Meet Matt Williamson, EveryLibrary Lover + CEO
- OU for EveryLibrary
- Feb 8
- 2 min read
Matt Williamson wears many hats—book lover, seeker of knowledge, founder and CEO of Clevyr, and dedicated EveryLibrary supporter, to name a few. Raised in Choctaw, Oklahoma, he spent much of his childhood with his paternal grandparents, Norma and Tom Williamson, playing outside, reading comics, and learning the value of community.
Libraries played a central role in Matt’s upbringing. His grandmother, Norma, who only had the opportunity to attend school until the eighth grade, turned to libraries as a lifelong source of learning. She passed that love of knowledge on to Matt, spending countless hours reading alongside him at their local library. Together, they explored the works of Kahlil Gibran, the renowned Lebanese-American poet, and Rudyard Kipling, author of The Jungle Book.
Today, Matt continues that legacy, giving back to his community just as his grandparents did before him. The values they instilled in him—lifelong learning, service, and a commitment to others—shape both his personal and professional life. When he founded Clevyr in 2009, it wasn’t just about building a software company; it was about creating something that could serve and support people. Whether through his work or his advocacy for libraries, Matt remains dedicated to fostering the sense of community that meant so much to him growing up.
Below, read his thoughts on the importance of libraries today.
A library is more than a building filled with books—it is a cathedral to the vastness of human experience. Within its shelves rest the echoes of our ancestors, the blueprints for our future, and the raw, unfiltered expressions of every joy, sorrow, triumph, and mistake humanity has ever known. Here, the voices of poets whisper alongside the calculations of scientists. The dreams of revolutionaries sit beside the meditations of mystics. Every volume is a doorway, every page a portal, leading to worlds both real and imagined.
As a child, I spent countless hours in libraries, wandering their aisles as if exploring sacred corridors of wisdom. They were places of solace, adventure, and endless discovery. Even now, stepping into one brings an immediate sense of peace—a reminder that no matter how chaotic the world becomes, knowledge, art, and wonder are always within reach.
I'd imagine other worlds with Zelazny, L'Engle, Asprin, and PKD. I could walk the streets of Ancient Rome in books. See the dawn of technology in books. Learn the mythologies of the world in books.
Libraries are not just archives of what we have been; they are testaments to what we still hope to become. In their quiet spaces, surrounded by the words of those who came before us, we are never alone.
Much like Matt and his grandparents, OU for EveryLibrary is committed to giving back to our community. Libraries are more than just books—they are gateways to imagination, hubs of free resources, and spaces where lifelong memories are made. They provide a sense of belonging, a community to rely on, and a place filled with love.
Love EveryLibrary—because they raised us, because they care, because they love you.
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