Best Committee/Group Collaboration
Group collaboration, whether it is part of the Libraries' formal committee structure, a formally organized work group or team or an informal group, is a vital part of the participative decision-making process in the Libraries. Commitment given by individuals throughout the Libraries to committee work and other forms of group collaboration is considerable. Recipients for this award will be chosen based on the effectiveness of the committee or group's process, the communication of its progress, the timeliness of its recommendations, and its task and effectiveness for the mission of the Libraries.
Chinese Materials Processing Group | Circulation/Reserves Unit | Georgia Newspaper Project | Russell Library Access and Outreach Unit | Sanborn Map Digitization Project Team | Serials Cataloging Section | The Shifting Crew | SLC Art Group
Chinese Materials Processing Group
(Caroline Killens (Acquisitions), Debbie McAnallen (Cataloging), Nan McMurry (Collection Development), Will Langford (Acquisitions), Sherry Allen (Collection Development), Ryan Perry (Preservation), Rachel Parnell (Serials), Laura Shedenhelm (Media), Janice Brown (Cataloging), Kamala Kannan (Cataloging), Eddie Hubbard (Cataloging), K.R. Roberto (Cataloging), Suzanne Graham (Cataloging), Kelly Holt (Cataloging), Nancy Brown (Cataloging), Tom Cutshall (Cataloging), Sophie Dong (Cataloging))
What is the function/charge of the group?
I'd like to nominate the people in the Libraries who worked on the Chinese exchange materials. This project crossed departmental lines.What goals has this group accomplished, and how have the accomplished goals benefited the UGA Libraries?
Workflow, binding/folders, bookplates, media containers, and cataloging issues have been dealt with.All the softcover books have been bound or put into preservation folders; bookplates have been placed in every piece; DVDs, cassettes are all stored in appropriate containers; cataloging will be done in June.
These materials will enrich the library's collections.
What makes this group effective as a whole?
First it was each person's willingness to work hard; second, cooperation happened at every process; and last, good communication made this group very effective.Circulation/Reserves Unit
(Cory DeBord, Justin Ellis, Leslie Gal, Roxie Hunter, Kate McCann, Laura Parrott, Robert Rhudy, David Smith, Haley Zapal (Access Services)
What is the function/charge of the group?
The function of this group is to provide access and circulation to many of the Libraries' collections as well as promoting and circulating items through GIL Express.What goals has this group accomplished, and how have the accomplished goals benefited the UGA Libraries?
This group helps keep materials circulating and available to patrons. They serve the public well and this creates a positive experience for patrons regarding the Libraries as a whole.What makes this group effective as a whole?
This group is effective because they work well together. They know the importance of their work in relation to the Access Services Department's and the Libraries' mission. They are efficient, accurate, and adept at initiating and maintaining great customer service with our patrons. This unit is constantly evaluating their policies and procedures in order to improve service to both patrons and internal "customers". This is a wonderfully innovative and adaptable group.What else do you think the ASSET Awards Committee should know about your nominee?
If I could nominate an entire group for an Unsung Hero award I would nominate this unit. The efforts of this group I think more often than not go unrecognized and unappreciated by many. They are not "menial" workers that "just check books out and back in". Yes- that is part of the function but it is more complicated than it may appear at first glance. They develop a special skill set that encompasses interconnected policies of what circulates to whom and for how long; policies of GIL Express; procedures for circulation; processing reserves and electronic reserves; being knowledgeable about the functions of the library so as to appropriately direct patrons. All this is accomplished while maintaining courtesy and a genuine interest in assisting patrons to the best of their ability.Georgia Newspaper Project
(Jeannie Ledford, Leigh Ann Vey, Constantine Wright (DLG))
What is the function/charge of the group?
Preserve and provide access to Georgia's heritage through the newspapers published in the state from the colonial period to the present.What goals has this group accomplished, and how have the accomplished goals benefited the UGA Libraries?
The Georgia Newspaper Project generated 3,686 reels of microfilm in FY05, which represents approximatly 3.5 million pages of newsprint. This represents a 54% increase over the previous year and is a 21% increase over the 10-year average. It's the best year GNP has had since FY99, when a Taylor grant supported filming. The GNP made remarkable strides, especially considering recurring equipment problems that stalled production during several points during the year.
The GNP benefits the UGA Libraries, because it produces the great majority of Georgia newspaper microfilm that the UGA Libraries hold.
The GNP also serves libraries, organizations, and individuals across the state that rely on the GNP for newspaper microfilm.
What makes this group effective as a whole?
Persistence and a sense of purpose.What else do you think the ASSET Awards Committee should know about your nominee?
The GNP microfilms 210 newspaper titles on an ongoing basis with two fulltime staff. It's a major undertaking, and one that presents many challenges.Russell Library Access and Outreach Unit
(Jill Severn, Abigail Adams, Mazie Bowen, Padmini Jambulapati (Russell))
What is the function/charge of the group?
The Russell Library Access and Outreach Unit has responsibility for providing exhibits and programming that promote the Library and its resources and services and provide learning opportunities to the communities it serves.What goals has this group accomplished, and how have the accomplished goals benefited the UGA Libraries?
Three years in the making,the exhibit "Power to the People! Rural Electrification in Georgia"debuted 24 September 2005. Noted author Terry Kay commented on the exhibit, "To me, the great achievement of this exhibit is the sense of personal involvement by so many people in the development of rural electrification. It is more than a history of technology; it is also a great telling of people at their best. I have never seen the story told in a more compelling manner." The exhibit has been featured in newspapers and magazines around the state including: the Athens Banner Herald, Georgia Magazine, EMC newsletters around the state, Wheeler Eagle newspaper, Sparta Ishmaelite, etc. Visitors and tour groups are increasing, with some groups traveling a distance of three hours.
The exhibit is an outstanding accomplishment and represents a progresssion in the scale of exhibit the department can produce. It is a giant leap forward in many aspects of exhibit development--multiple lenders, larger scale, environments, audiovisual kiosks.What makes this group effective as a whole?
A primary benefit to the Russell Library is through working with over twenty Electrical Membership Cooperatives, the Access and Outreach Unit successfully raised the profile of the library in many communities around the state. The group identified a rich body of archival material, made presentations about the goals of the exhibit and the need for the EMCs to preserve their records. Some EMCs have placed their records with the Russell Library. The Georgia EMC, a representative group for the EMCs, is sponsoring a workshop for the EMCs on preserving their records to be taught by Russell staff this summer.What else do you think the ASSET Awards Committee should know about your nominee?
This small, dedicated unit had turnover in critical positions while working on the exhibit but perservered. New staff members quickly became veterans and just as dedicated to the project. Each member worked tirelessly and put in many 70 and 80-hour weeks. They traveled to other archives and researched, interviewed people, found wonderful artifacts,arranged loans, and picked up many oversized and too heavy items.Sanborn Map Digitization Project Team
(Brad Baxter (Systems), Tom Cutshall (Cataloging), Jay Forbes (OIIT), Katie Gentilello (DLG), Toby Graham (DLG), Julie Griffin, Anne Marie Hamilton-Brehm (DLG), Sheila McAlister (DLG), Ben McCormick (DLG), Tim Peacock (Systems))
What is the function/charge of the group?
Create a new digital collection: Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps for Georgia Towns and Cities, 1884-1922.Sanborn® Fire Insurance Maps for Georgia Towns and Cities, 1884-1922 consists of 4,445 maps by the Sanborn Map Company depicting commercial, industrial, and residential areas for 133 municipalities. Originally designed for fire insurance assessment, the color-coded maps relate the location and use of buildings, as well as the materials employed in their construction. The maps indicate which city utilities--such as water and fire service--were available.
Fire insurance maps document the changing face of towns and cities, providing highly detailed information for each neighborhood and block. The Library of Congress web site refers to them as "probably the single most important record of urban growth and development in the United States during the past one hundred years."
What goals has this group accomplished, and how have the accomplished goals benefited the UGA Libraries?
Digitized and provided online access to all of the UGA Libraries Sanborn maps currently in the public domain via a highly functional and user-friendly interface.
Provided searching by keyword, title, city, county, special features, and image ID.
Provided searching by street address and city.
Provided user-friendly, geographical browse through a series of clickable maps.
Provided browsing by year.
What makes this group effective as a whole?
The Sanborn project was an outstanding cooperative effort in which individuals with expertise in imaging, metadata, computer programming, graphical design, html/css design, and project management collaborated to produce one of the finest online resources that the DLG has produced to date.What else do you think the ASSET Awards Committee should know about your nominee?
The metadata effort for this project was considerable. The maps contain an extensive amount of information that participants collected to provide the high level of functionality available in the Sanborn database. This includes each range of street addresses for each map.Serials Cataloging Section
(Sophie Dong, Carolyn Towner, Jacquelyn Foley, Mary Winter, Renee Blakey, Melissa Shockley, Tom Cutshall (Cataloging))
What is the function/charge of the group?
Serials Cataloging is responsible for everything related to serial bibliographic and holdings records in GIL. We catalog serials, update records with new information, add holdings, move holdings, clean up records, withdraw titles, transfer titles. We add URLs, change them, delete them, and start all over again. Also, there's Tom, who is responsible for everything related to map records in GIL.What goals has this group accomplished, and how have the accomplished goals benefited the UGA Libraries?
Maintaining a high level of productivity, taking on various new projects, and keeping a positive attitude in the face of change. I'd like to recognize Serials Cataloging for their hard work. It seems we have had many things added to our plate in the last year or so. Three that immediately come to mind are the change in the way items in the Repository are represented in GIL, our work with Georgia State Documents, and our work with electronic serials--and willingness to change or delete thousands of 856 fields that we put in in the first place. I feel like the people in this section don't back down from a challenge, and jump into projects head first.What makes this group effective as a whole?
Two things: Every single person in the Section is willing to go the extra mile, and also the fact that we work well together. When a problem presents itself, we often collaborate to find a solution. Each of us has different strengths and is willing to lend an opinion to help a fellow section-member through a mess. Also, we believe in venting. This may not be universally true, but for us, it helps. We get it out; it's gone; we get on with our work.The Shifting Crew
(Briana Patrick, Kristi Tanner, Michael Hervey, Crystal Lee, Samantha McCormick, Katie Rutledge, with assistance from additional Main Shelving Unit staff & student assistants (Access Services))
What is the function/charge of the group?
Under the direction of the Head, Main Shelving Unit, this core group of individuals planned and carried out the shifting of several major sections of the Main Library's collection.What goals has this group accomplished, and how have the accomplished goals benefited the UGA Libraries?
When it comes to proper stacks management, making the best possible use of every inch of available space is the name of the game. While the materials that are sent to the Repository help to create some needed space, it is often not enough to keep up with the rate at which new materials are acquired. This is where shifting comes into play.Shifting is a process where materials (books) are moved and/or spread out in order to make room for both new items and future growth. In order to make space, space must often be created via the erection of new shelving. Sometimes a small shift of a section or two is all that it takes. More often than not, major shifts are required. Major shifts generally involve moving entire call number ranges from one side of a floor to another, or even moving them to a new floor altogether.
During the past year, the members of this group were responsible for shifting several collections including, but not limited to, the following: J, B-BX, PQ, & PS.
Major shifting on both the Third and Sixth floors created enough space to allow shelvers to reduce and/or eliminate "overflow" material that would not previously fit on shelves. This also made material more easily available to patrons by not making them look two or three different places for a book.
What makes this group effective as a whole?
The group is made up of both full-time staff and student assistants. This group's effectiveness not only stems from their ability to work and get along well with each other, but from their pride in knowing what they were doing would eventually be helping others. They shifted voraciously until each section of a day's shift was completed, never uttering the slightest complaint. As their supervisor, I always had the utmost confidence in their ability as individuals and as a group to get the job done and done well.What else do you think the ASSET Awards Committee should know about your nominee?
Nothing that hasn't been written already.SLC Art Group
(Shannon Bennett (SLC), Mary Ellen Brooks (Hargrett), Caroline Cason (SLC), Sheila Devaney (SLC), Katie Gentilello (DLG), Florence King (SLC), Bob Kobres (Hargrett), Nelson Morgan (Hargrett), Brian Wilson (SLC))
What is the function/charge of the group?
This group put art where once there were merely blank walls -- and lots of them! The SLC was in need of some decoration and this cross-departmental team put together a wonderful collection of images from the Hargrett Rare Books and Manuscripts Library which now grace the walls of the SLC.What goals has this group accomplished, and how have the accomplished goals benefited the UGA Libraries?
Visitors often remark on the beauty of the SLC, but staff and students alike had long expressed the need for something to liven up the bare walls. This group solved that problem beautifully by meeting to choose original images from Hargrett's collection, digitizing and printing those images, delivering them for professional framing and then hanging the finished works in the building. The results have been very positive with lots of compliments from campus and outside visitors, students and staff -- and higher visibility for the Libraries and their special collections.What makes this group effective as a whole?
The members of this informal group were able to pull together a large amount of materials to produce handsome results in a relatively short amount of time. Each member's expertise was essential in contributing to the final product. The collaboration spanned several departments and buildings, but the collegial and generous nature of the individuals involved enabled everything to come together beautifully.What else do you think the ASSET Awards Committee should know about your nominee?
Having art on the walls of the SLC is not merely decorative -- historic images of campus, Athens, and digitized images of rare books also serve to connect this new building to the history of UGA. Additionally, the images, especially those of books and other printed materials, tangibly bring the Libraries into this electronic space.