Despite all of this, she enjoys the ever-changing nature of working for the Libraries, and she likes that every day is different.
Owens recalls spending time in the library as a child in elementary school, which made a lasting impression on her.
“The librarians used to let me help her sort books because I would finish my work early, and I just loved her. When we used to have the book fair each year, she bought me a book for helping her through the year,” Owens said. “I remember that being such a big thing for me and my love for books when I was in elementary school.”
Years later, those happy memories would inspire her to apply for a job with Clemson Libraries as she was finishing up her associates degree in computer science from Tri-County Technical College. She was hired in 1996 in a second-shift position at the services desk in Cooper Library, and she has been here ever since.
Over the years, she has held several different roles, working her way up through the ranks. Currently, Owens serves as Director of Information Services and oversees stacks management, security, the services desk, technology and reserves. Because she is responsible for such a large unit of essential services, she has had to learn how to back up everyone’s role in her area, making her something of a Jack-of-all-trades in Cooper Library.
“It’s a lot at times, but it’s also fun because there’s always something new and different and changing,” she said.
Several years ago, she decided to take advantage of Clemson’s employee tuition assistance benefit and she went back to school. In 2023, she completed her bachelor’s degree in sociology. She said she chose sociology because she likes working with people.
“I’m all about the ‘why’ behind things — why people do the things they do and think the way they think,” she said. “Maybe one day when I retire, I can do something with that degree. It also made me even more invested in Clemson, even more a part of the ‘family.’”
Owens said her favorite part of her job is interacting with students, whether it’s the students who come in as patrons of the library or the students who work in her unit.
“Over 28 years, I’ve seen a lot of students come and go, and a lot of them I still keep in touch with,” she said. “There are students who graduated 20 years ago who are friends with me on Facebook.” 
She has also had several student workers return to work under her as full-time staff after graduation.
In her free time outside of work, Owens enjoys spending time with her seven nieces and nephews, and she is an active member of Grace Independent Baptist Church in Walhalla. But most of her time is spent caring for animals on what she calls her “wanna-be farm” in Seneca.
Owens and her husband have 12 goats, four dogs, a bird named Rosita, two cats, two tortoises, a crested gecko, four ducks, “a bunch of” chickens, and a jumping spider named Penelope Alleluia. Many of her animals were special-needs rescues, including a three-legged dog, a three-legged goat, and a goat that lost an ear in a coyote attack.
“I seem to draw the misfits,” she said. “I don’t know how these things tend to find me, but they always do.”