Debbie Hollis of Special Collections and Reference is Awarded the 2008 Ralph E. Ellsworth Award for Excellence in Librarianship
The Awards, Elections, and Faculty Support Committee received worthy nominations for the 18th annual Ralph E. Ellsworth award which recognizes a member of the libraries’ faculty for outstanding contributions to the Libraries, the University and the library profession.
While it was a difficult task for those of us on the Committee (Jennifer Gerke, Holley Long, Michael Dulock, Caroline Sinkinson, and Anna Ferris) to make a final decision—since all the nominees were deserving of the award—it was also gratifying for us to recognize such excellence among our own colleagues. We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who made an effort to submit nominations and letters in support of the Ellsworth nominees.
Based on the information provided in these letters, the Committee unanimously agreed that one nominee’s professional accomplishments, position of leadership in the profession, and accolades from employees, and peers alike, stood out from all the others. Therefore, in recognition of these truly exceptional achievements, the Committee is delighted to award the Ralph E. Ellsworth award for 2008 to Deborah Hollis.
Debbie Hollis joined the Libraries’ faculty in 1993 as the State & Foreign Documents Librarian. While her work in Gov Docs as an expert in genealogical and state resources is commendable, it is the contributions she has made in the past 8 years, since taking on the position of Interim Head of Special Collections in 2000 and then permanently becoming the Faculty Director of Special Collections in 2001, that are the focus of today’s recognition. Perhaps her most tangible and successful accomplishments during this period of time are 1) her outreach to CU faculty, students & patrons through classroom instruction, special exhibits and other events, 2) her efforts to make SPC a world-class research facility for photobooks and other materials, and 3) her creative approach to enhancing online access to SPC resources by encouraging the use of new technologies and fostering a strong collaboration with technical services, especially the Cataloging and Metadata Services Department.
Some excerpts taken from the letters supporting Debbie’s nomination include:
Debbie is an excellent and dedicated librarian … throughout her long career here, she has gained a reputation of going far beyond what is required of her.
Over her years as Faculty Director of Special Collections, Debbie has turned what was previously a vault of treasures for the few into an outreach program to the many. … She reaches out to a great diversity of groups that normally would not be considered SPC “targets,” such as school children.”
Hands-on work with unique materials is now a regular feature of both graduate and undergraduate classes … This can have a profound impact on users. To illustrate my point, I’d like to share a recent experience I had on an airline flight. When a young man sitting next to me learned that I was a librarian at CU-Boulder, he excitedly asked me if I was familiar with SPC. He then went on to discuss his classroom experience in SPC in an almost reverential manner. That experience was one of the best he had ever had at CU.
Debbie’s tenure will be most remembered for forging a strong and effective cooperative relationship between SPC and the Cataloging Dept. Because of cataloging and data projects too numerous to mention, there are now well over 30,000 bib records, and other files such as scannings and EAD projects, bringing international attention to us.
Hollis has worked hard on collection development providing SPC with the goal of becoming a world class research facility for photobooks and the history of photo reproduction. Focusing like this on an area where the University Libraries can excel and distinguish itself from other academic libraries… takes foresight, planning, patience and excellent collegial and donor relations. Her efforts in this direction are placing the University of Colorado on the map as a national and international resource in photography.
The experience of reviewing historical manuscripts at the American Antiquarian Society has been described as studying ‘under a generous dome.’ That is an apt description regarding the transformation of SPC under the duration and facilitation of Debbie Hollis. … Debbie’s efforts are progressive and inclusive, advocating access to the institution’s crown jewels. It is my hope that we acknowledge Debbie’s contributions as an architect and designer of a ‘generous dome.’
Whereas Debbie Hollis’ contributions to the Libraries, the University and to the library profession these past 8 years have been truly “transformational,” the Committee is proud to award her the Ralph E. Ellsworth Award for Excellence in Librarianship.
Meri Willett of Cataloging and Metadata Services is Awarded the 2008 Marie and Martha Campbell Award for Staff Excellence
The Marie and Martha Campbell Award is given each year to a deserving staff member, who, because of their work and interaction with students, faculty and staff, has been nominated by their peers. Thank you to all of you who took the time to nominate and write letters of support for this award.
In 1994 when the Library Staff Association began to discuss presenting a staff excellence award, the idea of naming the award after Marie and Martha Campbell was greeted with unanimous enthusiasm. It seemed to be common knowledge that Marie and Marta epitomized the very concept of service to the libraries. Between the two of them, they logged 86 years of dedicated service as members of the Libraries’ staff and both are still active as volunteers.
This year, the winner of the Marie and Martha Campbell award is also a very dedicated staff member who has worked at the CU Boulder Libraries for 30 years.
Some of the comments from her colleagues:
During the three years the department was absent a permanent Director and with long term staff vacancies in her unit, she steadily took on new, higher level responsibilities, such as batch data loading, CJK troubleshooting and complicated data management tasks. Instead of complaining about the radical changes in her job assignment, she has consistently taken the bull by the horns and tackled new challenges.
She is primarily responsible for the maintenance of the entire Chinook database, containing over 2.8 million bibliographic records and over 700,000 authority records. Under her leadership, her Unit’s work allows the Chinook catalog to stay clean and consistent for the benefit of our clients. Faculty and staff from all areas of the Libraries send her errors or problems they see in Chinook and she handles them efficiently, courteously and in a timely manner. She is deserving of special commendation for her outstanding problem-solving skills.
Over the years, she has contributed beyond our department, conducting tutorials and training sessions, serving on search committees, library-wide committees and task forces. Some of the projects have been:
- The Media Transition Team/Off-site storage/Uncataloged Media Material
- Strategic Planning Committee
- Volunteering at the reference desk
- Authority Control training
Key words to describe our award winner are: CURIOSITY – a continuing interest in what is new and how best to make it work; and ACCOMPLISHMENT – projects given to her get done, efficiently and correctly.
She has worked here a long time, but for her the history does not hold back…… but serves as a stepping stone for new opportunities. We are proud to recognize Meri Willett for her significant contributions to the University Libraries and present her with the Marie and Martha Campbell award for staff excellence.
Change is Coming to Norlin Library!
A new “Learning Commons,” will be the first stage of a gradual renovation process that will bring Norlin up to date and provide services in keeping with user’s needs and expectations. The Learning Commons will be located on the first floor northeast side of Norlin in the current reference department space. It will include features identified from a tour of some of the nation’s most sophisticated and successful academic library learning facilities.
Construction on the 15,050 square feet, technologically-sophisticated, academic, study, and social area will begin in May of 2008 and be completed in spring or summer 2009. The renovated space will remain open beyond regular library hours, perhaps on a 24/7 basis. A coffee shop facility will be moved from the first floor west to the Commons area and expanded. Modifications to the east entrance of the building include patio seating.
The renovation aims to create a learning library that integrates technology in a flexible innovative design, and user ease and flexibility will be emphasized in every aspect. Group study areas in the Commons will feature furniture and equipment that can be reconfigured for different sized groups. The consolidation of group study space in the Commons area will also return other space in the library to quiet, single-reader space.
The Learning Commons is a joint project of the University Libraries and Information Technology Services. The blending of ITS and the Libraries will give students comprehensive assistance with information sources and productivity tools. Through the merging of content, technology, and services the new space will enable the full continuum of student learning and discovery with flexible individual and collaborative work spaces, team technology rooms, a “hot topic” reading area, a technology classroom, and the coffee shop.
The estimated cost of the project is $5.2 million. $1 million of this budget comes from student computing fees over three years. The budget includes remodeling of the current third floor northwest Mac Lab into a new graduate student study area because the older fifth floor graduate facilities are extremely outdated and insufficient.
As a first step, the current reference and second floor periodical services will be reconfigured to increase and enhance access to electronic resources and research services. The second floor east area will be converted to a Research area, including facilities for research consultation, a central reference desk, the reference and periodical collections, and new instruction classrooms. The Learning Commons and the Research floor will work together to meet the research and information needs of the campus community in a new revitalized library.
In preparation for this restructuring, Libraries bibliographers and subject liaisons are reviewing the collections and services of Reference and the Periodicals Room. They are working with faculty to determine which print collections may be moved to other locations, usually our off-site storage facility, PASCAL. Although approximately 50% of each collection must be moved or transferred to accommodate the remodel, all content will be maintained. We will continue to provide desk top delivery from PASCAL for journal articles that are less than 50 pages and one business day delivery on print materials.
The Writing Center, operated by the Program for Writing and Rhetoric and now located on the first floor east of Norlin in E156, will continue to be available in the first floor area, with only a minor adjustment to its location. The Libraries works closely with the PWR first year writing classes, providing information literacy instruction and research support. The continuation and strengthening of this collaborative effort demonstrates the type of student access along the continuum of learning that the Commons and Research floor will support.
In order to further improve existing reference services and determine desired services for the Learning Commons itself, the Libraries is conducting focus groups with undergraduate and graduate students, as well as faculty and staff. We look forward to creating state-of-the-art learning environments for today's students and scholars.
The architects are H & L Architects and JBA Incorporated. Additional technical consulting, planning and design is provided by the Sextant Group.
News, updates, and photos of the construction are available at the renovation web page. The Program Plan is available online. Questions may be directed to library liaisons or the Associate Director for Public Services, Susan Anthes at 492-6897.
