April 12, 2019

On Tuesday, April 9, 2019, thirty-four Drexel Libraries staff, student employees and their family members gathered in the W. W. Hagerty Library for the 10^th annual Library Celebration Awards. This year, the Libraries honored six staff and two student employees for their contributions to improving the Libraries.

“Our talented and dedicated employees provide critical support for the Libraries to be successful in meeting its mission and implementing its strategic directions,” said Danuta A. Nitecki, Dean of Libraries, during the awards ceremony. “We rely on all employees to demonstrate exceptional service, collaborative teamwork, entrepreneurial spirit and dedicated professionalism. Today, we honor selected colleagues and students who exceeded expectations to advance these values during the 2018 academic year through their outstanding accomplishments.”

This year, the annual awards ceremony corresponded with National Library Workers Day, a day to recognize the valuable contributions made by all library workers. National Library Workers Day is part of the American Library Association’s (ALA) National Library Week, an “annual celebration highlighting the valuable role libraries, librarians and library workers play in transforming lives and strengthening our communities.”

“While we only acknowledge a few outstanding achievements with these awards, I know that we are all working hard to continue to improve the Libraries,” Dean Nitecki said in closing. “Thank you for another great year!”

Congratulations to all our award recipients and to all library workers at Drexel and beyond!

2019 Drexel Libraries Award Recipients

Jane Bryan Student Worker Award: Presented to Brenna Doyle and Jacob Joseph
This award is presented to student employees for their outstanding service to the Libraries. It honors Jane Bryan, director of Drexel University Libraries from 2005 to 2008, who was committed to providing outstanding service to students. With this award and reflection, we also honor Jane’s dedication and years of service.

Brenna Doyle has been a vital part of the Library Assistance Team since September 2016. She is patient, kind and empathetic, and these qualities have helped her defuse numerous tense situations with some clients throughout her time as a Libraries student worker. Brenna is a true asset to the Libraries.

Jacob Joseph has served as a Libraries Student Worker on the Library Assistance Team since November 2015, and he joined the Library Explorers group earlier this year. His open-mindedness, outside-the-box thinking and incredible patience are indisputable assets to both the Service Desk and the Library Explorers team.  

The Matrixed Team Member Award: Presented to Shin Amano, Operations Coordinator
New for 2019, the Matrixed Team Member Award recognizes staff who demonstrate the Libraries’ spirit of matrixed collaboration, as evidenced by his or her productivity and collegiality in cross-unit projects and programs.

Shin Amano was nominated by his colleagues for his contributions to a committee of dedicated, matrixed colleagues who migrated the Libraries’ chat service from the Library H3lp platform to Springshare’s LibAnswers tool. Throughout the project, Shin often took the initiative to ensure the new tool would be user-friendly, calling the committee’s attention to workflows and procedures he thought could be improved to make the client experience easier and more enjoyable.

Exceptional Service Award: Abby Adamczyk, Liaison Librarian for Medicine and Tonie Williams, Client Access Experiences Assistant
This award celebrates an individual who showcases dedication and service, going above and beyond their job to provide exceptional service.

Abby Adamczyk has navigated many changes in the College of Medicine over the last year, from changes to the curriculum, to welcoming more than 100 new faculty, to a change in its most significant clinical partner. Abby responded to these changes by representing the Libraries on numerous committees; by maintaining strong, personal relationships with faculty and staff; and by offering personalized services and resources to meet the individual needs of Libraries clients.

Tonie Williams, a member of the Reserves team, is well-known for processing reserves requests and answering questions quickly and efficiently. Tonie recognizes there is always room for improvement, and she regularly offers suggestions for streamlining the Libraries’ services. She is empathetic and patient when assisting all Libraries clients, particularly neurodivergent members of the Drexel community and the public. Tonie is enthusiastic and engaged in her work, and she is an inspiration to her colleagues.

Libraries Champion Award: Phebe Dickson, Liaison Librarian for Business
This award is given to an individual or team demonstrating an entrepreneurial spirit that extends the reach of the library to its stakeholders.

Phebe Dickson works tirelessly to inspire her colleagues and to provide exceptional service to the Drexel community. She is a dedicated, enthusiastic librarian who is always willing to help students, faculty and staff. 

Professional Contribution Award: Shannon Robinson, Liaison Librarian for Media, Arts and Design and Program Manager for Curricula Support.  This award recognizes individuals who made significant contributions to the profession, positioning the Drexel Libraries as a leader in the field.

Shannon Robinson’s dedication to library research and the library profession is evident in everything she does. Shannon is a member of two professional organizations, and she has published six articles since she came to Drexel. Shannon is noted for having a passion for understanding the pedagogy of the arts disciplines and for designing library outreach programs that embody that pedagogy. Shannon leverages her professional contributions to bring new insight to the reference, collections, and instruction she provides students in the Westphal College of Media, Arts, and Design.

Change Champion Award: Katherine Fischer, Manager of Client Access Experiences
The Change Champion Award recognizes staff who use evidence of client expectations and the framework of the Libraries’ strategic directions to transform, improve or innovate the Libraries.

In 2018, Katherine Fischer contributed to numerous projects to improve the Libraries’ internal and external client experience. As a member of the Alma implementation committee, she helped train Libraries staff to use the new system, and she also created and implemented client-focused workflows in Alma to ensure a user-friendly experience. Katherine also served on a small working group to improve the effectiveness of the Libraries’ Management Leadership Group.

Members of the 2019 Library Celebration Awards Committee were Javier Arroyo, Kumru Kastro, Rob Macasieb and John Wiggins. Thank you, awards committee!