LIBRARIAN OF THE YEAR AWARDS GIVEN

 HARRISBURG, APRIL 19 -- State Sen. Connie Williams today announced the winners of the 2007 Librarian of the Year Awards –  Maggie Caverly of Roberts Elementary School in the Upper Merion School District and Cyd Nathan of Penn Wynne Library in Wynnewood.

 "It was very difficult for the panel to select just two people to honor – all of the librarians who were nominated are doing wonderful things for their library,” Williams said. “There was a general theme in all of the nominations – praise for the accessibility of the librarians and for how the librarians went above and beyond their daily responsibilities to help others.”

 This year marks the fifth year that Williams has sponsored the Librarian Recognition Awards as a means to draw attention to the importance of librarians and the value of library services to schools and to communities.

 “There really are few greater resources to our communities than our local librarians who prove to us that the world really is as close as the nearest library,” Williams said. “Once again, people wrote glowing recommendations of their librarian. I am impressed with the work of all of the nominees and I wish I could have honored each one of them.”

 Many librarians from school and community libraries were nominated and quite a few of them were nominated by more than one individual.

 For 2007, the nominees will receive a certificate and a pin. Winners will receive a plaque.

 The following is a complete list of all of nominees:

 Public Library:

Lavinia Anderson, Conshohocken Free Library                                                      

Barbara Palmer Casini of Radnor Memorial Library

Karen Frederick of Bala Cynwyd Library

Marianne Hooper of Upper Merion Township Library

Jeanne Kauffman of Upper Merion Township Library

Jackie Leming of Belmont Hills Library

Denise Long of Upper Merion Township Library

Terry McArdle of Upper Merion Township Library

Kathy Mulhearn of Haverford Township Free Libray

Cyd Nathan of Penn Wynne Library

Penn Wynne Library Staff: Jackie Schulmeister, Tonya Gardner and Bonnie Davis

Bruce Piscadlo of Law Library of Montgomery County

Eileen Plociennik of Bala Cynwyd Library

Patricia Rayfield of Belmont Hills Library

Judy Soret of Penn Wynne Library

 School Library:

Maura Buri of Villanova Law Library

Maggie Caverly, Roberts Elementary School Library

Robert Schmalbach, Norristown Area High School Library

Gloria Toner of Stewart Middle School

 The selection committee for the 2007 award included: Sen. Williams; Ilene Goldis Grayev of Radnor High School, a 2006 Librarian of the Year Award winner; and Peggy Newman of Ardmore Library, a 2005 Librarian of the Year Award winner.