Extra Mile "Above and Beyond" Nominees

What is the nominee's position and what is the nature of his/her job? What are the normal expectations?

Greta is a processing archivist in the Russell Library with particular expertise in oral histories. In addition to her processing duties, Greta supervises the Russell Library's student assistants. In this supervisory capacity Greta is a master at task management and is able to juggle a multitude of projects simultaneously.

Please describe how has the nominee frequently and consistently surpasses normal expectations.

Since her arrival at the Russell Library Greta has always been proactive. She never hesitates to step forward and lend a helping hand or go the "extra mile" when it comes to helping her colleagues or the dept. This was never more evident then when I was out on maternity leave for 8 weeks this spring. In my absence Greta took on extra responsibilities all while performing her normal duties. Many of the tasks I routinely peform were handled superbly by Greta as well as several unexpected projects that popped up. Just a few examples:

Shortly after my departure a decision was made to microfilm scrapbooks belonging to former Gov. Joe Frank Harris. Before these large, heavy, and cumbersome scrapbooks could be prepped and filmed they needed to be transferred from Roberds offsite storage to the Russell. Greta and a student assistant handled the transfer. Once here Greta coordinated the preparation of these scrapbooks which included liaising with other departments as well as supervising student assistants.

In my absence Greta handled several requests for photographs that normally fall within my purview.

Decisions needed to be made regarding summer interns at the Russell - whether we would have any and what projects were options. Greta took care of all the budget considerations and researched potential projects.

Greta has stepped forward in Mat's absence and acted as departmental liaison for the Foot Soldier Project.

There were many decisions (too numerous to list) that needed to be made on a daily basis which Greta addressed and handled with her usual attention to detail and professionalism.

How has the nominee's hard work affected your unit and/or department? How has his/her hard work affected the Libraries?

In January of this year the processing dept went from 3 processing archivists to two when Mat Darby departed. The dept then shrunk from two to one when I went out on maternity leave. Then there was one...Greta. It would have been natural to feel overwhelmed or to feel as if all departmental responsibilities had suddenly become hers. Greta was not intimidated! Her superior organizational skills have enabled the processing dept to run smoothly in my absence. Her willingness to step forward and handle normal, everyday tasks as well as "surprise" ones helped the Russell Library continue to function at the same level.

Although 8 weeks is not a long time, it is long enough to feel "out of the loop." Greta was extremely conscientious and showed great consideration towards me by keeping me up-to-date with what was going on. This I truly appreciated.

Because of Greta's professionalism and willingness to go the extra mile my transition back to work is proving to be a pleasant one! Thanks to Greta I don't have piles of paper or tasks waiting for my attention. She was able to filter out what could be handled by her and what needed my attention. This alone is a valuable skill!

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

Any department would be lucky to have someone of Greta Browning's caliber. Her professionalism and positive attitude are unsurpassed. The Russell Library is extremely fortunate to have her and as supervisor of the processing department I am very grateful that Greta is a part of my team!

What is the nominee's position and what is the nature of his/her job? What are the normal expectations?

Ginny works in the ILL office.

Please describe how has the nominee frequently and consistently surpasses normal expectations.

Over the past year, the Web Advisory Group (WAG) has been working on a redesign of the UGA Libraries’ homepage as well as secondary pages. A key figure in this redesign has been Ginny Feher. Given the extraordinary work Ginny did for the project, and continues to do, and the wonderful feedback we have received about the new look and feel of the web page, Ginny is certainly deserving of the "Extra Mile/Above and Beyond" ASSET award.

How has the nominee's hard work affected your unit and/or department? How has his/her hard work affected the Libraries?

For the UGA Libraries’ homepage redesign, Ginny was the key graphic designer for the project. She worked closely with the redesign team (Deborah Stanley, Nadine Cohen, Sharon Hay, Tom Cutshall) offering ideas with regard to color, design and placement of links. We would show her sites that we found attractive and she would return with wonderful pages for us to review. She was very open to our suggestions and found ways to incorporate all viewpoints. She was a key figure in the redesign project and has helped us to improve the Libraries' web page.

As a member of WAG, she continues her good work. She is chairing the sub-committee on secondary pages and is overseeing the redesign of these pages. She is very conscientious of deadlines and has again been instrumental in providing leadership for the new design. She has volunteered her time and talents most generously and has become a valued member of WAG.

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

Ginny has gone "above and beyond" her normal duties to help develop a solid library homepage. She has volunteered to assist in every facet of the project -- graphic design, page creation, html coding. She is a quick study and has mastered many web page skills. She has become invaluable to the Web Advisory Group as well as to the web editor.

What is the nominee's position and what is the nature of his/her job? What are the normal expectations?

Nan McMurry has always talked big about preservation, but last year she really got to do something about it. Normally she oversees timely conservation repairs to libraries materials and educates staff on proper procedures.

Please describe how has the nominee frequently and consistently surpasses normal expectations.

Last year Nan was faced with assessing the fire-damaged second floor collections (Indeed I was tempted to nominate her for the assessment award, but enough of that). Many of us passed several hours a day in that smokey, dirty, and deeply depressing environment, handling the damaged remains of the books we love (ok - there were a few treatises on the tax code that didn't move me, but overall none of us like to see any book in distress). When we arrived in dread and when we left in near despair, there was Nan - Nan here, there, everywhere. Calm, smiling and always offering sound advice and judgment to the tormented - guiding her befuddled and distressed volunteers like the head teacher in hell's daycare.

How has the nominee's hard work affected your unit and/or department? How has his/her hard work affected the Libraries?

At a time when many made exceptional contributions, Nan distinguished herself by stepping off the plane, moving immediately beyond the shock, getting down to business with a plan, implementing and altering that plan and inspiring a large crew of rank amateurs with confidence and hope. At this remove it is easy to forget how Nan had to run with entire operation Anyone who uses the government documents on our reborn second floor should pause for a moment to think of Nan's contribution. They will probably visualize her with a quiet smile on her face at a job well done.

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

When not working in the mines, Nan is one of a hard-working group keeping early music alive in Athens. She sings beautifully and plays a mean harp and recorder.

What is the nominee's position and what is the nature of his/her job? What are the normal expectations?

Nikki is responsible for planning and supervising the workflow of the Main Binding Unit by establishing priorities and coordinating assignments. She directs and supervises binding shipments by preparing and processing material sent to and returned from the commercial bindery. Standards are maintained for both quality and quantity of work.

Please describe how has the nominee frequently and consistently surpasses normal expectations.

The Main Binding Unit must adhere to an extremely defined schedule in order to be able to prepare outgoing shipments and receive incoming shipments from the commercial bindery on a weekly basis. Nikki consistently ensured that the Main Binding Unit adhered to its extremely defined schedule, which required outgoing and incoming shipments to be prepared and processed on time. In addition to regular weekly items such as periodicals, serials, and paperbacks, Nikki also made sure that material submitted for binding on a less frequent basis (Ga. Room, Reference, music scores, etc.) were sent out in a timely fashion.

Due to budget concerns, the print copies of roughly 1, 500 periodical subscriptions that were previously available in both print and electronic formats were cancelled. In order to stay “in synch” with information displayed in GIL, and not confuse library patrons, these titles had to be quickly gathered and processed. Nikki not only oversaw this process at the Main Library, but also assisted with this process at the Science Library. This meant that Nikki was not only able to keep her own Unit’s work at a constant level, but was also able to provide much needed assistance to the Science Binding Unit as well. With Nikki’s help, the Science Binding Unit was able to more than double its weekly periodical output for the duration of this project.

In addition to the above, Nikki was always willing to perform any duty asked of her. During the time the Main Library was closed due to fire, Nikki assisted by volunteering for multiple “floor walking” shifts at the Student Learning Center. Once the Main Library opened, she adapted/altered the binding workflow and office so that Technical Processing Section staff, who were unable to work in their own area due to the fire and lack of computer service, could be accommodated and have a place to work and receive mail. She also participated in the Library-wide shelf reading project.

How has the nominee's hard work affected your unit and/or department? How has his/her hard work affected the Libraries?

Nikki’s hard work and supervision of the Main Binding Unit has ensured that Libraries’ materials are bound and available to patrons in a timely manner. She is always someone who can be counted on to put forth maximum effort without having to be asked to do so.

What is the nominee's position and what is the nature of his/her job? What are the normal expectations?

Head, Serials Public Services/Binding Section. Supervises Main and Science Binding Units. Responsible for training/staffing Periodicals Information Desk. Responsible for maintaining Current Periodicals/Microform areas located in the basement of Main Library. Normal expectations would focus on planning and coordinating work of the Section, including hiring, training, and supervising full-time staff and student assistants.

Please describe how has the nominee frequently and consistently surpasses normal expectations.

After the fire in July, Paul no longer had time to focus on just normal duties and responsibilities. Almost immediately, he was called into action for fire-recovery efforts. His first endeavor was entirely voluntary. When he showed up at the SLC on Monday, July 28, he saw a need and agreed to serve as coordinator of the SLC "hall monitors/fire watchers". During the entire week, he went the extra mile to make sure everything was running smoothly, even if it meant working longer than 8-hour days. He made himself available and did whatever was needed.

When the Main Library reopened, Paul continued to go the extra mile. He assisted with rewiring the building in order to get staff computers back in service as soon as possible. Even though he had no direct responsibility for any material on the 2nd floor, Paul actively participated in assessing damage to the collection. He processed burned and damaged materials for weekly shipment to the bindery. He helped survey the Government Documents microform collection that was relocated to the Roberds building. He helped establish the protocols and pull the fire-damaged microfiche and microfilm. When it was time to return the Government Documents microform collection to the Main Library, Paul planned and coordinated the move. All of these activities required many meetings, hours of planning, and many, many more hours to do the work. Paul was always there when needed and always willing to contribute his time and expertise.

How has the nominee's hard work affected your unit and/or department? How has his/her hard work affected the Libraries?

See above

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

Paul is a can do, will do person. His positive attitude and willingness to do whatever it takes to get the job done is a valuable asset to the Libraries. When disaster struck, Paul went above and beyond the call of duty to help the Libraries recover as quickly as possible.