10 librarians honored for community service

NEW YORK – This year's winners of the I Love My Librarian Award were honored for far more than recommending books.

Julie Bill of the Los Angeles-based Musicians Institute was cited for helping in cataloging music and building an online database. Rosemary Cooper, director of the Albert Wisner Public Library in Warwick, New York, was praised for turning an underfunded facility into a vital community center. Marcia Kochel of the Druid Hills Middle School in Decatur, Georgia, is known for her work with immigrants and those for whom English is a second language.

Ten librarians from around the country are each receiving $5,000 prizes, The American Library Association told The Associated Press on Thursday. The awards are based on submissions by colleagues and library patrons and are sponsored by the Carnegie Corp. of New York, the New York Public Library and The New York Times.

"This year's I Love My Librarian Award recipients are true leaders who are inspiring and implementing strategies to better their communities," Jim Neal, president of the American Library Association, said in a statement. "Whether it's fostering inclusion and diversity or mentoring youth, these librarians are expanding beyond their traditional roles and providing more opportunities to meet the changing needs of the patrons they serve."

Winners also include Natalia Fernandez of Oregon State University, Rita Platt of the Wisconsin-based St. Croix Falls Elementary library and Sheikla Blount of Alabama's Columbiana Middle School. The other recipients are Annie Cipolla of the Los Angeles Public Library; Laurie Doan of the Tredyffrin Public Library in Strafford, Pennsylvania; Mary Jo Fayoyin of Savannah State University in Georgia; and Timothy Ryan of New York's Rochester Public Library.