Excellence in Service

This award celebrates creativity, innovation, and dedication in providing service to our users. It is awarded to a person (s) for creating, developing, or implementing an idea or procedure that noticeably improves overall service to our users and helps the Libraries fulfill its mission to “uphold service to the patron both on and off campus as the ultimate goal of the Libraries.” The recipient(s) will demonstrate:

• Ability to step outside one’s own day-to-day tasks and examine how his or her position supports the department or Libraries as a whole;
• Initiative in suggesting new policies, procedures, or techniques as a need emerges rather than waiting until the need is overwhelming or requested by others;
• Understanding of the obligation of the Libraries to “continually assess patron needs and use this information as the chief guidepost for implementing change”;
• Willingness to communicate with patrons and treat their needs as a high priority;
• Flexibility in production and service delivery.

This should result in some or all of the following:

• New or improved services to our users;
• Streamlined, barrier-free services;
• Increased responsiveness to the requirements of our users;
• High level of user satisfaction with the Libraries.

Tim Murray - Serials

When I first arrived at the Library five years ago, Tim was my supervisor. He spoke to me at length about the mission of the library and my place in service to the public. Those words have shaped the way I see my position and the way I perform my daily duties.

Tim is always looking for ways to improve access and service. He frequently uses his expertise to create ways to make our work easier and more efficient so that we can give the library our best everyday. There is nothing that Tim can't do - if there is he finds out how to do it - and his attitude is infectious.

Tim works tirelessly to create new finding aids for our users, improve indexes, maintain the microform collections, and make his colleagues' jobs easier so that they might better recognize the value of their positions. Because of Tim's dedication, users can now get faster and better access to many items in the library collection. His recent projects have resulted in correcting or updating many microform records so that they are more accurate. His ongoing inventory of microform resources allows for all the desired results:
   * New or improved services to our users;
   * Streamlined, barrier-free services;
   * Increased responsiveness to the requirements of our users, and
   * High level of user satisfaction with the Libraries.

Tim works with even the most demanding and difficult patrons with aplomb. He is always willing to lend his assistance ans share his expertise so our users can find and use the resources they need.

Tim Murray is more than deserving of the recognition that comes with this award; I trust he will receive it.

Tim Murray - Serials

Please excuse me while I gush about Tim Murray. He is one of those people without whom the library's serials section would not function. He programs the utilities that fill in all those gaps Voyager leaves in our operations, and trust me; there are a huge number of them! Without Tim, we would not have a system for checking access to all our electronic journal subscriptions. Neither would we have a way to systematically check on gaps and lapses in our journal subscriptions. His utilities keep track of titles received for unknown reasons, but not found in Gil. He also created systems that keep track of pulling bindable units of periodicals for the Binding department; spearheaded the Acetate Identification and Location Survey which identifies infectious, deteriorating acetate microfilm in our vast collection, as well as worked hard on the Unified Newspaper Database. Here are some of the features of UNDB:

Freely available on the web; you do not need to login to use the basic features.
4,095 newspaper titles are currently included in the database (at least 200 additional titles are almost ready to be added)
"all" searching (hits containing all search terms, regardless of order)
"any" searching (hits containing any of the search terms)
"string" searching (hits containing search terms in the order they are entered)
Option to Limit to Georgia newspapers
Option to Limit to a specific language (14 languages available)
Option to Limit to Theme (12 themes currently available; more to be added soon)
Option to display results as text-only (for easier printing)
Link to GIL record for more in-depth bibliographic information
Links to information about Guides and Index materials
Links to current newspaper web sites
Links to full-text archives (see Red and Black, for example)
Links to other online resources (see Barron's, for example)

All of these things are pretty impressive, but I have to say that he has, in addition, personally made my job easier by creating small utilities to find errors in the annual renewal invoices, flagging orders that need to be reviewed, and happily answering all the myriad of questions I throw his way daily.

He is always thinking of the long term implications of what we do for the library’s mission. This is what motivates him to work on these utilities, and his years of experience all over this library give him a unique insight that you won’t find in less seasoned employees. He is always working, thinking of what is in the patron’s best interests. You can find him frequently jumping up to answer the patron’s questions at the Periodicals Information Desk. His personal knowledge of Georgia and history make him a real gold mine for those patrons working on genealogies. And he is not above coming in on a Saturday to work on special projects, such as the recent newspaper usage survey or the upcoming current periodicals move to the reading room.

He is really a wonderful person to work with, always cheerful and encouraging. No birthday card is complete with out one of his plethora of (truly awful) puns. I think he was in his element brainstorming ideas for this year’s departmental video and poster. Pun city!

Finally, I just want to add that he is just plain modest! He was upset when he learned I was nominating him, stating that so many more people deserved recognition over him. He is a great guy, and definitely an irreplaceable ASSET to the library.

Tim Murray - Serials

For several years I have been able to observe Tim's unflagging dedication to the mission of the Libraries and commitment to providing the best services possible. As so many changes have taken place in our department, this has continually required innovation, raw energy and very often real creativity with limited resources. Tim demands a lot out of his employees, but he demands twice as much of himself, all in the service of the Libraries. He truly practices anything he may preach in terms of work ethic and high standards. Instead of waiting until there's a problem or a request, or even waiting until the need emerges, he proactively designs procedures and programs to *anticipate* needs in advance. He has designed numerous helpful interfaces for staff (beyond just his immediate staffers) to accomplish their work in as efficient and as user-friendly a manner as possible and continually asks how these may be even further improved. Even with all this on-task, Johnny-on-the-spot, single-minded purpose and dedication, Tim always manages a friendly demeanor and will always have time to chat with---and listen to---anyone who may catch his ear at any given moment. His loyalty to the Libraries and commitment to serving others extends beyond caring for our department's material resources to a willingness to do whatever he can for the people he works with. He thus achieves a rare and all-important balance between efficiency and humanity, making him an ideal candidate for this award.

Craig Breaden - Russell Library

Craig Breaden has earned the Excellence in Service Award through his dedication to the Russell Library and the UGA Libraries as demonstrated by his work with audio-visual collections not only in his own department but in others. His partnerships with the Walter J. Brown Media Archives and Peabody Awards Collection have yielded such fruits as new equipment with which both departments can better care for the libraries materials. His willingness to transfer media materials for other library departments and patrons has fostered an effective working relationship with individuals in the library with whom our department might not otherwise work and has yielded projects of major cultural significance. Craig’s efforts to showcase the Russell Library Collections to an ever expanding audience and to encourage support from donors are no small feat as he is continuously spearheading initiatives to expand the Russell Library Oral History Series. Through constant collaboration with entities outside of and within the University System, Craig’s mission, via detailed research and constant travel, is to access political figures who have made an impact on the history of Georgia. Creating effective oral histories calls for individuals who are not only able to ask detailed questions and make interviewees feel comfortable but are skilled in video and audio production values as well as editing and technological skills needed to maintain and transfer the material in post-production. The staff of the Russell has witnessed Craig doing all of these things and striving to learn more through continuing education and extensive reading and research.

Aside from the Oral History Series, Craig’s enthusiasm for the Russell A/V collections is evident in his scholarly activity. He found a specific set of films within the collections and made the effort to research their full past. This resulted in his uncovering their historical and cultural significance, which yielded a presentation at the Orphans Film Symposium in New York City as well as a grant to have them further preserved.

Craig’s efforts have generated a more prominent name for the UGA Libraries and the Russell Library and have provided him with a reputation for someone who is willing to work hard on projects from the initial planning stages to the final cut for library patrons.

Elizabeth White - Reference

Elizabeth’s specific reference responsibilities have been liaison duties with the School of Public and International Affairs (SPIA) and Coordinator for our Chat Reference Service.

Elizabeth has built a substantial following in SPIA.  She began by working with Roosevelt Institution scholars, members of an undergraduate group of public policy students, who were preparing papers for publication in a student journal and presentation.  Elizabeth is now sought after by other political science students and students in other disciplines.  Her consultation schedule often becomes hectic as she works with the many students who seek her advice.  Elizabeth acknowledges students’ familiarity with Internet sites and software, while enticing them into additional academic resources.  As one who is very comfortable with Library 2.0 tools she uses her web expertise as a means to earn students’ respect.   She is an enthusiastic resource promoter who encourages students to work at their highest level.  She is an especially fervent advocate for citation management and makes sure all her students use RefWorks or another bibliographic management software when embarking on a significant project.  

I cannot fail to mention the Elections website which Elizabeth created early in this season’s primary process.  It is one of the most useful ones of its type that I have used.  The inclusion of the blog sites is a particularly appropriate segment for this election cycle.  Elizabeth is using this site as a marketing tool for her services with SPIA.

Elizabeth is currently collaborating with the University’s Studies Abroad Program to determine how the Libraries can facilitate the research of students who are working from remote sites.  The students in our Costa Rica unit have limited Internet access, for example.  Elizabeth has met with this faculty to learn what resources the students need and has prepared a rudimentary website which will builds fairly well with their limited band width.  

Elizabeth’s Coordination of the Chat Reference service has been instrumental in generating more reference activity in the Student Learning Center.  While the Reference Department has offered remote reference for over ten years, it was not until Elizabeth propelled us into Instant Messaging and the adoption of a widget to facilitate transactions from a variety of companies did use begin to grow.  Now activity climbs each semester and students rave about its convenience.

Carla Wilson Buss - CML / Collection Development

Carla has made an enormously positive impact on the CML in her relatively short tenure. She is truly the "ideas woman," and never afraid to try something new, while always observing the essential need for functionality and ease-of-service within the library. Her tendency towards streamlining and innovation is consistently driven by her dedication to service, and her long-range perspective has already paid off in tangible ways since becoming CML librarian in 2006.

The faculty and graduate students depend on her knowledge of Galileo, Refworks, and library services, and moreover on her patience and willingness to work one-on-one with them. She meets with undergraduate classes as well, encouraging them to come and use the CML, and offering individual BI sessions beyond the group sessions she frequently conducts. To this end, Carla requested and received Student Technology Fee funds this year to create an on-site mini-technology lab at the CML. When these 6 new work stations are installed this summer, she will have the opportunity to help even more Galileo-impaired souls.

The CML has long had a PR problem in the College of Education--some long-time faculty didn't even know that we're here, much less what the CML can do for them. Carla never misses a chance to advertise the collection and the library services the CML provides, and has brought the CML ever more to the heart of the COE community.

Her plans for the CML are always ambitious--whether it's repainting, working with Systems to devise a new method or searching children's literature by type in GIL, or jumping into the huge task of working with the Cataloging department to completely revise the way curriculum material is cataloged and shelved, Carla performs her job fearlessly, never forgetting that patrons are the libraries' reasons to be!

Jeannie Ledford - DLG - Georgia Newspaper Project

I am always impressed with how-well managed the small army of students in Georgia Newspaper Project is. Not only is GNP film gorgeous, it is made quickly, quietly, and efficiently.

From disbinding and ironing of newspapers on the 4th floor, to the filming, processing and duplication in the sub-basement, the GNP is truly run like a well-oiled machine.

Now that I have had the opportunity to look through a few years' worth of film that was -not- shot by Jeannie's unit, I have learned about how disastrous it can be for researchers (working with pages that cannot be read), or microfilm scanners that cannot retrieve decent OCR results because the implementation of film density testing, machine repair, maintenance, and cleaning, quality control benchmarks fell by the wayside.

Now that I have the good fortune of working with Jeannie (and the GNP's work), I have truly learned how dedicated she is to making certain that all papers are filmed according to best practices, all orders are fulfilled and shipped, and that all patrons get a human being to contact with a good answer, and an effort to get them -directly- to the staff resources that they need. Jeannie's service orientation to people is iron-clad, and her dedication to the GNP microfilm collection is as well.

A single example of many of Jeannie's acts of dedication took place this past week, when Jeannie brought in a new microfilm reader...that she found on eBay! She had her brother-in-law pick up the machine from the surplus agency in Alabama; her son picked up the machine in Alabama and drove it across state lines to Georgia; he then brought it to the microfilm area in the sub-basement. These efforts saved everyone a large sum of money.

Jeannie's students stay in GNP because she cares about them and is good to them (that candy dish gets ploughed through regularly!) But she also has high expectations of everyone who works for her. And those high expectations have certainly paid off in that beautiful, beautiful film. No surprises twenty years down the road! That stuff's been through Miss Jeannie's QC.