Marsh presented with Community Builder Award

By BRITTANY FHOLER 

Cove Leader-Press 

Members of Mt. Hiram Masonic Lodge #595 of Copperas Cove presented Library Director Kevin Marsh with the Community Builder Award Tuesday morning. 

The Community Builder Award was designed to enable Lodges to recognize outstanding non-masons who have distinguished themselves through their service to their community, to the local, state and national governments, to their church or synagogue or to humanity. Thus, the award is made available to be presented to individuals who, while never initiated into Masonry, have followed the same precepts, ideals and standards established for Masonic behavior. 

Since 1991, Mt. Hiram Lodge #595 has sought to seek out deserving individuals through nominations submitted to the committee by members of the lodge, according to the master of the ceremony James Cooney. 

“It has been our intent to seek out those deserving of the award and those who work every single day, tirelessly, to make our city of Copperas Cove a better place in which to raise their families,” Cooney said. 

Cooney added that Marsh was very humble when approached for biographical information, with Cooney knowing more of Marsh’s accomplishments than what Marsh had shared. 

“The Copperas Cove Public Library is a true asset to our community, especially in the era of mass media, internet and Google,” Cooney said. “The recipient of this award has worked tirelessly, often without recognition due, to keep up with technology and the needs of our community.”

Marsh has served as Library Director for more than seven years and supervises a staff of seven personnel.

Under Marsh’s tenure, the library has gone through an extensive renovation of both the exterior and interior. There has also been the addition of new software for managing the library collection and the public access computers. Marsh has introduced a lending collection of technology devices including a 3-D printer, added video games and expanded the collection of movies. He has also modernized the book collections by removing older, unused volumes and replacing with more up to date publications. 

“Under his leadership, the Library staff have changed the focus of the collection to meet the interests of local readers, and the readers have responded by borrowing more items from the library,” Cooney said. 

The library also offers afterschool programs, summer reading programs, a summer feeding location and activities for all ages.

Marsh received his bachelor’s in Government from the University of Texas and his master’s degree in Library Information Sciences, also from U.T. He currently chairs the Leadership Board at Grace United Methodist Church, has organized a local Historical Club, and teaches and competes in medieval armored and renaissance rapier combat tournaments in his spare time. 

Marsh shared a few words, thanking his wife and his staff. 

“We approach this work with a spirit of ministry,” Marsh said. “We are helping the people of Copperas Cove. We are educating, informing, inspiring, and we’re all working together as a team, and really, I think what we’ve accomplished has been an effort of team work and shared ideas and collaboration and cooperation, and I just really, really appreciate the way they’ve all pulled together to make possible to do all the things that we’ve done here. We don’t ever get to rest on our laurels. There’s always a new challenge coming, a new opportunity, there are new people coming to town, there are folks that need to hear about what we can do and folks that have information needs that we need to meet.”

Marsh was grateful for the award and for the opportunity to continue serving as the library director. 

“It has been a very fun seven years. I have learned a lot. I may almost know enough to do this job,” Marsh joked. “But, there’s a lot left to learn and there are a lot of opportunities yet for our library to address in terms of serving the community.”