April 8, 2009 (Charlotte, NC) – Visitors to North County Regional Library will see a friendly new face. On April 6, Jo Ann Rodgers took the helm as the new manager for the North County Regional branch of the Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County (PLCMC). John Zika, who has served as the manager of North County Regional Library, has moved to Main Library to be senior library manager.

Rodgers stepped into her new role with plans for the future. “Huntersville is one of the fastest-growing areas in Mecklenburg County, and I have witnessed its growth and development. It is an exciting time,” Rodgers said. “I would like to continue the partnerships and collaboration with many of our area businesses and merchants. A goal I have encompasses empowerment and engagement for staff and customers. I feel that when we provide opportunities and support, people will invest their time and continue to be involved.”

David Singleton, PLCMC’s Director of Library Experiences, provides overall management for the library’s 24 public service locations. “We are working both to ensure exceptional service and allow employees the ability to continue exceptional leadership,” Singleton said. “These staff members are highly qualified individuals who have performed very well in their previous locations. They will bring their strengths and leadership abilities to new locations and have the opportunity to have significant impact working with a variety of staff and customers.”

Rodgers is no stranger to Huntersville or to North County Regional Library. She began library career as the reference librarian at Johnson C. Smith University before becoming the Children’s Room manager at PLCMC’s Main Library. Rodgers managed the Huntersville Library for 11 years and helped to open North County Regional Library 11 years ago, serving as Children’s Services manager. She received her B.A. in Human Services and English from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and her MLIS from the University of South Carolina. A resident of Huntersville for 21 years, Rodgers and her husband of nearly 40 years, Jimmy Rodgers, have two adult daughters.

The movements of Rodgers and Zika are part of an organizational restructuring effort called “Imagine 2010,” designed to realign the library with the needs of the community. The library has been working on this since 2006, but more recently, budget concerns and a hiring freeze have caused the library to look internally to fill roles created in the new structure.