UH Libraries 2017 Staff Awards

The University of Houston Libraries recognized its top-performing librarians and staff at an awards reception on March 29 at the Elizabeth D. Rockwell Pavilion. Dean Lisa German addressed the gathering with a message of appreciation for excellence in service, innovation and dedication shown by the Libraries’ exceptional group of professionals.

Dean Lisa German with the Outstanding Group Award recipients.

Dean Lisa German with the Outstanding Group Award recipients.

The Dean’s Library Advocate Award was presented to Augustina H. Reyes, professor in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, UH College of Education. This award recognizes a University of Houston employee who has worked closely with the Libraries during the past year, and who has made a significant contribution to the success of the Libraries.

The Outstanding Group Award recognizes a team that has made a meaningful contribution to the Libraries’ success. Dolores Carmona, Mildred Clark, Crystal Cooper, Melody Condron, Diana Dulek, Albert Duran, Dee Dee Edwards, Manny Gil, Jack Hall, Drew Krewer, Allison Lam, Xiping Liu, Renee Fiorini-McManus, Jyoti Vyas, Anne Washington, Annie Wu, Andy Weidner, and Christin Zepeda of Metadata and Digitization Services (MDS) received this award, demonstrating a commitment to innovation by leading projects like the adoption of the RDA in the Libraries’ catalog, the administration of the UH Digital Library, and the development of a new, open-source digital asset management system (DAMS).

The DAMS Implementation team, Annie Wu, Santi Thompson, Andy Weidner, Sean Watkins, Bethany Scott, Drew Krewer, Anne Washington, and Matt Richardson, received the Trailblazer Award for Leading Organization Change. Receiving their project from the evaluation work done by the DAMS Task Force, the group has designed and developed a new data model and ecosystem of software tools, creating an end-to-end digital preservation and access workflow for the Libraries’ digital collections.

The John P. McGovern Rookie of the Year Award winner is Emily Vinson, who, in a short time frame, has made significant contributions to improving conditions for the Libraries’ fragile, unique, and at-risk audiovisual collections while building strong relationships with colleagues and encouraging them to get involved in the community.

The Student Achievement Award recipients are Ty Nguyen (Music Library) and Romaen Saleh (MDS), both demonstrating superior performance and accomplishments. The McGovern Outstanding Student Award went to Tola Oyeleke (Architecture and Art Library), who has demonstrated responsibility, autonomy, and attention to detail in her work.

Christin Zepeda was honored with the Staff Achievement Award for her exemplary job performance in MDS and for demonstrating important Libraries values. Free Lane, known as an admirable and inspirational colleague, also received the Staff Achievement Award. The McGovern Outstanding Staff Award recipient is J Fisher, who goes above and beyond to provide a quick response to a request, creative solutions, and overall excellent customer service.

The Librarian Achievement Award recipients are Drew Krewer, who has displayed superior performance, substantial contributions to research and scholarship in the profession, an excellent leadership; and Stephanie Lewin-Lane, who has been recognized for advancing the Music Library’s efficiency, service orientation, and integration with the academic departments it supports. Andy Weidner received the McGovern Outstanding Librarian Award for providing outstanding leadership and significant contributions for the success of professional organizations, development of the DAMS Implementation project, and contributions to scholarship and research in the digital library field.

Microgrant recipients were also recognized at the event. The 2016-2017 teams included Cougar Cub Day, Fair Use Week 2017, Crafty Coogs, Free Tax Preparation, More User-Friendly Distance Education Interlibrary Loan, and Houston + Feminism Wikipedia Edit-a-thon.

The 2017 Staff Awards committee members are Bethany Scott (chair), Orolando Duffus (vice chair), Mark Cooper, Lindsay Cronk, Diana Dulek, Matthew Moore, Daniel Pshock, Mary Rico, Emily Vinson, and Anne Washington.

View photos from the 2017 Libraries Staff Awards.

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Posted on March 30th, 2017 by Esmeralda Fisher and filed under Announcements | Comments Off on UH Libraries 2017 Staff Awards