The Campbell County Public Library on Monday announced Chantelle Phillips as the new library director.
The announcement comes after the retirement of JC Morgan who stepped down as CCPL director November 22 after two decades to assume the role of state director of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.
Phillips will be a familiar face to patrons and staff alike. She has served the library system in multiple capacities, starting in July of 2008, when she became manager of the Newport Branch. In 2012, she was named assistant director, a role she steered while maintaining the Newport Branch Manager position. In November of 2021, her management duties moved to the Carrico/Fort Thomas Branch and in 2023, she left Carrico/Fort Thomas to take the role of Human Resources while still acting as assistant director.
Chantelle Phillips (Photo from CCPL)
“My hope as library director is to continue to grow the library as Campbell County’s anchor for formal and informal learning, technology access, and connection to community resources as well as the county’s gathering place,” Phillips said. “The library is so lucky to have wonderful support from all areas of the county—from our story time families to our community leaders. Our future is bright as our knowledgeable, creative and passionate staff work to serve the communities in our county.”
Phillips has a bachelor’s degree in Professional Communication from Xavier University and a Master’s in Library and Information Science from Kent State University. The first stint of her career was in editing; Phillips worked as an editor at F & W Publications. After leaving that position in search of more community-based work, Phillips took her first library position: an Adult Services Programmer at the Clermont County Public Library’s Felicity Branch.
It was in that position that Phillips fell in love with library work and began pursuing her library degree from Kent State. During her time at Clermont County Public Library, she gained experience managing multiple branches: Felicity, Williamsburg and Bethel.
She has worked at Campbell County Public Library for 15 years, ever since accepting the aforementioned Newport Branch management position. When asked what she has championed at CCPL, Phillips noted that she has worked to “ensure all groups in our communities felt welcome in their library and worked directly with those in the Deaf community to determine what they needed from their library.”
She also pointed toward increasing access to library services for all; working with the local community, including social service organizations; and working to ensure that all groups see the library as a valuable resource and third place, no matter their age, economic status, race or ability.
Campbell County Public Library
