HAMPTON — "I have the best job in the school."

Named "Librarian of the Year," Winnacunnet High School librarian Dorothy Grazier loves her job. She gets to aid students every day in their search for knowledge but doesn't have to worry about distributing grades or disciplining students.

"(Librarians) can be the helper, the guider, and the coach in how to find information," said Grazier, which she feels is very important in the school.

Last Saturday, June 7, Grazier received an Excellence in Education Award or "EDie," for which she was nominated by the New Hampshire Education Media Association (NEMA).

Grazier said there were about 30 people and schools in Manchester being honored.

"It was great — the atmosphere of educators honoring each other," said Grazier. "It was a room full of a lot of good people who were trying to do good things."

Grazier is very interested in constantly improving education for students. She is currently on the board of the New Hampshire Council of Teachers of English and the board of NEMA.

"I'm just enjoying the opportunities that come by," said Grazier. "I'm using the things I know, and the people I know, to influence education and to make things better."

Grazier, who has been a librarian for 37 years, has been incorporating technology into public libraries and schools since the very beginning of her career.

Since 1980, Grazier has been instructing others in the importance of efficient use of the newest technologies to advance knowledge. This includes the use of databases, the evaluation and creation of Web pages, and even the use of iPods to listen to audio books.

Grazier said she has enjoyed "watching technology advance and grow" over the course of her career. She also remembers the difficulty of finding a useful balance of new technology and older practices of educating.

"As librarians, we felt that our world was being taken away from us, and that's just not true at all," said Grazier. "It's blossoming and we need to rejoice in it."

Grazier was not always planning to become a librarian. For her undergraduate degree, she was a music, art, and drama major, with plans to perform on stage. She set high goals for herself, including becoming president of the United States and opening a children's home. When she married into a family with many librarians, she decided to try that out instead.

Grazier is just as passionate about her job now as she was when she started 37 years ago. She loves that she never has to focus on only one subject, and she gets to be a part of almost every aspect of the school.

"I learn something every day," said Grazier.