First-Year Classified Staff
Nominees
Awarded to a classified 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, 2005. Employees who were hired between
December 1, 2003 and November 30, 2004 are eligible for this award.
Accounting and Purchasing
What, in your opinion, are the outstanding accomplishments of the nominee
in the past year?
Even though she is here for only part of the day, Kay jumped in with both feet to become a part of the organization. If Kay has ever met a stranger, it was not in the halls of the Libraries.
How has the work of the nominee affected the way the Libraries' carry out
its mission? Your department?
Kay's work ensures that bills get paid and we have the materials we need to do our jobs.
What else do you think the ASSET Awards Committee should know about your
nominee?
She is a cheerful and energetic welcome addition to our staff!
Access Services -- Science
What, in your opinion, are the outstanding accomplishments of the nominee
in the past year?
Main Library has Merdelle -- book searcher extroadinaire!
Science Library has Meredith!!
As a searcher of missing items in the Science Collections, Meredith has an uncanny eye for not just finding the material she is looking for, but also for noticing many other items with errors, including:
- Titles that don't fit in the call number range they have been placed
- Mismarked items
- Call numbers assigned that are out of range/do not exist.
She has cleared a backlog of missing items going through printouts of lost/system applied records to historical card stock entries. It is unusual for a day to go by and Meredith not to bring me an item she has found with a problem. That she is able to recognise many of these problem items without formal training in cataloging is amazing.
How has the work of the nominee affected the way the Libraries' carry out
its mission? Your department?
Items that have been declared missing or could not be located are found in a timely manner for patron use. Problems outside her area of expertise are being brought to the attention of those who can fix them. Many of these items have sat on shelves for years unnoticed, so her keen eye is helping make our extensive collection more available to the user and cuts down on patrons being frustrated by not being able to locate items.
What leadership skills has this person demonstrated in the past year?
Searching for missing items is only one part of Meredith's job. She covers the Access Services desk at Science on Friday evenings and Saturdays, being the only staff member supervising student assistants. She is very knowledgable of the policies and procedures affecting the borrowing/use of library materials and can handle problems competently.
What else do you think the ASSET Awards Committee should know about your
nominee?
Meredith's experience in the Science Library has led her to start an MLS in Library Science from USC. She is an avid reader and a quick learner, these attributes along with her keen eye for detail will stand her in good staid for a career in libraries.
Cataloging/DBM
What, in your opinion, are the outstanding accomplishments of the nominee
in the past year?
Dave has done so much to contribute to the Cataloging Department and the Libraries already. Although he is a quiet person, he is very reliable, knowledgeable, patient, helpful and kind. He helped out his fellow staff in the Cataloging Dept. with Connexion download/upgrades (1.0), he creates macros which he shares with his coworkers as well helping and teaching them how to create their own, thereby reducing keystrokes and increasing productivity for the whole Maintenance Unit. Dave has worked on several E Reserves Access Services reports, and his turn around time is incredible. In some cases, just a few hours to process several hundred records. Yes, that is correct!
Additionally, he tests Access Reports and gives pertinent and insightful feedback. He understands the importance of getting it right the first time and utilizes the technology to get it done quickly and accurately. One of Dave's outstanding points is how he uses his mathematical and analytical background combined with his computer experience to solve problems and find solutions.
How has the work of the nominee affected the way the Libraries' carry out
its mission? Your department?
Dave truly works as a member of the Cataloging Department team and is incredibly reliable, helpful and good natured. Additionally, his ability to create macros and help others create their own macros, saves time, increases efficiency, and reduces human error, thus assisting in the facilitation of better access to the Libraries' materials through a well maintained catalog. He is very solutions oriented.
What leadership skills has this person demonstrated in the past year?
It would be easy to overlook Dave's leadership skills because he is a quiet person; however, that would be false logic. Dave is naturally helpful and very kind. Without any prompting he helps out; he sees where he can make a difference and he just does it. His work ethic is amazing and the way that he communicates with people is wonderful to watch. If you need it done quickly, accurately, and with a good nature, he is a good "go to" person. He often steps outside his role as a Library Assistant III to help out in any way that he can. He has created his own statistical spreadsheet, which he has shared with his supervisors. Additionally, he helped out during Connexion 1.0 upgrades. When Dave saw that some of his colleagues were having some problems, he stepped up to the plate and helped out. He created macros and shared them with others for working on reports. All without anyone asking him.
What else do you think the ASSET Awards Committee should know about your
nominee?
Dave has grown an incredible amount since he started out as Marking student worker several years ago and he continues to become a more valuable asset to the Libraries' everyday. He is truly a kind, dedicated team player with an incredible depth of technical and analytic skills.
Mandy Mastrovita (1 out of 2)
Digital Library of Georgia
What, in your opinion, are the outstanding accomplishments of the nominee
in the past year?
- Development of metadata content for the DLG's new Union Metadata Catalog.
- Creation of graphical teaser images that accompany collection and repository information in the DLG catalog and that give users a sense of the unique nature of the heterogenous resources and institutions represented in the newly redesigned DLG.
- Active member of the visuals subgroup of the DLG redesign working group. Helped to conceive a shared vision for how the DLG would present itself to the public.
How has the work of the nominee affected the way the Libraries' carry out
its mission? Your department?
The creation of high-quality metadata is one of the most challenging aspects of the digital conversion process. Mandy has made a substantial contribution in her descriptive work for the DLG. This includes developing content for the metadata catalog, which has made the DLG site more functional, but that also advances its collaborative mission.
Mandy maintains a high standard of quality for resources generated by the DLG. Quality control is an essential and laborious part of what we do.
What leadership skills has this person demonstrated in the past year?
Mandy is very strong in an artistic sense. Her contributions regarding the DLG redesign are extensive. They include participating in group decisions about the site's appearance, but also working individually to develop key graphical components.
When the DLG had a major grant proposal due, she stepped in to handle many of the logistical challenges of preparing and submitting the proposal.
What else do you think the ASSET Awards Committee should know about your
nominee?
Mandy is conscientious, talented, and an important go-to person for the DLG. The DLG has benefited from her prior experiences outside of library work, and she began to make an impact almost immediately on her arrival.
Mandy Mastrovita (2 out of 2)
Digital Library of Georgia
What, in your opinion, are the outstanding accomplishments of the nominee
in the past year?
With a background in editing academic journals and other print publications, Mandy has helped the DLG develop procedures and best practices for creating contextual materials for our projects and has improved the workflow for this portion of our projects. Since arriving last summer, Mandy has assisted with the production of contextual materials for several projects including Community Art in Atlanta and Community Art in Atlanta. Moreover, she plays an important role in developing metadata records for the union metadata catalog. Under her watchful eye, student assistants created over 2,000 skeletal records for digital objects held at public libraries for our metadata moonlighting project.
Because of her graphic design skills, Mandy was asked to create over fifty thumbnail images for each of the collections/institutions that appear on the DLG's redesigned Web site. Not only did she create appropriate images, she did so quickly and with great skill. Soon after arriving in the DLG, she took on the role of a member of the visuals team for the DLG's web redesign project. She played an integral role in the development of the look of the new DLG home page. The unit has benefited also from her skills as a designer as she has created montage images for several projects including Arts of the United States, Gold and Gold Mining in Georgia, and the Community Art in Atlanta. Her flexibility and willingness to chip in is greatly appreciated.
How has the work of the nominee affected the way the Libraries' carry out
its mission? Your department?
Mandy's editing and graphic skills have raised the bar for the DLG's projects. She meticulously proofs student work and makes sure to communicate effectively with student assistants.
What leadership skills has this person demonstrated in the past year?
Mandy easily steps into any task assigned. She is also able to effectively communicate expectations to student assistants and acts as support to the DLG's Digital Conversion Manager in cases of student supervision.
What else do you think the ASSET Awards Committee should know about your
nominee?
An extremely hard worker, Mandy is always happy to step in to help. She is also designing the poster for the state-wide Georgia Archives Week celebration. To improve her understanding of digital library issues, she took part in the three-week Web institute, the Illinois Digitization Institute.
Acquisitions
What, in your opinion, are the outstanding accomplishments of the nominee
in the past year?
Jenny quickly and competently mastered the procedures necessary to performing the responsibilities of her position. From the beginning she demonstrated the desire to excel in the performance of her duties and to assist in any way possible to achieve the stated goals of the department. To this end she has cheerfully and willingly assisted others in the department in various tasks, including creating spreadsheets for tracking the payment of VISA orders and to document the many macros used in the ordering process. Jenny also assisted the department head with many tasks and she has assumed responsibility for opening and distributing the mounds of first-class mail received in the department.
How has the work of the nominee affected the way the Libraries' carry out
its mission? Your department?
Without someone to create the firm orders, this essential portion of the book budget would not get expended prior to its deadline. Jenny quickly and accurately performs this duty each day so that there is no backlog of orders waiting to be sent to vendors.
What else do you think the ASSET Awards Committee should know about your
nominee?
Although Jenny worked during the past year as a part-time employee while attending UGA as a full-time student & although she possesses a quiet demeanor, she has most assuredly become a vital and dynamic member of the department and library staff. Regardless of who might win this award, Jenny has had an outstanding first year as an employee of the Acquisitions Dept.
Media
What, in your opinion, are the outstanding accomplishments of the nominee
in the past year?
Paul has made the Media Department both a happier workplace and a more efficient public service point for the Libraries. He has helped guide the department through several difficult policy changes, including our approach to outside borrowers, resulting in a profound effect in student use of Media materials while ensuring fair treatment for non-student users. Meanwhile, his secret identity as Web designer extraordinare is about to lead to a revolution in the Media Archives Web site.
How has the work of the nominee affected the way the Libraries' carry out
its mission? Your department?
Faculty and student use of Media Department materials have increased since Paul has been with us. He has built positive relationships with many faculty members and has worked effectively with other departments in the Libraries to help clarify and streamline procedures.
What leadership skills has this person demonstrated in the past year?
See discussion above related to outside borrowers.
Paul is a great mediator and has mastered the art of compromise. He is interested not in getting his own way but in supporting the department's mission. He takes his work seriously but not personally and is a great model for putting patrons ahead of ego.
What else do you think the ASSET Awards Committee should know about your
nominee?
Paul is the kind of employee everybody wants: easy to get along with, smart, quick, fun, innovative, efficient, lacking in self-importance and a lot of fun to be around.
