February 12, 2004
Noted storyteller/children's librarian honored
SYRACUSE --- The Onondaga County Public Library Board of Trustees presented this year's Ossie C. Golden Trustees Award to Cynthia Bishop, a children's librarian in the Onondaga County Public Library's Soule Branch. The award honors Bishop, who exemplifies the dedication and outstanding service to the public that former librarian Ossie C. Golden demonstrated in her 45 years of library service.
Bishop's 24 years with OCPL have been characterized by an exceptional depth and breadth of accomplishment. At Mundy Branch Library, Bishop revitalized the children's collection for the opening of its newly refurbished storefront facility. A promotion led her to White Branch in 1987, from there to Beauchamp Branch, and finally to Soule Branch in 1989. Bishop's spellbinding mix of language and music won her a loyal following throughout the city. Countless children returned week after week to listen and absorb. Since 1999, Bishop has offered weekly read-alouds for home-schooled children, giving them an opportunity to experience quality literature in the company of their peers.
Bishop's talents reach far beyond the library. She is a noted storyteller and a founding member of the Salt City Storytellers. Telling stories to large and small audiences, her most unusual experience to date was telling stories in the Crouse Hinds Theater to the accompaniment of the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra.
She has received glowing reviews for her performances on audio versions of children's books for Listening Library and for Full Cast Audio, a company operated by well-known author Bruce Coville, who describes Bishop's work thus, “The extraordinary musicality of her voice, combined with her precise and graceful articulation (a rarity in this age of sloppy speech) would have moved her to the top of our list anyway. But when that was combined with a passionate love of children's literature, and an innate understanding of the stories we worked with—well, the combination was unbeatable.”
Additionally, Bishop indirectly impacts a new generation of readers by guiding students and student teachers from the LeMoyne College Children's Literature program. She frequently meets with students from the School of Information Studies at Syracuse University and generously shares her time and experience by supervising their internships and by allowing them to observe her story hours or interview her for class projects. In 2003, Bishop expanded her leadership role by teaching the Youth Services course at Syracuse University.
Bishop is often consulted by the media as a source of information on children's materials. One such occasion was her frank review of Madonna's “The English Roses” for Post-Standard reporter Laura Ryan. Bishop recently appeared on WCNY's “Hour CNY” to promote great winter reads, and made several appearances related to the release of the most recent Harry Potter book.
When presenting the 25th annual Ossie C. Golden Award for Outstanding Service to Cynthia Bishop on February 3, Vice President of OCPL's Board of Trustees and President of the Friends of the Central Library Kathleen Wojslaw remarked, “We celebrate Cynthia Bishop, as a library professional who helps to make a young person's early exposure to literature compelling enough for children to ask to hear a story again and again—to learn to read those stories for themselves, and perhaps someday to weave tales of their own.”
Photo - left to right: Vice President of OCPL's Board of Trustees and President of the Friends of the Central Library Kathleen Wojslaw; OCPL Executive Director Mary Frances Floreck; Soule Branch Children's Librarian and Ossie C. Golden Award Winner Cynthia Bishop; Deputy County
Executive Ed Kochian.
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