LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION mourning the death of Mary F. Bobinski, distin-
guished citizen and devoted member of her community

WHEREAS, It is the custom of this Legislative Body to pay tribute to
citizens of the State of New York whose lifework and civic endeavor
served to enhance the quality of life in their communities and the great
State of New York; and
WHEREAS, Mary Bobinski of Amherst, New York, died on Friday, November
20, 2009, at the age of 81; and
WHEREAS, She earned her undergraduate degree from the University of
Rochester and a Masters degree in Library Science from Case Western
Reserve University; it was there Mary met her future husband George, who
served as dean and professor in the School of Library and Information
Studies at the University of Buffalo from 1970-1999; and
WHEREAS, She distinguished herself in her profession and by her
sincere dedication and substantial contribution to the welfare of her
community; and
WHEREAS, Mary Bobinski served as Director of the Amherst Public
Libraries from 1973-2006; in this position, she expanded and modernized
the Eggertsville/Snyder Library, upgraded the Clearfield and Williams-
ville branches, and won approval to build a new Amherst Main Library at
Audubon in 1987; and
WHEREAS, Furthermore, she was a past president of the Public Library
Directors Association, as well as past president of the Public Library
Section of the New York Library Association; and
WHEREAS, In 1972, the year before Mary Bobinski started, the circu-
lation was 617,014; now it has more than doubled to 1,414,518; and
WHEREAS, Over the years, many awards were won by the Amherst libraries
including: 1992 New York Library Association Public Libraries Section
Building Award Program -- Honorable Mention, Amherst Main Library; 1998
NYLA, Ethnic Services Roundtable for Outstanding Dedication to Multicul-
turalism; 2000 New York Association for Continuing Community Education
Service Award for Contributions to the Progress of Adult Education;
Certificate of Appreciation from the New York Library Association to
Director Mary Bobinski for service as president of the Public Libraries
Section, and Public Library Directors Association of New York State; she
was also listed in the "Who's Who In America" for the last several
years; and
WHEREAS, The Audubon Branch was expanded to 22,206 in 1997, and became
the highest circulating library in the county; this addition made Audu-
bon the largest public library building in Erie County, outside of the
Central Library in downtown Buffalo; and
WHEREAS, During Mary Bobinski's illustrious career, the libraries
experienced an expansion of programming, improved technology and the
acquisition of self-checkout machines; preschool programs were also
created, the first educational experience for many children as well as
where they first learn to love books; and
WHEREAS, In 2005, there were 623 programs and story times for 21,935
children, 78 family programs for 2,422 people, 102 programs for 986
adults, 1,012 visits from schools and 11,804 students in schools who
received visits from librarians; and
WHEREAS, Food for Thought delivered books with meals to shut-ins; in
addition, there were 33,499 users of computers, and use of meeting rooms
by outside community groups for 1,500 meetings with an attendance of
6,546; one year later with the help of the Buffalo & Erie County Public
Library System, the libraries were completely automated and computer-
ized; and

WHEREAS, Out of the 36 libraries in the county, all four Amherst
libraries rank in the top 16 in circulation numbers; and
WHEREAS, Mary Bobinski was nationally recognized in the library
profession for her weekly local TV program, "Library Limelight" which
aired from 1973-2005; she also wrote a monthly column for THE AMHERST
BEE; and
WHEREAS, Mary Bobinski is survived by her husband, George, her chil-
dren, George Jr. and Mary Anne, and her two brothers, Antony and George,
as well as several grandchildren; and
WHEREAS, Armed with a humanistic spirit, imbued with a sense of
compassion, and comforted by a loving family, Mary Bobinskil's life was
a portrait of service, a legacy which will long endure the passage of
time and will remain as a comforting memory to all she served and
befriended; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
mourn the death of Mary F. Bobinski, distinguished citizen and devoted
member of her community; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to the family of Mary F. Bobinski.