Library Brings Home TLA Project Award

The Texas Library Association recognized McDermott Library with the 2012 Library Instruction Project of the Year Award at its annual conference, April 17-20 in Houston. McDermott Library won by using new and innovative methods to promote resources. Reference librarian Chris Edwards (pictured above) accepted the award on behalf of the library.

Some of the innovations were a “Meet the Librarian” campaign, quick response code (QR) technology in the library catalog, and a virtual art tour that used the same QR technology.

In the “Meet the Librarian” campaign, photographs of various library staff were printed on large posters featuring a QR code. Each code linked back to a YouTube video in which the librarian answered questions about instruction, their role at the library, and the library in general. The posters were placed in strategic areas throughout the library and the campus.

“Special appreciation goes to Chris Edwards, Susie Kutchi, Loreen Henry, Iryna Shevchuk, Linda Snow, and many other participants who created the posters,” said Director of Libraries Dr. Ellen Safley. “The project enabled the librarians to develop skills in interviewing, using a camera, creating QR codes, and utilizing You Tube. The project fostered an understanding role as well as a more congenial atmosphere.”

The Meet the Librarian project videos are located on the Library’s Ask a Librarian page. The award was created and is presented by the Library Instruction Round Table of the TLA.

Library Copy Center Upgraded

In May the library installed four new black and white and two new color copiers within the Copy Center. Two of the machines will be coin-operated and all will have Comet Card readers. The new copiers are faster and more efficient than previous models.

New Faces at McDermott Library

Kristen Palmiere joins McDermott Library as the new Supervisor of Interlibrary Loan (ILL). She comes from the University of Central Florida Library where she worked for the last four years as an assistant in the ILL Department. Originally from Orlando, Fla., Kristen graduated from the University of Central Florida with a bachelor’s degree in English literature in 2007, and in December received her MLIS from the University of South Florida. She replaces longtime UT Dallas employee Vicki Bullock who retired earlier this year . . . New employees in circulation include Alex Rodriguez and Latia Whitley. A native of New York City, Rodriguez has a MLIS degree from Florida State University and a degree in history from Boston University. Latia Whitley is originally from Lincoln, Neb. and moved to Texas almost 15 years ago. She has 11 years of library experience. She is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in business management and plans on attending UT Dallas part-time in the fall of 2012.

Latia Whitley

Alex Rodriguez

Special Collections News

HAC volunteer Randy Hinshaw was surprised at a recent gathering in Special Collections when he was honored on a special plaque for volunteers who have given at least five years of service. It was five years to the day that Hinshaw joined the crew that spends hundreds of hours each year researching documents and images in the collection. “We flatly could not keep up without them,” said Paul Oelkrug, coordinator for Special Collections. “Randy has been as dedicated as any we’ve had here.” . . . One of the stalwart volunteers in the History of Aviation Collection (HAC) died April 12, 2012 in Manor, Texas – William K. Jones was known as “Willie” to his colleagues. Jones was a veteran of World War II and the Korean War. He was in service during the Vietnam War. He was especially proud of his role as a flight engineer during the famous Berlin Air Lift in 1948-49. He was buried at Jefferson Barracks in St. Louis next to his wife . . . Archivist Patrizia Nava received a completion certificate from the Academy of Certified Archivists in the program, “Maps: What Archivists Should Know” . . .

Library Staff Noted for Service

Seven members of the Eugene McDermott Library staff were among 255 UT Dallas employees recognized for their years of service at a ceremony in Alexander Clark Center Auditorium in March. The awards were presented to employees who reached service milestones from September 2010 to August 2011. The following library staff members received service pins:

10 Years
Tahmoures Elyasi, Software Support Specialist
Sylvia Johnson, Reserves Coordinator
Thomas Koch, Program Manager, Public Relations
        Coordinator
Loreen Henry, Head of Information Literacy

5 Years
Nahid Karimi, Copy Cataloger
Michelle Sancen, Asst. Head of Circulation, Media & Stacks
        Maintenance Supervisor
Sharon Tadlock, Interlibrary Loan

Library Workers Get Perks

For National Library Workers Day, April 10, Director of Libraries Dr. Ellen Safley donated eight sets of movie passes for a staff drawing. Those who were selected at random to attend a pre-release screening of the Disney Chimpanzee movie were: Ty Lovelady (Special Collections), Jesse Davis (LITS), Matthew Makowka (Reference), Latia Whitley (Circulation), Stephanie Isham (Reference), Julie Rooney (Administration), Jean Vik (Administration), and Una Fretthold (Cataloging).

Employee of the Quarter The Employee for the Quarter (April - June 2012) is Sharon Tadlock, a library assistant III based in Interlibrary Loan (ILL). In her nomination of Tadlock a fellow employee said, “Since the ILL supervisor retired, Sharon has added the supervisor’s duties to her own. She has double the work load now. The ILL department has continued to function normally largely due to Sharon's efforts. She is definitely deserving of the honor of ‘Employee of the Quarter.’”