PERSONNEL CHANGES
The library saw several staffing changes this past year. Greta Ober-Beauchesne moved into a new role as the Entrepreneurship/Business Librarian in spring 2024. In this role, Greta supports the innovation and entrepreneurship community within the Universities at Shady Grove (USG) and Montgomery County by connecting users to relevant resources throughout the entrepreneurial process. She is the liaison to all business and entrepreneurship courses and programs at USG. She leads workshops on an introduction to entrepreneurial resources at USG, starting a business, and Excel, among others, open to students, faculty, and staff at USG, as well as members of the surrounding community. To further develop her skills and knowledge in this new role, Greta earned the Entrepreneurship and Small Business (ESB) certification from Certiport in July 2023.
With Greta’s transition to this new role, Franklin Ofsthun moved into her former position of Education, Psychology, and Social Work Librarian after being selected following a competitive national search. Franklin had been the Library Services Specialist at the Priddy Library since 2018. He received his MLIS from UMD in 2022 and earned his B.A. in psychology and social work while attending USG so he brings insider knowledge and experience to this new role.
Rebecca (Becca) Massey joined the Priddy Library team as a Library Services Technician from late March through the end of June 2024. We also said farewell to two valued colleagues. Parisa Meisami, interim Program Manager, Data Services, moved into a new role in USG’s Office of Information Technology in fall 2023. The Library’s Virtual Reality (VR) Graduate Assistant, Richard Forng, who played a pivotal role in establishing and running our VR Lab since spring 2023 ended his position after he graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park (UMCP) B.S. in Information Science program in spring 2024.
LIBRARY
Andrew Yager received the 2024 Kendall Award for Outstanding Service to Students. The Kendall Awards recognize faculty, program leaders, and staff who have provided outstanding support to students, as well as staff who have demonstrated exemplary service to the USG community. The Outstanding Service to Students Award is awarded in recognition of a faculty or staff member who assumes responsibilities beyond the call of duty in order to provide high-quality support services and advocates for improvement in services that directly benefit current and/or future students.
KENDALL AWARD GIVEN TO LIBRARY STAFF MEMBER
USG Kendall Award Recipients with Craig Kendall. Andrew Yager is the fourth from the left.
Andrew received this award in recognition of the many innovative ideas he has implemented to improve the Library’s support of students’ academic success and career readiness. He has also advanced student worker engagement, professional growth, and well-being, not only in the Library, but in other units on campus. He is also a collaborative leader at USG, UMCP, and within the University System of Maryland and Affiliated Institutions (USMAI) Library Consortium. He spearheaded the Library’s transition to a new library catalog.
NEW LIBRARY CATALOG
The Priddy Library, along with all member libraries of USMAI, adopted a new Integrated Library System (ILS) and discovery tools, which required extensive configuration, training, and testing both before and after the go-live date in late May 2024. Going forward, these will be managed independently rather than at the consortial level, putting local Access Services staff in charge of more extensive systems integrations, and significantly modified workflows. Librarians will also need to update their strategies and techniques to support patrons in search infrastructures that may differ far more than the prior, more centralized, iterations.
LIBRARIANS ALIGN WITH USG INDUSTRY SECTOR HUBS
USG has implemented an Industry Sector Hub Model as part of the implementation of USG’s strategic plan. The four hubs are Engineering and Technology, Life Sciences and Health, Business Enterprise, and Public Service. Each one is working on designing and supporting pathways for a successful learner-journey from kindergarten through college and eventually landing a meaningful job. The Industry Sector Hubs provide the means for advancing employer/academic partnerships, integrating career readiness in curricular and co-curricular activities, fostering data informed innovation and collaboration, and ensuring the work is done through a foundation in diversity, equity and inclusion. One librarian sits on the implementation team of each Hub helping to shape the recommendations and initiatives that are emerging.
NEW PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR STUDENT EMPLOYEES
During this review cycle, Priddy Library continued to identify new experiences that would prepare our Library Student Assistants for the workforce and develop their skills. Over the last few years, the program has shifted from broad generalized preparation to specific individual projects. For example, in fall 2023 and spring 2024, two different Library Student Assistants used their artistic talent to create promotional material for the library. This experience taught them how to work with a client (the Library) to create and modify art. Two sets of stickers were created to promote the Library late night study hours (Night Owls). Visitors to the Library received a one sticker each month that eventually created the full picture.
Student-created sticker designs to promote Night Owls (late night hours).
In addition, staff from Priddy Library as well as the Staff Advisory Committee held an appreciation event for all student employees on campus. The event was attended by students across many departments at USG, and was an excellent step in creating a more unified USG student employee experience.
Student employees enjoy games and refreshments.
UPGRADES TO COLLABORATIVE & TEACHING SPACES
The Library began the work of redesigning several spaces to support collaboration and foster digital, data, and information literacies. Lounge chairs were introduced to our Col-Lab space in front of large monitors with nearby high-powered desktops so that students can work on group projects or simply unwind by playing video games in a comfortable space.
We added movable tables and chairs, a large monitor, and another high-powered computer to a space that previously housed our Mini-Mart and printing/copier stations. This will be the site for our hybrid workshops starting in fall 2024, and in the future we also hope to have student assistants/tutors in the space to help students with data management and visualization, researching and writing, and more.
Finally, the installation of new monitors with an updated screen sharing system in the Library’s group study rooms began in June 2024 to facilitate students’ learning and research needs.