EDENTON – A new full-time librarian for Shepard-Pruden Memorial Library could be chosen in the coming weeks, but the search remains in a holding pattern until a candidate accepts an offer.
The Shepard-Pruden Board of Trustees is scheduled to meet on Oct. 13. Once a candidate is selected by the Trustees, the name will go to the Pettigrew Regional Library Board for approval. The regional board’s next meeting is Nov. 23.
“We hope to have this decision finalized by Nov. 23, if not before,” said Jenny Wells, chairperson of the Pettigrew Regional Library System Board of Trustees.
In related news, the Pettigrew Regional Library System is also working to fill the regional director position permanently.
Flashback: The search follows a period of turnover at the top of the regional system. Nate King resigned as regional director in May 2026 and left the post July 31. His successor, Anna Louise Kallas, resigned in early August, only days after taking over. Previously, Kallas had been Shepard-Pruden Librarian before being promoted to Regional Librarian. The Board of Trustees accepted her resignation as regional librarian at its August meeting and named Perquimans Librarian Michelle Lawrence interim director.
Wells said the decision on a regional director rests with the Regional Board of Trustees. A select committee has been chosen to guide the hiring, though no date has been set for a decision. Once a Regional candidate is selected, the name will go to the regional board for approval.
In related library news, the Shepard-Pruden Memorial Library’s Armchair Traveler Series will continue through October with three free Monday evening programs on Revolutionary-era figures and events in the Albemarle.
The 18th annual series, titled “Freedom Rings in the Albemarle 2026,” meets at 5:30 p.m. at the Old Courthouse, 117 E. King St. It is sponsored by the Friends of the Shepard-Pruden Memorial Library and Historic Edenton State Historic Sites.
On Oct. 5, authors Christine and Bill Barber will discuss their new book, “Forgotten Patriots of the Albemarle,” which profiles hundreds of lesser-known residents who helped advance early American freedoms. The Barbers have spent years researching historic figures and battles and documenting 18th-century sites.
There will be no program Oct. 12, when the library is closed.
On Oct. 19, local historian Dick Mayer will present “Why We Honor Local Edenton Patriots Joseph Hewes & Dr. Hugh Williamson.” Both men played roles in the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution. Mayer, a retired attorney and amateur historian, wrote “Joseph Hewes: A Forgotten Patriot.”
The month will close Oct. 26 with “Trying Times: The 1777 Gourd Patch Conspiracy,” about a failed uprising against North Carolina’s Patriot government. Farmers from Martin, Tyrrell, Pitt and Bertie counties met in a pumpkin patch and drew up a secret plot. Laura Rogers, director of Historic Edenton State Historic Sites, and Amanda Irvin, also of Edenton Historic Sites, will lead the program.
The series continues Nov. 2 with a presentation on Jonathan Overton, a free Black seaman and three-time Revolutionary soldier who lived in Edenton.
Let us know what you think by leaving a comment. Comments are subject to approval.