Extra Mile "Above and Beyond" Nominees
This award will be presented to a person who frequently and consistently has worked outside normal expectations to make a difference, or who has worked under adverse conditions but was still able to provide quality service or outstanding production levels.
What is the nominee's position and what is the nature of his/her job? What are the normal expectations?
Serials Holdings Associate.
In addition to supervising, training, and evaluating the Serials Holdings
Assistant, Renee provides and maintains access to holdings information for periodicals
at the Main and Science Libraries, and serials in all formats at the Libraries
and at the Associated Research Facilities; as well as editing periodical records
in GIL for volumes stored at the Repository. Renee adds/edits publication patterns
to facilitate access and accurate holdings information. Additionally, Renee's
the resource person for holdings information both within the Cataloging Dept
and within the entire libraries.
Please describe how has the nominee frequently and consistently surpasses normal expectations.
Renee worked on the Patterns Project administered by CONSER, which is an international Cooperative Serials Cataloging Program. The purpose of the Patterns Project is to seed OCLC serials and periodicals records with publication patterns which will facilitate sharing of holdings data, similar to how we share bibliographic information in OCLC and WorldCat.
For her work on this project in which Renee input close to 1/3 of the total
number of patterns, Renee has been recognized nationally by the Head of CONSER
at the annual Program for Cooperative Cataloging meeting. Renee's also mentoring
another library on inputting patterns.
How has the nominee's hard work affected your unit and/or department? How has his/her hard work affected the Libraries?
Renee's expertise with the MARC format for holdings and her knowledge of the history of its use benefits Serials Cataloging and the Cataloging Department. She is always available to answer questions about how to code a pattern, or why a record looks the way it does (because of past practice). Her work benefits the Libraries in several ways. She ensures that holdings for serials and periodicals are correctly recorded and displayed, thus allowing patrons to find the issues they need. Imagine the chaos if holdings were not recorded! Her participation in the CONSER Publication Patterns Project brought recognition not only to her personally, but to the Libraries. It also added thousands of publication patterns to records, which other libraries could make use of without having to do the work themselves.
In a nutshell: Nobody else in the libraries has her level of expertise with
the MARC format for holdings.
What else do you think the ASSET Awards Committee should know about your nominee?
Not only is Renee very hard worker but she is always willing to take time out
of her busy day to answer questions. Renee's good natured, patient and always
willing to help in any way possible.
What is the nominee's position and what is the nature of his/her job? What are the normal expectations?
Mary Ellen is the Director of the Hargrett Library. She is expected to do everything that is asked of her by Library and University Administrators, Library Donors, patrons and staff. The normal expectation is that she will never fall short.
Please describe how has the nominee frequently and consistently surpasses normal expectations.
In normal times development and collection development take up a huge percentage
of Mary Ellen's time. In hard economic times donations become even more important.
In the past she has allowed potential donors to stay at her house, and given
up her weekends to entertain visiting scholars by touring them around Atlanta.
Unfortunately, because she is needed in the office during the week, she is not
often able to take 'comp' time for the weekend work. In addition she loses dozens
of hours of annual leave yearly.
How has the nominee's hard work affected your unit and/or department? How has his/her hard work affected the Libraries?
Mary Ellen's hard work sets the tone for the entire department. Her willingness
to work hard inspires everyone to work more diligently. More than most department
heads Mary Ellen is a representative of the libraries throughout the state.
Every year she meets with potential donors and their friends and families. These
people are often extraordinarily influential through the state. Her abilities
to work with, and never alienate these women and men brings untold treasures
to the University Libraries. This is more true than ever this year when she
has been burdened with the loss of her home.
What else do you think the ASSET Awards Committee should know about your nominee?
No one I've ever known has worked harder than Mary Ellen to do the best job
possible. She is often under intense pressure, yet she never allows it to effect
the way she relates to the Hargrett staff. I've never worked for a finer person,
or a better boss.
What is the nominee's position and what is the nature of his/her job? What are the normal expectations?
Joan Conger is the Database Performance and Assessment Librarian. Her job is to troubleshoot problems with database access and performance, assess the use of databases, and improve access to them.
Please describe how has the nominee frequently and consistently surpasses normal expectations.
Joan has really worked hard and with great dedication to improve patrons' access to databases and their whole online experience with our databases. She always has the needs of the patrons uppermost in her mind, and has striven to provide new services, often surmounting major technical and political hurdles and resistance. It has taken a great deal of energy and commitment to continue with some of these projects, but Joan has done so, and the services that we offer to our patrons have improved exponentially because of her efforts and determination.
In addition to the various projects she has successfully completed, Joan continues
to provide excellent day to day service to both the patrons and her library
colleagues. She responds quickly and helpfully to requests and suggestions,
is the liaison with the GALILEO personnel for many technical and interface issues,
and is always ready to work to find a solution to the problems that frequently
crop up with databases.
How has the nominee's hard work affected your unit and/or department? How has his/her hard work affected the Libraries?
Joan has made the work of the Reference department easier by serving as an
effective resource for information and a fixer of problems relating to databases.
She has also been the driving force behind several projects that have vastly
improved our service to our users. Two projects in particular come to mind.
Firstly, the GLRI database, which allows reference librarians, bibliographers,
and other stakeholders to manage the databases that the UGA Libraries pay for.
Through the GLRI, we can add databases to GALILEO menus, change 'try first'
options, and store a range of information about the databases. This has streamlined
the whole process and allowed us to make the GALILEO menus much more user-friendly
and tailored to our own patrons. Secondly, Joan advocated for a long time for
the Libraries to acquire EZproxy, and worked with Systems and others to make
our databases available through it. This means that patrons now have access
from off campus to almost all of our databases. This is something that they
have been demanding for a long time, and it makes their lives, and ours, a great
deal easier!
What else do you think the ASSET Awards Committee should know about your nominee?
Joan has also taught classes for SOLINET, served as the vice chair of FAB, and is an energetic member of the Assessment Committee.
What is the nominee's position and what is the nature of his/her job? What are the normal expectations?
Meg is the Supervisor of the Front Desk staff for the Media Department. Normal expectations are that the person in this position schedules staff for the front desk, orders videos, and has interaction with UGA faculty and staff. It is hoped that the person in this position will nurture and maintain *good* relationships with faculty and staff. Meg has met and exceeded these duties.
Please describe how has the nominee frequently and consistently surpasses normal expectations.
Meg is a "go-getter" in her job. Not only did she take on many
tasks and do them all very well when she *got* the job, but she has continued
to do that sort of "above and beyond" work every day. Meg volunteers
to take on extra work, does work on her own initiative to improve the department,
starts and finishes tasks quickly and efficiently, and provides follow-through
where needed and even where not expected. Her work is appreciated by regular
users of the department.
How has the nominee's hard work affected your unit and/or department? How has his/her hard work affected the Libraries?
I can count on Meg to complete any task I ask of her, or to help me with
any of my own projects. She is quick to say yes when I need her help with
a task, and she maintains a good attitude when things get "dumped"
on her. She has really made the front desk run efficiently and well. She has
trained staff in an efficient and thorough manner and has made several excellent
hiring choices recently. I appreciate the fact that anyone in this department
can count on Meg to do what needs to be done. Perhaps this is what anyone
is expected to do in his or her job, but Meg has made a difference in the
position since she took it on which I feel should be recognized. She is definitely
an asset to our department.
What is the nominee's position and what is the nature of his/her job? What are the normal expectations?
Photographer Supervisor
This position is responsible for all photographic production work produced
by the Libraries, including digital imaging, and supervision of all photographic
technical support personnel. The Photographic Supervisor assists in all phases
of newspaper and document microfilm production, and assists other Libraries’
personnel in special photographic and graphic design projects, including photography
for public relations, Libraries’ functions, etc.
Please describe how has the nominee frequently and consistently surpasses normal expectations.
Katie has been going the extra mile almost since her first day on the job.
Although she is based in the DLG, she provides major assistance for several
other departments, including the Libraries Administration, Development, the
Hargrett Library, and she is on hand with her camera to document every major
event that the Libraries sponsor. What made this year an even greater challenge,
however, was that with the departure of the director of the DLG, Katie assumed
full responsibility for the Georgia Aerial Photographs database, not just
providing imaging support, but setting standards and negotiating with vendors,
coordinating interactions between the DLG, Systems, and the Map Room, managing
UGA's share of the imaging work, and assisting Brad Baxter with the design
of the database. This role alone could easily have been a full-time position,
but Katie cheerfully and energetically piled it on top of all her other responsibilities.
How has the nominee's hard work affected your unit and/or department? How has his/her hard work affected the Libraries?
The Georgia Aerial Photographs database is a grant-funded, high profile project whose completion will have a significant impact on the future success of the DLG. At the time of this writing, the database is about to go into demonstration, the last step before putting it into production in GALILEO. Without Katie's leadership and very hard work, it is difficult to imagine how the project could have been carried on at all.
What else do you think the ASSET Awards Committee should know about your nominee?
The Photographic Supervisor is normally supported by a full-time staff photographer
position as well as student assistants, but for most of this year the staff
position has been vacant. That Katie has managed to keep up with all the normal
responsibilities of her area and take on an enormous new project under these
circumstances is more like an extra TEN miles above and beyond.
What is the nominee's position and what is the nature of his/her job? What are the normal expectations?
Project Manager and Digital Metadata Coordinator
This position is responsible for the creation, management and maintenance of digital resources and metadata for the DLG. The Project Manager and Digital Metadata Coordinator coordinates all aspects of assigned digital projects and creates contextual contents as appropriate. Additionally, s/he is responsible for coordinating metadata creation for the department as a whole. Digitized materials represent a wide range of formats in their original form.
Please describe how has the nominee frequently and consistently surpasses normal expectations.
With the departure of the DLG director last fall and soon afterwards another
high-level staff position, the future of many DLG projects was left in doubt.
Sheila has stepped into the gap again and again to take on extra responsibilities
and keep orphaned projects going. Under her direct management the Baldy Editorial
Cartoon database has undergone significant enhancements; the Landscape Architecture
project was the first of the DLG’s three current grant projects to go
into production; the Arts of the United States project has received extended
funding thanks to the proposal Sheila prepared; and a large number of titles
have been added to the Georgia Historic Books database. She consistently provided
up-to-date, accurate information and thoughtful insights to the harried part-time
interim directors of the DLG, and has represented the DLG in a number of outreach
activities.
How has the nominee's hard work affected your unit and/or department? How has his/her hard work affected the Libraries?
Sheila has taken the lead on several projects that would otherwise have been
left hanging. She has done this without extra funding or staff by streamlining
workflows and more creative use of existing funds. As a result the interval
between permanent directors for the DLG has been a period of successful forward
movement rather than limbo.
What is the nominee's position and what is the nature of his/her job? What are the normal expectations?
Digital Project Manager for the Vanishing Georgia Project
This position is responsible for the day-to-day management of an 18-month project to digitize and make accessible online the Vanishing Georgia Collection. The resulting digital collection will become part of the Georgia HomePLACE project of the Digital Library of Georgia accessed through the GALILEO statewide system. This position is responsible for the preparation and organization of materials for data entry, proofing and quality control to determine the accuracy of digitized images and data, and the assurance that they meet or exceed all appropriate standards.
Please describe how has the nominee frequently and consistently surpasses normal expectations.
This project was supposed to be a relatively straightforward undertaking to convert an existing photographic collection into digital format. Hard work and good management skills were expected, but in addition Jeanette has been called upon to exercise the diplomatic savvy of Talleyrand, the financial resourcefulness of Silas Marner, and the optimism of Pollyanna to bring this project to near completion. She has taken on major and unanticipated preservation work with the original photograph negatives, reassured the collection owning institution again and again that the negatives will be lovingly cared for while away from home, wrestled with thorny research and cultural sensitivity issues, and saved all participants money with creative solutions to shipping and handling challenges.
How has the nominee's hard work affected your unit and/or department? How has his/her hard work affected the Libraries?
The Vanishing Georgia project is the first step in the larger Georgia Homeplace
project and models the inter-institutional cooperation that the DLG seeks
to establish with most or all future projects. The Vanishing Georgia photographs
include some of the best known images of Georgia's past, and making them available
through GALILEO represents an ideal combination of tradition and innovation.
At this writing, the database is poised to go into demonstration mode, the
last step before going out to the public on GALILEO. Such progress would have
been impossible without Jeanette's leadership.
What is the nominee's position and what is the nature of his/her job? What are the normal expectations?
Ms. Ruff is over the document delivery dept. at the Science Library. The nature of her position, as I understand it, is to provide materials that are located in the Science Library that may be requested from individuals on the main campus as well the branch libraries such as Griffin, Tifton, Skidaway, etc. in a timely manner. Normally when request are made the time frame is usually a two to three days turn around period, if the item is readily available in the Science Library.
Please describe how has the nominee frequently and consistently surpasses normal expectations.
Ms. Ruff has gone above and beyond the normal expectations of her duties for my patrons so many times she truly deserves this award.
I have emailed Ms. Ruff a document delivery request of an article one day and have received the copy of the article the very next day. She has done this a number of times and has provided this type of top notch service to my patrons who are located in Tifton. My patrons may expect this type of service if they were on the Main Campus, but to be at a branch location and still have this type turn around is outstanding. The service Ms. Ruff provides is more than just in a timely manner it is in a speedy and accurate manner that can not be overlooked.
Then, there are those rare occasions where a patron of mine is needing something ASAP for a deadline they are facing. I can name three specific occasions where Ms. Ruff responded to my plea and actually had the items sent within 2 hours of the request (via Ariel). One of these request I need to mention specifically. You see the item was located at the repository and Ms. Ruff wasn't sure that she could get it that day; but through her dedication and willingness to help my patron meet their deadline she made it happen. The item was retrieved from the repository and Arieled to me THE SAME DAY. When I emailed her how much my patron appreciated her "going over and beyond" she just said she was glad she could help and help further science in some way.
Ms. Ruff has so many request from so many different sources that I know she is constantly busy; but she always provides top notch service to me and my patrons. She never gets to hear the "thank yous" or receive the pats on the back from my patrons who are just overwhelmed sometimes by the service she provides. I tell my patrons time and time again that Ms. Ruff in Athens is one to thank and it is her dedication to doing a job well done that has given them this service they are enjoying.
How has the nominee's hard work affected your unit and/or department? How has his/her hard work affected the Libraries?
Ms. Ruff through her hard work and dedication to providing my patrons materials, they have needed in a timely manner, has helped my patrons realize we can provide a link between them and the Main Campus in Athens. There have been times in the past when some of my patrons would travel to Athens to use the libraries. Now through the quality of service Ms. Ruff has provided for them they feel comfortable in making their request through us and having the items delivered here without having to travel. This has provided a closer working relationship with some of our patrons. As these type of relationships grow so does the ability of this library to provide all of the many different types of services we have to our patrons.
What else do you think the ASSET Awards Committee should know about your nominee?
Ms. Ruff is just an outstanding person and a true asset to the UGA Science Library. No matter how hectic her day may be she is always polite and caring. In my opinion, Ms. Ruff has set a standard for dedication and professionalism that is not seen everyday. The UGA Science Library is fortunate to have her on staff. Plus, I feel fortunate to have the opportunity to work with just a dedicated person.