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.
Erik Olson
Erik led a fast-paced, technically challenging project to transition the Libraries to using Matomo, a web analytics application that values user privacy. His leadership of the task force, research of analytics alternatives, and thorough understanding of our organizational needs meant that the project was completed on time with multiple people and departments on board. It was a big lift, and a big success!
- Robin Davis, Jul 24, 2023
Beatrice Downey
Bea recently co-presented "Conducting Pop-Up User Research That Moves a Project Forward" with me at the TRLN 2023 Annual Meeting. That presentation was about a larger-than-usual user research study for which she willingly and capably took the lead when I (the original organizer) had to be out sick. She ensured that everyone knew their roles, split up the set-up work, and dealt ably with multiple curveballs. Bea's leadership, organizational skills, and sheer competence are a boon to the Libraries!
- Robin Davis, Jul 24, 2023
Amir Blair
In the first year of his Fellowship, Amir served on the Accessibility Committee, a large group that works on diverse projects. He continues to have an impact in conversations about accessibility and neurodiversity. He brings empathy and a commitment to user-first thinking to his work every day. Thank you Amir!
- Robin Davis, Jul 24, 2023
Courtney Hewett
Courtney led the Accessibility Committee's Service, Events, & Instruction working group for its first two years. Her leadership, dedication, and enthusiasm was critical to the group's achievements. Thank you Courtney!
- Robin Davis, Jul 24, 2023
Nellie Maurer
Nellie is great about finding ways that she can help when there is a need. Last week, when Molly was on vacation, we needed someone else with a p-card to begin candidate arrangements for hotel/flights for an upcoming interview. I asked Nellie, and I let her know that I was a little concerned that I would forget to do something that Molly would normally remind me to do :) Nellie ended up not only making the candidate arrangements, but she also created a spreadsheet for Molly and me too use upon their return so that we wouldn't be confused about what had already been done/not done.
Thanks, Nellie, for always helping out and keeping me organized!
-Laura
- Laura Blessing, Jul 18, 2023
Darby Orcutt
Darby has built a valuable knowledgebase about campus needs that he uses when negotiating with publishers and vendors to maximize content and value for our campus. This came into full view just recently. I'd like to share my sincere gratitude to Darby for his preparation and quick action to help leverage recent one-time funds to add many new resources for our collections at significant discounts over the last few weeks.
- Hilary Davis, Jun 16, 2023
John Vickery
If you've worked with John at all, you know how generous and conscientious he is with complex problems. Behind the scenes, John manages our collection statistics data process which helps us gauge the usage trends, value, and diverse composition of our collections. He balances this major responsibility while also serving as a liaison to students, faculty, and researchers in PCOM, parts of CHASS, and entrepreneurship. This time of year (summer) is especially critical since many of the reporting timelines come due for collections data. I'm grateful to John for his leadership and down-to-earth approaches with analytics and supporting our campus.
- Hilary Davis, Jun 16, 2023
Thomas Jones
I'd like to give a Shout Out to Thomas for providing a creative and timely solution to a storage issue. Thomas' willingness to step in and help will have a positive impact on a donor's experience and will help our teams review unique content for the collections. Thank you, Thomas!
- Hilary Davis, Jun 16, 2023
Tyler Kroon
Tyler saved the day when he filled in on short notice in the Teaching & Visualization Lab and Game Lab at Hunt. Near the end of the semester, a busy time for us all, Tyler helped prepare and support the Marine, Earth, and Atmospheric Sciences Symposium in the Teaching & Visualization Lab with only a few days notice. More recently when a colleague had to be out, he helped a summer session course use the Game Lab with only 1 hour of notice. On both occasions, Tyler fearlessly jumped into ambiguous situations in order to make sure our users had a positive and seamless experience. We am grateful for his availability, positivity, and willingness to just roll with it! Thank you, Tyler!
- Hannah Rainey, Courtney Hewett, Alex Valencia, Jun 9, 2023
Katelyn Haynes, Robert LaSane, Glenn Privette, Jordan Booth
When a vendor dropped a large delivery on us with scant notice and at a time when the loading dock was already booked, Katelyn, Robert, Glenn, and Jordan were super responsive, positive, and flexible. We couldn't have gotten it done without them. Thanks from all of us in IT!
- Mike Kastellec, May 19, 2023