Innovation in Service Nominees--Group Category
Awarded to a small group or unit for developing and implementing, or causing to be implemented, a program, procedure or plan that permanently and significantly improved the operations of a department.
Science Library Beautification Committee
(Karen Hunter, Diana Hartle, Monica Pereira, Ian Thomas, Barb Trevena, Jacquie Houston (Reference and Access Services Science))
How has the nominee contributed to innovations in service in the UGA Libraries or the nominee's department? Please provide specific examples.
Do you know how the Science Library is often described? Drab, clinical, institutional, the colors make me sad, I get depressed walking in the building -- yes, these are all patron comments. We admit the cream walls and drab brown floor do little to uplift the spirits but a group of us have taken it on ourselves to try and add life and color to the building, especially the main floor. Plants abound on the Main floor, all donated by members of the group and regularly tended to keep them green and eye pleasing. The group has routinely pitched in to purchase poster frames, and then filled them with posters from the collection, personally purchased or donated by ouside groups. These have been tastefully hung in groups on the walls to give splashes of color all with a scientific theme. Last but not least, members of this group empty the recycle bins just outside the library doors when they are overflowing, taking the cans for recycling and putting the money collected into a kitty to further support our beautification efforts.
How has the nominee's work contributed to service quality improvement within the UGA Libraries?
The efforts of this group affects the reactions of users to our space. The addition of framed posters is always greeted with compliments from the regular users and no one can believe the naked look when we remove all the plants over the Christmas break. Making the surroundings more pleasant to work and study in, increases the endorphins and helps the mood of the space and the people in it.
How has the work of the nominee affected the way the Libraries' carry out its mission? Your department?
Same as above.What else do you think the ASSET Awards Committee should know about your nominee?
This group has worked tirelessly at this over the past 10 years, and our regular users take note of the efforts we make.Metadata Moonlighters
(Suzanne Graham, Sophie Dong, Kelly Holt, K. R. Roberto, Beth Thornton, Tom Cutshall, Robin Fay (Cataloging))
How has the nominee contributed to innovations in service in the UGA Libraries or the nominee's department? Please provide specific examples.
The Moonlighters have assisted DLG staff in providing better access to digital objects from public libraries through the DLG. They have created subject access to approximately 1500 digital objects documenting life in the state.
How has the nominee's work contributed to service quality improvement within the UGA Libraries?
As the DLG ingests metadata from smaller institutions, which often use volunteers to describe their digital objects, subject analysis to these materials is often rudimentary. Through the efforts of the Moonlighters, all DLG users have better accesss to these materials.
How has the work of the nominee affected the way the Libraries' carry out its mission? Your department?
The Moonlighters are currently engaged in creating local authority records for the tens of thousands of differnt forms of businesses' names reflected in the Sanborn maps for Georgia covering the 1880s through 1922. Once their current project is completed, users will be able to not only search by business but also by type of business enterprise.What else do you think the ASSET Awards Committee should know about your nominee?
They've already created over 1700 local authority records for the Sanborn project and another 1000 for the Troup County and Hall County photographic collections.SLC Laptop Loan
(Shannon Bennett (SLC), Nadine Cohen (SLC), Caroline Cason (SLC), Tommy Jones (EITS), Florence King (SLC), Joe Mason (EITS), Deb Raftus (SLC), Diane Trap (SLC))
How has the nominee contributed to innovations in service in the UGA Libraries or the nominee's department? Please provide specific examples.
The SLC Laptop Loan group started a completely new service that has since become extremely popular. In the few weeks we started, we have made 343 laptop loans to groups and individuals for use in the Student Learning Center. This group researched the technology, investigated policies at other schools, wrote a proposal and were granted funds from the Student Technology Fee to start the project. As the SLC does not have access to a circulation module, a completely new check-out system had to be devised. The group consulted with experts from the UGA Libraries like Claire Colombo, Danny Bridges and Mike Parrish and with individuals from other campus departments like Don Smith from BulldogBucks. The committee created policies and procedures that fit our special situation at the SLC, procedures that thankfully seem to work quite well! Diane Trap and Deb Raftus were integral in executing the truly adorable advertisements for the new service.
How has the nominee's work contributed to service quality improvement within the UGA Libraries?
After examining student behavior and listening to feedback from students, the group thought creatively about how we might better accommodate group collaboration in the SLC. We thought that laptop loans would provide the flexibility and convenience students desired when working and studying together -- and the loans would be something individuals without laptops would enjoy using too. Laptop loans allow sometimes noisy groups to work more privately in a group study room, improving the working and study environment for all.
How has the work of the nominee affected the way the Libraries' carry out its mission? Your department?
This project was especially exciting because it is obvious that the students love having the laptops. Also, writing a grant and receiving funds was inspirational, and we have successfully completed another application to start a digital media lab at the SLC. The success of this project encouraged us to dream big!What else do you think the ASSET Awards Committee should know about your nominee?
The project could not have been completed without the help of many individuals, including the entire SLC staff, invaluable advice from many at the Main and Science libraries, campus input and the continued work of the SLC student consultants, who check out laptops to patrons every day!Last update: June 16, 2006
Comments to: K.R. Roberto
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