First-Year Faculty Nominees

Awarded to a contract employee who has exhibited exceptional job performance, attitude, interpersonal working relationships, and great potential for future service to the Libraries. Nominees must have completed their six-month probationary period by June 1st, 2003. Employees who were hired between December 1, 2001 and November 30, 2002 are eligible for this award.

What, in your opinion, are the outstanding accomplishments of the nominee in the past year?

Shortly after Mat began working at the Russell Library, he was quickly thrown into the fire of administering an incoming audiovisual collection, the Footsoldier for Equal Justice Project Collection. The Russell Library’s collaboration with the Footsoldier Project has been a “work-in-progress,” meaning that this is the first time the Russell Library has been the repository for audiovisual materials that are still very much in use by the donor as he creates a television documentary. This situation engenders numerous unknowns for the archivist responsible for the materials, as the materials are never permanently at rest in the repository, but always in flux. Mat’s work on the Footsoldier Project has demonstrated his excellent organizational skills, his flexibility in uncharted situations, and his ability to work well with donors and other UGA departments to reach goals. Through the creation of several databases, Mat put his organizational skills to work to get a handle on t!
he varieties of media in the collection, as well as their often “last-minute” arrivals and departures from our archives for documentary production. With the Russell Library director, Mat has worked to accommodate the donor in temporarily returning parts of the collection while maintaining professional standards of intellectual control over the collection. Mat has also demonstrated persistence and good interpersonal skills in working with the Office of Instructional Support and Development to duplicate audiovisual materials, often under the stress of deadlines imposed by the donor. In summary, Mat’s participation in this project has been essential in maintaining the high standards the Russell Library holds in donor relations and collection management.

How has the work of the nominee affected the way the Libraries' carry out its mission? Your department?

Since Mat’s arrival in December 2001, he has worked diligently to promote the Library’s mission on campus as well as in the greater community. Mat’s contributions have been many and the list would be long, so below are a few of the ‘highlights’.

Archives Week Planning Committee: Mat volunteered to serve on the AWP committee (which included working with the ACC Library, Athens Historical Society and other groups in the greater community) and actively participated in the planning of Archives Week events 2002. To help generate interest and awareness among library staff and patrons, students, and faculty a kiosk was set up in the Main library highlighting collections and showcasing potential research topics. Mat helped staff the kiosk and answer questions.

Mat, along with three other UGA colleagues, presented a workshop entitled Give Me Something to Remember You By: A Workshop on the Preservation of Photographs, Home Movies, Sound Recordings, and Oral Histories at the ACC Public Library. He provided practical advice regarding the use and preservation of sound recordings to the community staying afterwards to provide one on one consultation. An excellent example of reaching out to the community as well as a way to identify potential donors to Library collections.

District I History Day: Mat volunteered to serve as a History Day judge in the category of “documentary” sacrificing a Saturday to view such titles as “The Rights and Responsibilities of a Superior Human Race". History Day is both a competition and a campaign to change the way history is taught across the nation. Students learn to combine content and the process of historical inquiry and analysis using various sources of information and presentation choices utilizing library and museum. The judges provide evaluations and feedback of the students’ work and encourage their quest for knowledge.

Legislative Day 2001: Mat attended legislative day and helped set up “Little Tara”. He also attended the reception that followed and discussed the Russell Library’s collections with attendees.

Legends of the Dead Ball Era: Mat was instrumental in helping make the programming associated with the Russell Library’s exhibit a success. In addition to volunteering to work Saturday hours in the gallery, Mat attended all after work lectures associated with the exhibit and often stayed after the lectures to show the accompanying films – staying as late as 9:30 p.m. was not unusual.

Processing: Supporting the Russell Library’s mission of preservation and access, Mat has processed three collections during his tenure, thereby making the collections available to the public for research.

What leadership skills has this person demonstrated in the past year?

Mat possesses the ability to focus on long-term goals while achieving short-term efficiency. He is consistently fair; his demeanor is always professional; he's always willing to lend a helping hand (whether lifting boxes, driving giant Ryder Trucks, or juggling complex schedules). A creative problem solver, Mat is rarely daunted by obstacles and always sees the glass half full.

What else do you think the ASSET Awards Committee should know about your nominee?

Mat has shown initiative by taking advantage of the five hours of release time for independent professional activites. In an effort to gain experience in preserving archival film Mat proactively contacted the Media department. In addition to his many and varied duties in the Russell Library, Mat has made a concerted effort to consistently "put in" his hours in media. The Russell is the lucky beneficiary of Mat's enthusiastic quest for knowledge.