Retirement is the bittersweet end of story spanning more than four decades for John and Sue Britt. The couple will retire from Beaufort County Community College’s Lester Library on Thursday, May 8.

Britt, 78, wouldn’t retire if he had the choice; however, the college announced earlier this year that the library would close in the evenings after the school year ends.

“I’m kind of sad. I kind of enjoy it out here,” John said. What he and Sue will miss most about working at Lester Library are the people. They’ll miss getting to know the students who use the library for research projects and study sessions and they will miss the community members who check out novels.

John Britt began working in library sciences in the 1970s at East Carolina University while he pursued a library sciences degree. He changed his major twice by that time (business management and psychology), but he wanted to pursue a career after graduation he knew he would enjoy and it would provide a livable salary.

Britt was raised by his Scottish, adoptive mother in Biscoe and High Point. She was adamant he read often and take his education seriously. Every weekend Britt would go to the YMCA to swim, because swimming improved the polio symptoms he experienced when he was younger. After swimming, he would go to the library and check out four or five books, read them throughout the week, then return them the following weekend in exchange for a new stack of books.

Britt became a voracious reader who could finish a 250-page book at night after dinner. Though his reading pace has slowed, his ravenous appetite for literature has yet to be satiated. He and Sue purchase many books every year at local thrift stores, he said.

Whether at home or at work, the Britts are surrounded by books. John began working at the Lester Library in 1982, but Sue joined him later in 2013. Throughout the years, they assisted high school and college students with research papers, saw dozens of nursing school students study for exams. John has welcomed four college presidents and five library directors to campus. John started at Lester Library just prior to the demise of card catalogs.

Before working at Lester Library, John and Sue started careers in education in Beaufort County in 1974. They worked at John A. Wilkinson in Belhaven and Sue worked at Northside, retired then worked for Hyde County Schools. At John A. Wilkinson, John was an athletic trainer for the football team, a nurse and librarian. Sue was a special education teacher.

When asked if they would do it all again, the Britts said, “Absolutely.”

Sue added that working at the library was “the best thing they’ve ever done – besides getting married.” On May 4, the Britts celebrated their 51st wedding anniversary.

Fellow colleague of seven years, Trina Cobb, said she “loves” the Britts and “they will be truly missed.”

“What a pleasure and privilege to work with John and Sue Britt who exemplify professionalism, and commitment to quality in service,” said former colleague and current Director of the Beaufort, Hyde, Martin, Regional Library, Paula Hopper. “John Britt holds a wealth of knowledge on most subjects but library history and work is first and foremost. We loved to talk about card catalogs, research before the days of Google, and becoming computerized, and Sue knows the BCCC stacks better than anyone. Her displays are works of art. When seasoned employees retire, you lose institutional knowledge, as well as an understanding that only comes through experience and time. The Britts brought joy to my job, our patrons and have a career history to be proud of.”

To celebrate the start of their retirement, John and Sue are planning a summer in Scotland, Paris and Israel. They have spent every summer abroad since 1997 with the exception of a few summers after the COVID pandemic.