Congratulations to the recipients of the 2015 McGill Library Excellence Awards. The awards recognize outstanding contributions and exceptional leadership to McGill’s continued success and in advancing the mission of the Library.
April Colosimo, Liaison Librarian at the Schulich Library of Science and Engineering, received the Librarian Excellence Award and Robert Selby, Library Supervisor at the Schulich Library of Science and Engineering, was the recipient of the Library Staff Excellence Award. The awards were presented at two ceremonies this spring.
Principal Suzanne Fortier presents April Colosimo (right) with the 2015 Librarian Excellence Award / Photo credit: Bruna Ceccolini
April Colosimo, Liaison Librarian, Schulich Library of Science and Engineering | Librarian Excellence Award
Since 2006, April Colosimo has served library users with expertise, enthusiasm and excellence. Her skill and dedication have made her one of the most sought after leaders within the library landscape. One colleague describes April as, “a resourceful, innovative thinker [who] constantly contributes to initiatives for new library services and the improvement of existing ones.”
From performing expert patent searches for McGill’s Office of Sponsored Research to founding a best paper competition for “CCOM 206 Communication in Engineering” students to being an active member of the inter-departmental team that developed the first MOOC at McGill, April inspires users to uncover unbeaten paths to discovery. Students, scholars, fellow staff members, online learners – they all respond with excitement and wonder, as well as appreciation.
Faculty are similarly appreciative, pointing to April’s work in partnering to spearhead the E-Science Institute @ McGill effort, which involves developing a strategic agenda for e-research support, specifically in the sciences. In addition, as co-cordinator of the MyResearch graduate seminar series, April’s vision for information literacy has helped thousands of students navigate the worlds of scholarly publishing, concept mapping, citation metrics and more. Her upcoming research will focus on how to move the series online for greater reach and heightened user experience.
Dean of Libraries Colleen Cook presents Robert Selby with the 2015 Staff Excellence Award / Photo credit: Merika Ramundo
Robert Selby, Library Supervisor, Schulich Library of Science and Engineering | Staff Excellence Award
Robert Selby has served McGill and the Library for over 25 years. Robert has shown dedication to service delivery as well as great initiative, resourcefulness and professionalism at McGill.
Over the last two years, Robert was instrumental in establishing new protocols for providing service at the Life Sciences and Schulich circulation desks and helped to establish a routine for retrieving storage items during this transitional period.
Drawing on his extensive knowledge of staff work flows, logistics, and space planning, Robert coordinated collection integration and shifting initiatives. When an unforeseen masonry investigation project needed to be executed at the Schulich Library, Robert made it his mission to keep disruption to users to a minimum reconfiguring study areas in order to maintain the same quantity of desks and seats and choreographing a series of complex movement of materials in anticipation of renovation assessment needs. Colleagues describe Robert as an, “unflappable source of support and guidance to staff and librarians alike.”
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