June 1, 2017

The W. W. Hagerty Library had a full house on Tuesday, May 23, as more than 40 people crowded into the Libraries' meeting space to recognize the eight recipients of the 2017 Library Celebration Awards.  

The Library Celebration Awards were first started in 2010 to recognize Libraries staff for their exceptional achievements and for their support of Drexel University's mission of teaching, research and community engagement. These awards honor selected colleagues and students who have advanced the Libraries' values through their outstanding accomplishments that exceed expectations and serve as a model for other staff.

This year's event honored seven Libraries staff members for their support of the Drexel Libraries, ranging from planning an international conference to streamlining the University's thesis & dissertation policies. One student award - the Jane Bryan Student Worker Award - was also presented to a student employee for his outstanding service to the Libraries. This award honors Jane Bryan, director of Drexel University Libraries from 2005 to 2008. The Libraries was pleased to welcome members of the Bryan family - Thomas, James and Sophie - to the event to personally hand out the student award.

Congratulations to all our award recipients!

2017 Award Recipients

Jane Bryan Student Worker Award

Sean Winter, Student Worker
This award is presented to student employees for their outstanding service to the Libraries.

Sean, a graduating senior who will complete his Bachelor of Science degree in Film & Video this June, has been a dedicated student worker at the W. W. Hagerty Library since he started working here as a first-year student. Sean's knowledge of the Libraries makes him a great asset to the organization. He has been at the forefront of new projects and programs to integrate student workers into the Libraries, and he is always first to volunteer to take on new projects. For example, Sean was the first to test a pilot version of the liaison librarians' new training program for student workers, and he was among the first of the student workers to try out PRAM's new shelf reading program. Sean is dependable and professional in everything he does, and he has become an asset to the Libraries.

Libraries Champion Award

The Libraries Champion award is given to an individual or team demonstrating an entrepreneurial spirit through initiating a new program that extends the reach of the library to its stakeholders.

Over the last year, Matthew and Deb have worked hard to identify new ways to grow iDEA, Drexel University's digital repository. Building on the work of the former Records Management Archivist who designed a workflow for providing access to University's electronic records, Deb and Matthew developed a proposal to test that workflow and to ensure the successful transfer of the University's electronic records directly into the University Archives. They submitted an innovative proposal to the LYRASIS Catalyst Fund, an award program that funds new ideas and projects. In its first year, the program was exceedingly competitive, and although Drexel did not receive the grant, the team's initiative to apply for the Catalyst Fund demonstrates the entrepreneurial spirit of the Library Champion Award. Deb and Matthew bring a fresh perspective to the Libraries' digital archiving policies and systems that benefit iDEA and the University's ability to track university records for years to come.

The Change Champion

Holly Tomren, Manager for Metadata Services

The Change Champion award recognizes an individual who uses evidence of client expectations and the framework of the Libraries strategic directions to transform, improve or innovate the Libraries.

This year, Holly initiated a plan to streamline Drexel's thesis and dissertation policies with the goal of moving to a completely electronic archiving system. From the very beginning, Holly has overseen this project by analyzing data, reviewing workflow and operational options and communicating policy changes to the campus community. Her work has streamlined the thesis and dissertation submission process, aiming that by next year she will implement a completely electronic workflow for submissions. Partnering with the Graduate College, the Libraries has leveraged her initiative to help contain students' cost of education. Holly's work toward creating a completely electronic workflow will reduce student costs, and starting this year, students will not pay binding fees. Holly has demonstrated innovation and thoughtful leadership throughout this project, and her work has led to many process improvements for the Libraries, as well as cost-savings for students and other campus stakeholders.

Exceptional Service Award

Spencer Lamm, Manager for Discovery Systems
Eddie Rubeiz, Digital Repository Applications Developer
Rob Macasieb Data, Infrastructure Developer, Discovery Systems

The Exceptional Service Award celebrates an individual or team who showcases dedication and service, going above and beyond their job to provide exceptional service.

Against the backdrop of staff departures, retirements and promotions, the Discovery Systems Team has demonstrated tremendous commitment to the organization through their willingness to learn new skills and take on extra responsibilities beyond those required of their specific positions. They have covered all of the Libraries' system administration responsibilities, including 7/24 support for Millennium, a mission critical system. Team members have also contributed to the front-end support and maintenance of the Libraries' discovery systems and applications, including Summon and the Drexel Libraries' website, while recruitment for vacancies continues. Eddie, Rob and Spencer's efforts have ensured that Libraries patrons and staff have had uninterrupted access to the Libraries' many information resources and applications. (Not pictured: Eddie Rubeiz and Rob Macasieb)

The Professional Contribution Award

John Wiggins, Director for Library Services and Quality Improvement

The Professional Contribution Award recognizes an individual who made significant contributions to the profession, positioning the Libraries as a leader in the field.

John's dedication to the library profession is evident in everything he does. This year, John has worked tirelessly to plan the 9th International Evidence-Based Library & Information Practice Conference (EBLIP9), which is being hosted by the Libraries and will take place on campus in just a few short weeks. John was a vocal advocate for bringing the conference to Drexel, and he played a large part in writing our winning bid to host this meeting. But his work only began after the competitive selection brought this biannual conference to Philadelphia for what will be only the second time this meeting has been hosted in the United States. As the conference co-chair for EBLIP9, John has overseen a year-long effort with an organizing committee of over ten people to plan the conference. This effort includes everything from soliciting sponsorships, booking classrooms on campus, reserving city venues, preparing promotions in spite of international political protests, managing the conference budget and responding to inquiries from people around the world. John's dedication puts Drexel on the global map in the profession.