Gary Cocozzoli

Cocozzoli received his Master of Library Science degree from Wayne State University and has a Bachelor’s Degree in Geography from WSU’s department of Geography and Urban Planning.

He has served as a librarian since 1975 and was named director of the library in 1981. Though involved with all aspects of the library’s administration, in recent years Cocozzoli has enjoyed advanced work in library systems and the growth of electronic resources. He has recently presented at a national webinar and spoke at four global conferences for the internationally known OCLC (Online Computer Library Center) on specialized library topics.

With a strong involvement in the Michigan library community, Cocozzoli has served on several boards of the Michigan Library Association and has been chair of South East Michigan League of Libraries (SEMLOL). He is currently treasurer of the SEMLOL organization. He is also a former president and board member of Wayne State University Library and Information Science Alumni Association and served on the board of the Michigan Library Consortium. Other service included vice-president of Data Research Users Group, board member and trainer for the Michigan Library Exchange (MiLE), chair of Council on Research Development, and chair of Association of Independent College and University Libraries in Michigan. He was also the first chairperson of the Lawrence Tech Staff Senate.

Cocozzoli was honored with the Distinguished Alumni Award from Wayne State University School of Library and Information Science in 1990, and was named as one of its fifty "Shining Stars" in 2017. He received the Mary E. and Richard E. Marburger Administrator of the Year from Lawrence Tech in 1998.

He co-authored two reference books, German American History and Life (1980) and Japan’s Economic Challenge, a Bibliographic Sourcebook (1988, reprinted 2018), and has published numerous reviews for American Reference Books Annual (1985-1991).