Director’s service celebrated
On Aug. 2, staff and board members of the Neuse Regional Library System celebrated 40 years of service for Agnes W. Ho, director of libraries. The ceremony included a photographic retrospective and spoken and musical tributes to Ho from members of the staff and boards.
Ho joined the Neuse Regional Library July 1, 1973. New to the area, she began her library career as a reference librarian at the Kinston-Lenoir County Public Library. Between then and 1994, she moved through various positions there and on the regional level, officially being named Neuse Regional Library director June 1, 1994.
“I would like to sincerely thank all of my staff and the members of our library’s boards for honoring me on this day,” said Ho. “Our library system would not be as successful as it is without such supportive boards and such talented staff.”
During Ho’s years, the library profession has seen dramatic technological changes: the introduction of VHS cassettes, audiobooks, computers and CD-ROMS; DVDs, the Internet, audiobooks and E-Books. She also has seen dramatic growth in the Neuse Regional Library System, including the expansion and renovation of the Kinston and Greene County libraries in 2008 and 2012, respectively.
“After I became library director in 1994, I began to see the need for expansion,” said Ho. “The library is currently a very different place than it was when I began my career, and the need for computer technology, as well as the growth of our community, has led the library to require additional floor space for new services.”
Board members offered numerous thoughts on Ho’s years of service.
“When I think of Mrs. Ho’s service to our library, what first comes to mind is the movie ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’,” said Lloyd Moody, chairman of the Neuse Regional Library Board. “Kinston is Bedford Falls and Agnes is our George Bailey. Our library would not nearly be what it is today without her, and we are truly fortunate to have her.”
Peggy Greene, chairman of the Greene County library board, echoed those sentiments.
“Greene County has a modern, up-to-date library because of the leadership, planning and hard work of Mrs. Agnes Ho,” said Greene, also a member of the Neuse Regional Library Board. “When the library renovation and expansion project was started, there were a lot of challenges, but Mrs. Ho overcame them, and because of her, residents now enjoy one of the nicest libraries in this area.”
Anna Craft, a member of the Neuse Regional and Jones County library boards, also extended praise.
“The citizens of the three counties within the Neuse Regional Library System are all extremely fortunate to have a director of libraries who displays the leadership and dedication to our library that Mrs. Ho does,” said Craft.
Carol Southerland attested to Ho’s leadership from a local and state perspective.
“My enduring impression of Agnes’ tenure at our library is a feeling of safety with her at the helm,” said Southerland, a board member of the Kinston-Lenoir County Friends of the Library. “As a former board member of the North Carolina Library Association, I can proudly attest first-hand that our library system was consistently one of the finest libraries per-capita in the state, and that can be attributed directly to Agnes’ strong leadership.”
Despite her long tenure, Ho is eager to continue working.
“I like to tell people that ‘retirement’ is not a word that is currently in my vocabulary,” said Ho. “That may change in a few years, but in the meantime, I am looking forward to continuing to work with our boards and staff to provide our community with the best libraries that we can give them.”