By Miles Layton

EDENTON — Anna Louise Kallas, Chowan County’s librarian, has resigned to become regional director of Pettigrew Regional Libraries, capping an eight-month tenure that reshaped Shepard-Pruden Memorial Library System in ways few anticipated in such a short window.

Kallas announced her resignation in a memo dated July 6, addressed to the Chowan County Commissioners, the Shepard-Pruden Board of Trustees, the Shepard-Pruden Friends of the Library Board of Trustees and Nate King, regional director. Her last day as Chowan County librarian will be July 31.

King announced his resignation at the May meeting of the Regional Library Board of Directors in Edenton. His final day will be July 31, after which he will move into a new position at UNC Asheville. More on him will appear in a future story.  

Back to Kallas — “It is bittersweet to leave Shepard-Pruden and the people of Chowan County along with the Town of Edenton as I move into my new position as Regional Director for Pettigrew Regional Libraries,” Kallas wrote in her letter of resignation that’s posted at the end of this story.

She thanked the community for embracing her during her time in Edenton. “Since my arrival, you have welcomed and embraced me and I will always be eternally grateful for this,” she wrote. “I am truly grateful for the opportunities I have had during my time here, including the chance to work with such a talented group of individuals. The experiences I’ve gained will serve me well in my future endeavors.”

Kallas said she plans to ensure a smooth handoff before she departs. “I am eager to help in whatever way I can to ensure a seamless transition and will make sure all my tasks are completed before my departure,” she wrote. 

Pettigrew Library System serves Chowan, Perquimans, Tyrrell and Washington counties.

No successor has yet been named for the Chowan County librarian position, but give the news about Kallas’ time to settle and I’m sure there will be an announcement made when the time comes. 

When I get a spare moment, there’ll be a follow-up article with a proper interview with Kallas.

For now, I’ll say this — this makes me happy. Anna is a good person and the right fit for this job. I know she’ll do a good job leading the Pettigrew system.

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An Unlikely Arrival

Kallas came to Edenton somewhat by chance. “Three years ago, I read Diane Chamberlain’s book, ‘Big Lies in a Small Town.’ I was going to a library event in Elizabeth City and saw the signs for Edenton when I was driving there. Came into town, parked my car, came into the library here, walked through town and just instantly fell in love,” she recalled.

That memory resurfaced when the Chowan County librarian job opened earlier this year. “I saw the job being advertised, I applied for it and here I am,” she said, laughing.

She began work Nov. 1, 2025, and quickly set about strengthening the library from the ground up. Kallas told commissioners she found significant room for improvement when she arrived, including gaps in the statistics needed for grants and state aid, along with an opportunity to strengthen customer service. On her trustees’ recommendation, she made staffing changes, operating with just three employees from January through March before new hires joined in April who “caught on quickly” to her training and proved “very customer service oriented.” She also identified gaps in emergency preparedness and made it an early priority, focusing first on shelter procedures ahead of hurricane and tornado season so staff would be “adequately prepared” to shelter in place.

Rebuilding the Building

The library’s physical transformation has been just as impressive. Working with County Manager Kevin Howard, Kallas oversaw a refresh that included a freshly painted front door, a new sign, and a Lowe’s Corporation grant that funded a full landscaping overhaul — a community garden, a tomato garden, a public greens garden, a hopscotch area, bird feeders and a gardening table for summer programming.

In February, volunteers rolled up their sleeves for two Saturdays of deep cleaning and organizing. “We cleared out 30 truckloads of broken equipment and broken furniture, in addition to clearing out the attic that was completely filled with things that no one knew what was there,” Kallas said. “We washed walls, we took tape down, we organized.”

At the Chowan County Commission’s mid-June meeting, Commissioner Larry McLaughlin praised the progress. “Over the past eight years, one of the focuses of me in particular, but this board, is to maintain the buildings that we’re responsible for,” he said. “We’ve been picking away at it. And with your stewardship, I think we’re keeping in that direction.”

Grants and Partnerships

Kallas leaned on a career’s worth of connections to bring new resources to the library. “I’m so well-networked that I knew if I tapped into my network that I could get things rolling here,” she said.

A $3,700 grant from the Albemarle Commission Council of Governments reactivated 25 Wi-Fi hotspots for checkout, and a grant from the American Heart Association is providing roughly ten free blood pressure machines for patrons. A pen pal club she launched in January has grown to more than 1,500 participants across 60 U.S. libraries and three international libraries. “Everyone loves getting letters,” Kallas said. “It has been a huge success since we started this in January, and it continues to grow on a daily basis.”

She also started a seed library, a crocheting club with the Chowan County Senior Citizen Center, a Pi Day STEM event that drew 25 children, and a 3D printing program that has taken on an unusual local use. “Our boating community has reached out to us — the little plastic parts that break,” she said. “They are now coming to the library, and we are designing and replacing them for them at a fraction of the cost.”

A partnership with East Carolina University brought a free summer lunch program to the library. “Every day within 15 minutes, these lunches are gone, and they are getting kids who desperately need them,” Kallas said.

A Life Shaped by Libraries

Kallas has been open about how her own difficult upbringing steered her toward the profession. She grew up in Indiana, Pennsylvania, the daughter of a coal miner, and said libraries were a lifeline throughout her life. As a child, the library offered safety and a window to a wider world, and a librarian later helped her leave an abusive home and relocate to a different state. After her husband was killed in a car accident when she was 29, she raised her two sons alone, again relying on the library as a safe, free resource for programs and books.

Professionally, she earned an elementary education degree from Loyola University Maryland, briefly taught kindergarten, then built a career in public libraries at Meredith College, at Durham County Public Library, and in the Baltimore-Washington area. During the pandemic, she pursued a master’s degree focused on rural libraries, graduating at the top of her class last year.

A Vision for the Future

Kallas has previously spoken about wanting the library’s collection to reflect the community it serves, describing the library’s role in a rural community as centered on connection — particularly for isolated seniors and young people — and on remaining welcoming even amid broader cultural debates over libraries.

On the collection itself, she said in an earlier interview, “I would like to see more of a diverse collection here. I would like to see if somebody walks into the library, they see a representation of themselves.” On why that connection matters most for older residents, she said, “The more isolated seniors are, the more health problems they have.” And on navigating the library’s place in today’s cultural debates, she said, “We have to provide safe, neutral spaces … but I think also it’s important for us to be diverse. It’s important for us to address those difficult issues. If we move forward with compassion, with understanding, with diversity, with empathy, I think again, that’s how we bridge some of those difficult situations.”

Praise From the Board

During June’s Chowan County Commission meeting, commissioners praised Kallas’ tenure. Commissioner Tony Shaffer called it “an amazing change,” noting the library’s new educational partnerships and Kallas’ own tracking of her effectiveness, and said commissioners “really do appreciate your enthusiasm, skill, experience, and communication ability.” 

Chairman Bob Kirby said her work “captures your passions.” 

Kallas responded that the job hasn’t felt like work: “I don’t feel like I’m working, honestly. I love my job, I love being here in Chowan County. This has truly been a blessing for me to serve as county librarian in the last seven months. And when you love what you do, it’s not work,” she said.