Three undergraduate students have received the University Libraries’ Student Employee Appreciation Awards for their exemplary work and contributions.
Each year, the University Libraries and the Student Library Advisory Board (SLAB) present the awards for excellent customer service, leadership in the workplace, integrity, attitude, work ethic, initiative or passion. Nominees must be currently enrolled undergraduate students and must have been working for the University Libraries for at least four semesters.
Our congratulations to this year’s winners: Charlie Chapman, Aaliyah Goodman and Natalie Perez. Each will receive $500 from a SLAB endowment.
Charlie Chapman, Class of 2021, Research and Instructional Services, Wilson Special Collections Library
Charlie Chapman
Charlie Chapman has been an asset to Research and Instructional Services in Wilson Library since he was hired in January 2018, says his nominator, Taylor de Klerk.
Not only is Charlie reliable, punctual and eager to accomplish his tasks, but he is someone to whom new staff and students can turn for help and always expect a helping hand. The department frequently asks Charlie to learn new skills and perform new duties, which he always does quickly, efficiently and with a smile.
During the pandemic, he has been digitizing microfilm for remote researchers and helping to smooth out the access mechanics of new in-person appointment systems. His assistance in ironing out these new workflows, in addition to performing regular student duties, prompts de Klerk to dub him “a steady force.”
Aaliyah Goodman, Class of 2021, Information and Library Science Library
Aaliyah Goodman
“The most reliable student I have ever had the pleasure of working with” is how nominator Kenny Jones describes Aaliyah Goodman.
In her three-and-a-half years at the Information and Library Science Library, Aaliyah has worked primarily night and weekend hours—times that are harder to find coverage for and for which it is more important that the employee be reliable. Jones says that Aaliyah has never missed a shift or even called in sick. In addition, she has very often covered shifts for other students.
Aaliyah’s work—spanning the areas of circulation, reference and special projects—is consistently marked by high quality, good questions, speed, efficiency and thoroughness. And she does it all with minimal supervision.
It is not an exaggeration to say that Aaliyah has been essential to the functioning of the Information and Library Science Library for the last several years—pre-pandemic and during the pandemic—Jones says.
Natalie Perez, Class of 2021, Davis Library Circulation
Natalie Perez
When Natalie Perez started working in Davis Library Circulation in August 2017, sprinklers were being installed in Davis Library as part of the Life Safety Project. Natalie enthusiastically stepped up to the challenge of climbing under plastic in the hot, claustrophobic environment on the upper floors of Davis Library to access and shelve books—and she did it with impressive speed and accuracy, according to nominator Ben Pierpont.
Pierpont and Natalie’s other nominator, Michael Hanson, attest that since that time she has continued to distinguish herself on many fronts.
Working shifts with Natalie, they say, is akin to working with an additional full-time staff member, as “it is exceedingly rare for an issue to arise that she is not capable of handling without assistance.” This enables the full-time staff to accomplish tasks away from the service desk that would otherwise accumulate, and that’s especially true during the pandemic when staffing has been reduced.
Natalie’s exceptional reliability, attention to detail, initiative, knowledge of the Library, and excellent communication skills, as well as her eagerness to be of service to co-workers and the public, make her “an extremely valuable asset to our work environment,” says Hanson.
Thank you for your outstanding service, Charlie, Aaliyah and Natalie!
