Shout-outs to Staff
The following are Libraries staff who have received a shout-out from one or more of their colleagues for going out of their way to be extra awesome at their job.
Thomas Jones
This summer, Thomas took on many additional responsibilities in resource sharing while I was on leave, including working with our collaborators to get us over the finish line on the implementation of a new application for TRLN Direct, a new process for selecting ILL pickup locations, and a new request interface in the Catalog. That's a lot! I went on leave feeling confident that all of these projects would succeed with Thomas's ability to ask the right questions, commitment to following up on issues, and pragmatic-yet-creative approach to problem-solving. I am lucky to work with Thomas every day!
- Mia Partlow, Dec 15, 2023
Adam Constabaris, Josh Daehling, Dawn Pearce, Kristen Wilson
The implementation of new software for TRLN Direct meant the Discovery Systems Unit had to touch almost all of the systems they manage: the Catalog, My Account, Sirsi, ILLiad, NCIP connections, and more. Adam, Josh, Dawn, and Kristen brought creative and user-focused ideas to every puzzling edge case, helped us work with our TRLN colleagues, and even took the opportunity not just to replace what we had before, but improve upon it. The end result was a smooth implementation. I am grateful that I get to work with this team regularly!
- Mia Partlow, Dec 15, 2023
Aasta Thomas
This semester, Aasta has taken on responsibility for our team’s library instruction feedback and data analysis, and has knocked it out of the park. Each week she printed up and organized packets of feedback forms for each person who was teaching that week. She then collected, coded, and analyzed the feedback we received from students. At the end of the semester, she shared an 18 page document summarizing her analysis, which not only revealed where our instruction was effective, but also identified areas where we can fine tune our approach for the coming semester. So often the data we collect sits collecting dust, but Aasta’s work has provided us with actionable information that will guide us in making informed decisions and improvements moving forward. Thanks, Aasta!
- Anne Burke, Dec 15, 2023
Sojourna Cunningham
Just wanted to give a quick shout-out to Sojourna. I'm continually amazed at the ideas she brings to the table as well as the energy to make them happen. Every time we have a conversation, by the end of it there's a proposal to make the situation better, address the need, or fix the problem - all while acknowledging healthy limits of what we can feasibly take on. Those two qualities together are rare, but so appreciated. She's also an incredible leader on our team who supports and uplifts the work and the spirits of everyone she works with. I'm grateful to work with a colleague like Sojourna.
- Alison Edwards, Dec 4, 2023
Justin Haynes
In a 2023 student survey about the Libraries' spaces, one student wrote: "My favorite space is the Makerspace actually! It's nice to have a creative outlet in the center of campus. Makerspace employees are always very nice and helpful. A big thanks to Justin Haynes for making the Makerspace the fun place it is!"
Agreed — we're lucky to have a dedicated and enthusiastic Makerspace Librarian!
- Robin Davis, Nov 28, 2023
Joe White
Joe was instrumental in submitting our recently awarded proposal from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation “Models in Data Science Consulting in Higher Education: Disseminating Current Practices and Knowledge.” He advised us on how to best structure the project, compiled the budget, and helped us coordinate with the Office of Research and Innovation. We feel so lucky to have a colleague like Joe, the proposal would not have been successful without him! We look forward to working with him and his colleagues in Finance & Business on the award.
-Mara Blake and Emily Griffith
- Mara Blake and Emily Griffith, Nov 21, 2023
Michael Fairback, Kaitlin Kehnemuyi
Kaitlin & Michael were a huge help with assisting me putting together a pop-up library for the (Y)Our Health in Movies event series! We had our first one last week and everything went great. Kaitlin gave me a training on Sirsi ,so I could check out books on the spot outside of the event. Michael pulled the books and helped me set up the table, like the pro is he is! Thank you both for being awesome!
- Beatrice Downey, Nov 6, 2023
Hiva Kadivar
Hiva collaborated with colleagues from the LGBTQ Pride Center to create a fun and informative exhibit in the Visualization Gallery that highlights queer culture and the important community building work of the Pride Center. Throughout the months of planning and development, she maintained clear and consistent communication, scheduled testing sessions, and provided technical guidance and support. She also helped with the overall design to make the content more readable. I was so pleased and honored to see how joyful our campus partners and students were at the exhibit opening. Hiva takes great pride and care to develop and maintain relationships that are built on mutual respect and benefit. Wonderful work, Hiva!
- Hannah Rainey, Sep 28, 2023
Maria Rice
I work on improving many Human Resource related processes and procedures. I always share updates with the other Libraries Human Resources team members for their input. Maria is highly engaged in this process. She always has great suggestions and thinks about the implications. She asks the right questions to make our organization better for our employees. I appreciate her consultation on my projects. Thanks for your continued engagement, Maria!
- Nellie Maurer, Sep 21, 2023
Adam Phillips
Working in resource sharing lending, Adam sees a lot of problems with our electronic resources. When a link breaks or coverage dates for an ejournal are wrong, Adam thoroughly documents and reports these problems for us each time. This information is so helpful because it not only alerts us to problems with a single ejournal, but also sometimes problems with an entire platform. This kind of reporting takes time that I am sure Adam could use to do other work, so the fact that each of these problems gets reported demonstrates a commitment not only to serving our users but also helping out colleagues who may not receive this information any other way. Thanks Adam for being a great collaborator with each and every broken link!
- Beth Ashmore, Sep 20, 2023