Neuse Regional Libraries director Melanie Morgan selected for New Hanover post
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Melanie Morgan, who has led Neuse Regional Libraries since November 2018, has been selected as the next director of the New Hanover County Public Library system, according to a New Hanover County announcement posted Thursday, Feb. 19. Morgan is scheduled to begin the new role March 31.
Morgan said she is “incredibly excited to begin this new chapter” but added she will “truly miss my NRL family.”
Neuse Regional Libraries is a three-county system serving Lenoir, Greene and Jones counties through eight locations, with the system’s administrative headquarters at the Kinston-Lenoir County Public Library.
During Morgan’s tenure, the system has emphasized outreach and access beyond traditional library walls, including digital inclusion work and mobile service. In 2021, Neuse Regional Libraries said Morgan secured federal Library Services and Technology Act funding for a Digital Resource Rover, described as a modern take on a bookmobile intended to bring library materials, programs and internet access to residents facing transportation and connectivity barriers.
Neuse Regional Libraries has also tied that broader access push to education-focused initiatives. Prior coverage of Morgan’s statewide recognition highlighted “Literacy Without Barriers,” an effort described as providing homework help and tutoring, along with access to technology and internet connectivity, and “STEM 4 ALL,” an after-school program aimed at reaching students at a public housing site in Kinston.
The system has received statewide recognition during her leadership. Neuse Regional Libraries announced it received two 2024 North Carolina Public Library Directors Association awards, one connected to weekly digital literacy outreach at the Friends of the Homeless shelter in Kinston and another tied to facility innovation for a multi-sensory environment at the Kinston-Lenoir County Public Library.
On the national stage, Neuse Regional Libraries was named a finalist for the 2022 Institute of Museum and Library Services National Medal, one of a limited group selected nationwide, according to an IMLS-related announcement from the library system.
New Hanover County’s release also notes Morgan’s work has focused on expanding service access in underserved communities, including broadband access efforts in rural eastern North Carolina that earned recognition from Gov. Roy Cooper.
As of Thursday, Neuse Regional Libraries had not published a separate announcement outlining interim leadership or next steps for the director position.
