By Tara Fischer

Staff Writer

An Ocean Pines Library helper was named “Volunteer of the Year” last week for her dedication to maintaining a smoothly run facility. The awardee was honored at a luncheon with a proclamation from the Worcester County Commissioners.

On Wednesday, April 30, Vicki O’Mara, a member of the Friends of the Ocean Pines Library, a group whose mission is to assist the media center, was named the 2025 Volunteer of the Year. FOPL helps with shelving, publicity, patron communication, sorting and storing books, and programs like the annual book sale.

FOPL recognized O’Mara for her eight years as a library volunteer. According to the proclamation, read by Ocean Pines’ Worcester County Commissioner representative Chip Bertino, O’Mara helps with the yearly book sale, facility programs, and book shelving. The volunteer is also a member of the Worcester County Library Board of Trustees, which forms policy, advises the director, and approves the library’s budget.

“[O’Mara] is recognized for her reliability and willingness to always lend a helping hand,” said Bertino.

Ocean Pines Library Branch Manager Harry Burkett added that in addition to O’Mara’s assistance in ensuring the book building operates well and remains organized and tidy, the volunteer never fails to brighten the day of the facility staff.

“She always brings us delicious desserts, especially on National Library Week,” he said. “I always take a picture because they are always so pretty during that week.”

According to James Meckley, president of the FOPL, O’Mara started as a volunteer not long after him, and “almost immediately,” he knew that her number of hours worked would rival his. While the awardee’s set schedule puts her at the branch for around four hours every Tuesday, she is often spotted in the media center more, picking up shifts when she can and engaging in programs when needed.

Meckley noted that O’Mara’s presence goes beyond reorganizing the James Patterson section.

“[O’Mara] has been much more than a volunteer here,” the FOPL president said. “…she has been a confidant…I tend to wear my heart on my sleeve, and she is always there to pick it up and put it back…She always finds something to do. She is always ready and willing to help…We can’t thank her enough.”

Additionally, O’Mara volunteers at the annual three-day book sale every July.

“If you come to the book sale, I don’t care when you come, she will be here,” Meckley said.

Volunteering at the library is a joy, O’Mara said, because of the community the job provides.

“The staff is wonderful,” she said. “I have always enjoyed being in libraries, so it’s just nice spending time in one. It’s a good place to be.”

The honoree also noted that the space is “very community-oriented.” Ocean Pines residents meet friends at the library, can take offered Spanish classes, partake in craft programs, and receive help with resumes and technology. O’Mara added that the children’s activities are “awesome.”

“The programs are wonderful for [the children],” she said. “It’s great to see parents bringing kids to libraries. The programs are incredibly well-attended.”

The library’s kid-friendly events include story times and STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics) programs for older children. In March, the facility’s youth director, Angie DiMarco, was named “Staff Member of the Year” by FOPL.

A volunteer has now been given a similar distinction.

“This is such an honor,” O’Mara said. “There are so many people, so many volunteers, who put so many hours into this library. I don’t feel like I do more than anyone else. This is an incredible volunteer group.”

O’Mara added that the book sale, which the FOPL organizes at the end of July each year, demonstrates the community’s appreciation for the Ocean Pines Library.

“There are around 120 volunteers who work at the book sale,” O’Mara said. “That says a lot about this community and what this library gives to it, that so many people come to help. There is so much involvement. The book sale is three days long, and there are a number of volunteers all the time at the book sale. It speaks to the community…they love their library.”