Helping Hand Nominees -- Individual Category
Awarded to the person who has gone out of their way to help a fellow UGA Libraries employee in a unique situation of unusual stress. This concerns how the nominee went outside of normal work expectations in a specific instance for the benefit of the UGA Libraries mission as a whole and the benefit of a specific employee in the particular situation.
| Caroline Cason | Phil Fitzpatrick | Jill Severn | Mike Wages |
What was the specific situation that required special/emergency help.
Pregnancy leave.
How did the nominee help you in the situation you described in the previous question's answer?
Caroline was incredibly supportive during my pregnancy and subsequent leave.
She took on the tasks associated with the web editor position and kept things
running smoothly throughout my absence. Not only did she manage the day to day
tasks, but she facilitated the completion of a major project (updating secondary
web pages). She was an excellent resource for the many departmental web editors
in the library. Upon my return, many departmental web editors commented on how
helpful and knowledgeable Caroline was during my absence. I had absolute confidence
in her abilities and knew that she would be able to "jump in" at a
moment's notice and facilitate every facet of the website.
What was the outcome of the aforementioned situation?
As mentioned above, many departmental web editors commented on how helpful
Caroline had been. They appreciated her ability to problem solve and her "people
skills." Not only did basic tasks run smoothly but major projects were
completed as well. She never missed a beat while at the same time assisting
all those around her. She provided me such peace of mind during a wild and crazy
pregnancy.
(Optional) What might have happened had the nominee not helped?
Chaos... well maybe not chaos... but it could have gotten tricky as folks were preparing for the Spring semester and making changes to web pages. She kept things well-organized and running smoothly.; Caroline has it all -- excellent people skills, intelligent and a quick study, and completely professional in the work environment. She always goes above and beyond the project/task presented to her. I value her tremendously and feel fortunate that she was able to take the reins in my absence. She is most deserving of this award.
What was the specific situation that required special/emergency help.
It was great news when Media Archives learned that C-Span Radio was going
to feature the Nixon-Gannon Interviews throughout the month of May. Their
promise to provide a link to the Nixon-Gannon Interviews Web site was
also welcome... but the site wasn't up yet. Media Archives staff raced
to get the site up in time... only to hit a wall: the interactive section
of the site would not function when the files were transferred to the
Libraries server. Aaaaaarrrrrrrgggggghhhhhhhhh!!
How did the nominee help you in the situation you described in the previous question's answer?
It was suggested that Phil Fitzpatrick might be able to help solve the problem. Despite the fact that doing so did not fall in the scope of his regular job description, Phil came to our rescue right away, and took the time out of his busy day to help us make the file transfer work.
What was the outcome of the aforementioned situation?
We got the site up, everything ran great, and C-Span Radio provided a
wonderful link to it.
(Optional) What might have happened had the nominee not helped?
None of the other people working on the site had a clue of what was wrong or how to fix it. Since the navigation bar at the top of each page in the site included a link to the interaction section, we would have either had to bring the site up with a bad link or edit each page to remove the dead connection (and then re-do everything later if we were able to get it to work...); Phil seemed surprised to be thanked, seeing what he had done as all in a day's work. Perhaps it was, but it wasn't in our capability to do what needed to be done. He really saved the day!
What was the specific situation that required special/emergency help.
Only those who have mounted lobby displays will understand why
such an undertaking is often both unique and unusually stressful.
Most recently, the undertaking in question was the creation of an
exhibit for King Week (January 2003).
How did the nominee help you in the situation you described in the previous question's answer?
Initially, the Russell Library was simply going to lend us their color printer, which was generous in and of itself, since budget cuts have made color cartridges more difficult to come by. However, it soon became clear that some graphic design tweaking was in order, and Jill graciously rolled up her sleeves and put her outstanding design abilities to work on the signage.
What was the outcome of the aforementioned situation?
We got some great-looking signs! They really made a big difference
in the way the exhibit looked.
(Optional) What might have happened had the nominee not helped?
If we hadn't had access to the color printer, we would have had
tiny little black - and - white signs. If Jill hadn't helped with
the design, the signs would have been adequate, but only barely.;
This is not the first, not even the second or third, but the fourth
occasion on which the Russell has loaned us their printer and Jill
has shared her expertise. No good deed goes unpunished - I am sure
we will ask for more help again in the future.
What was the specific situation that required special/emergency help.
An environmental disaster was in the making when the staff
lounge refrigerator up and died after a long and fruitful
life. Naturally, it was full of food and condiments, the owners
of which never returned to claim.
How did the nominee help you in the situation you described in the previous question's answer?
Not only did Mike join hands (and handtrucks) with two other virile young men from the Libraries to move two refrigerators donated by generous staff members, Mike stepped up and selflessly took on the responsibility for disposing of the old, full of rotten food, dead one.
What was the outcome of the aforementioned situation?
Neither GEMA, FEMA or the EPA Superfund had to get involved.
(Optional) What might have happened had the nominee not helped?
The library would have been closed and the site declared a hazardous materials disposal site. ; Mike toils away keeping our computers running, troubleshooting difficulties and countless other things no one knows about. Besides, when he comes to visit you -- even if you are having a computer-related crisis -- he'll always share an amusing story and leave you with a smile.