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Georgia Library QuarterlyVolume 54Issue 4 Fall 2017 Article 1110-1-2017Georgia Library Association - 2017 GLA AwardsVirginia FeherUniversity of North Georgia, vcfeher@ung.eduFollow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/glqPart of the Library and Information Science CommonsThis News is brought to you for free and open access by DigitalCommons@Kennesaw State University. It has been accepted for inclusion in GeorgiaLibrary Quarterly by an authorized editor of DigitalCommons@Kennesaw State University. For more information, please contactdigitalcommons@kennesaw.edu.Recommended CitationFeher, Virginia (2017) "Georgia Library Association - 2017 GLA Awards," Georgia Library Quarterly: Vol. 54 : Iss. 4 , Article 11.Available at: https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/glq/vol54/iss4/11  Georgia Library Association 2017 GLA Awards  Each year, the Georgia Library Association (GLA) recognizes exemplary library service and advocacy in Georgia through a variety of awards. Julia Padgett, GLA Awards Committee member, announced the GLA Award recipients at the All Conference Awards Ceremony on October 5, 2017 held at the Georgia Libraries Conference in Columbus, Georgia.  Bob Richardson Memorial Award  Cathy Jeffrey, retired from Clayton State University Library, is this year’s Bob Richardson Memorial Award recipient. The Bob Richardson Memorial Award honors those who have given outstanding service to the Georgia Library Association (GLA). According to Cathy’s award nomination:  Cathy has shown extensive dedication to the Georgia Library Association through involvement with numerous committees and initiatives over the year[s]. She was the 2008 Academic Library Division Chair, GLA Treasurer from 2009-2012, 2015 GLA 1st Vice-President/President-Elect, 2016 GLA President, and 2017 GLA Past-President.   During her time as [2016 GLA] president, Cathy led the organization to codify many of the practices that had been unwritten procedures of GLA for years… 2016 was an energetic year in the history of GLA that had many people involved in its leadership and successes; however, Cathy’s drive to push the organization to do more and to become more active permeated the overall ‘getting things done’ spirit of GLA in 2016.  With the Bob Richardson Memorial Award, GLA honors Cathy Jeffrey for her significant contributions and sustained dedicated service to the association. Congratulations Cathy!  Charles Beard Library Advocacy Award  Sandra Deal, Georgia’s First Lady, is this year’s Charles Beard Library Advocacy Award recipient. The Charles Beard Library Advocacy Award recognizes someone not employed in or by a library who has made outstanding contributions to libraries at either the local, state, or national level. Excerpts from Mrs. Deal’s nomination illustrate her dedication to supporting libraries and literacy in Georgia:  As First Lady, promoting literacy has been a top priority for Mrs. Deal. Her lifelong passion for literacy has been demonstrated in her strong support for Georgia’s libraries.  As Georgia’s First Lady, Mrs. Deal made “Read Across Georgia” one of her top initiatives. During her tenure, Mrs. Deal has achieved the exceptional goal of visiting each school district and county in the state, reading aloud to at least one group of children.   In Mrs. Deal’s words, “We, as parents, teachers and mentors, must take it upon ourselves to ensure that our students are good readers.” Mrs. Deal has also stated, 1Feher: 2017 GLA AwardsPublished by DigitalCommons@Kennesaw State University, 2017“Reading is one of the most important keystones of our community. If we can get our children reading early and often, we can make sure they graduate and go on to be successful members of society.”   Sandra Deal’s numerous accomplishments also include:  Made it a priority to preserve and promote the history of the Governor’s mansion. Her book Memories of the Mansion: The Story of Georgia’s Governor’s Mansion, co-written by Jennifer W. Dickey and Catherine M. Lewis, provided an exceptional account of this important piece of Georgia history.  One of her early acts as First Lady was to form a collaborative group of volunteer librarians who cataloged the extensive library in the Governor’s mansion. Thanks to these efforts, the mansion’s library is now searchable by all for the first time. Mrs. Deal’s attention to the importance of libraries and preservation is unparalleled among Georgia’s first ladies.  She continues her support of libraries by attending Public Library Day at the Georgia Capitol each year, where she presents statewide annual library awards.  The Georgia Library Association is proud to have presented Georgia’s First Lady Sandra Deal with the 2017 Charles Beard Library Advocacy Award.   McJenkin-Rheay Award  Chris Sharpe, assistant director of access services and librarian associate professor at Kennesaw State University Libraries, is this year’s McJenkin-Rheay Award recipient, which recognizes a librarian early in his/her career who has made outstanding contributions to the Georgia Library Association. According to Chris Sharpe’s nomination letter:   In his professional career, Chris has made numerous and outstanding contributions to GLA; he demonstrates leadership to both the library profession and to the larger campus and local community as a whole.   Chris has actively served GLA in several capacities since 2009. In 2015, he served as the Program Chair for the annual GA COMO conference which was held in Athens. In this capacity, he drafted the call for proposals, helped organize the selection of proposals, sent acceptance notices, and took on the ambitious task of scheduling those approximately 120 sessions.   In other major service to GLA, Chris has been an extremely active member of the Government Information Interest Group. He has held multiple positions with this SIG including secretary and vice chair. He has served as the chair of the group twice (2011-2012 and 2014-2015).  He is an exemplary team player, always willing to take on additional projects and responsibilities.   GLA congratulates Chris Sharpe and thanks him for his outstanding service to GLA!  Nora Symmers Paraprofessional Award  Janice Shipp, interlibrary loan coordinator at the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) Jen Library, is this year’s recipient of the Nora 2Georgia Library Quarterly, Vol. 54, Iss. 4 [2017], Art. 11https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/glq/vol54/iss4/11Symmers Paraprofessional Award. The award is named in honor of Nora Symmers, an outstanding paraprofessional member of GLA, and it recognizes an individual’s contribution to GLA and the Paraprofessional Division through their efforts to promote and support the Paraprofessional Division and to encourage paraprofessional participation in GLA. Janice received two nominations for this award, both describing her outstanding contributions to GLA. According to her first nomination:  Janice has been an outstanding member of GLA for over 7 years. She is a member of the Paraprofessional Division, the Membership Committee, the Scholarship Committee, and the Inter Library Loan Interest Group. She has participated in various GLA Conferences and been extremely supportive in every way.  In 2015 Karen Manning approached Janice about organizing a local library staff support group. They have now formally organized and hold quarterly meetings. The organization is called The Coastal Georgia Library Collaborative and is open to all library staff members, volunteers, visitors, supporters…the work and commitment from Janice to organize this group has been phenomenal.  From her second nomination:   She has been a spokesperson for motivating and encouraging paraprofessionals and all library professionals to get involved in GLA. By sharing her experiences and promoting the value of involvement, she has been influential with recruiting people to join GLA. A feat that highlights and demonstrates Janice’s service as a Georgia Library Association member was her ability to organize meet-ups that led to the induction of the GLA Coastal Georgia Library Collaborative, a subgroup of Georgia Library Association’s New Members Round Table. She is currently the Chair of this collaborative and has taken the lead in promoting [quality] networking that fosters communication amongst all levels of library personnel. Her contributions to the Georgia Library Association has made an impact and are well-deserving of recognition.   GLA congratulates Janice Shipp, this year’s Nora Symmers Paraprofessional Award recipient!  Nix-Jones Award  Georgia State Librarian and Assistant Vice Chancellor Julie Walker is this year’s Nix-Jones Award recipient. The Nix-Jones Award is given to a practicing librarian for distinguished service to Georgia librarianship. It recognizes substantial contributions to the library profession, such as: stimulation of library development, leadership in library programs, unusual and imaginative services, and outstanding support of Georgia’s libraries.   According to Julie’s nomination letter: 3Feher: 2017 GLA AwardsPublished by DigitalCommons@Kennesaw State University, 2017Julie is the best leader, developer, innovator, listener, communicator and supporter of libraries that I have ever had the privilege to serve under.  Nationwide, Georgia libraries are considered cutting-edge because of Julie’s leadership and vision. She pulls the best out of her staff who have ever increasing responsibilities without additional resources. The most recent iteration of forward thinking is in the Linked Data project which is going to use commercial vendors working with the bibliographic databases of Georgia’s libraries and using the Web to connect and display that data in exciting and creative new ways. She and her team have been steadily working on a vision of public library service for the near and far future.   In her role as State Librarian and Assistant Vice Chancellor, one of her primary functions is to communicate the necessity of funding for needed library construction projects, library service projects and other library needs to state legislators and senators. She is an excellent advocate for how libraries benefit Georgia residents.  In summary, she is the perfect candidate for the Nix-Jones award as a practicing librarian who has made substantial contributions to Georgia’s libraries.  GLA congratulates Julie Walker, this year’s Nix-Jones Award recipient!  GLA Team Award  This year, Kimberly Boyd, Ashley Dupuy, and Casey Long received the GLA Team award for their work on the Carterette Webinars Planning Team. The GLA Team Award honors a team that has excelled in the past year by offering innovative programming or services, performing or acting on assessment activities, undertaking a successful outreach or promotion effort, or providing outstanding support of an individual Georgia library or Georgia libraries as a whole. From the nomination letter:  Their dedication to providing continued education for our members and the library community at large is absolutely a stunning and commendable undertaking. They reflect the best of what GLA is about by working together to create a showcase of best practices to share and inspire others.  Not only do Kim, Ashley, and Casey plan, arrange, produce, and moderate, but the sessions are also recorded and archived on the GLA website: http://gla.georgialibraries.org/events_carterette_archive.htm  They strive to create a balanced mix of programs that will appeal to all libraries and different units within the library.  Since the team started working together, the average number of attendees has increased by roughly 100 individuals per session.  I have no doubt that the GLA Awards Committee will agree this team most worthy of our Association’s acknowledgement for their dedication and success in providing excellent professional development opportunities for all of our members and beyond. 4Georgia Library Quarterly, Vol. 54, Iss. 4 [2017], Art. 11https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/glq/vol54/iss4/11GLA congratulates Kimberly Boyd, Ashley Dupuy, and Casey Long, this year’s GLA Team Award recipients!  For more information on GLA Awards, visit: https://gla.georgialibraries.org/resources/awards/ . 5Feher: 2017 GLA AwardsPublished by DigitalCommons@Kennesaw State University, 2017

Georgia Library Association - 2017 GLA Awards

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Georgia Library Association - 2017 GLA Awards

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