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Student Employee Merit Awards — Anna Bigazzi and Tom Caw
Each year, the Mortensen Board of Visitors recognizes outstanding student employees from the University Libraries. This spring’s winners represent the Allen Library and Mortensen Libraries. They received their awards and gift certificates from the University Bookstore at the April 25th meeting of the Board.
*Sierra Dixon, a junior Art History major employed in the Technical Services Department at Mortensen Library, has distinguished herself for her interest in learning policies and procedures within Acquisitions and Cataloging. She is now able to confidently import bibliographic records from OCLC and perform authority work. Adaptable and attentive to detail, never late for her job nor complaining about any project “no matter how boring” it may be, she has been “a tremendous asset” to the Acquisitions Department. She was the primary person responsible for the Art Reference Re-cataloging project and “by far the most reliable student” her supervisor has met in her years at Mortensen. She will be interning at the Connecticut Historical Society next fall …and sadly missed! Charles Huang* is a first-year graduate student in The Hartt School, enrolled in a Doctor of Musical Arts degree program for Oboe Performance. Charles has worked in the Allen Library since Spring 2005, starting out as a shelver and switching to the Circulation Desk. Charles’ nominating letter states: “For every project that needs to be done, one can be confident Charles will readily agree and quickly learn the requisite skills for the job. I never need to tell him to work harder or stay on task. One can work comfortably while Charles is at the desk and need not worry about things getting out of hand. The tasks of the Circulation Desk position are varied, all of which Charles completes without complaint.” Allison Scull is a junior in The Hartt School, majoring in Euphonium Performance with a minor in Professional and Technical Writing. She has worked in the Allen Library for two years at the Circulation Desk. Allison’s nomination letter acknowledges her “consistently earnest and affable disposition,” and praises her for being punctual, reliable, and a pleasure to work with. The letter also says “there is no project or task that provokes a complaint or negative attitude from Allison, and moreover, she quickly learns how to get the job done. Allison is the most reliable and helpful student worker I know, and also the most friendly and good-spirited. Diligence is an important trait in a worker, but when that diligence is complemented by a genial personality as in Allison’s case, the workplace becomes a much more enjoyable environment.”		*Anna Walker* is a first-year graduate student in The Hartt School enrolled in a Master’s degree program for Cello Performance. She has worked in the Allen Library since Fall 2005, starting as a shelver and now working in processing, and will be interning at the Library of Congress this summer as a Junior Fellow. Anna’s nomination letter praises her strong work ethic and sense of responsibility, proclaiming she has “not only accomplished the tasks assigned to her, but has done so with a degree of attention and diligence that has gone ‘above and beyond the call of duty.’ Anna has consistently displayed a strong interest in both learning how to effectively accomplish the tasks at hand, and also understanding the thought and structure that govern our workflow and approach.” Ljiljana Zecevic, a sophomore, works in Mortensen Library Circulation. Always ready to work, she frequently volunteers to take others’ shifts when coverage is needed, and shows a positive attitude and a consistent willingness to learn new things and tackle new projects. Her supervisor defines her as “exceptionally self-motivated” and consistently conscientious and responsible as shown in a recent incident at the midnight closing time when she noticed that one of the laptops had not been returned. She informed the Night Supervisor and helped search through the building. The item was found abandoned by the patron on the third floor and its likely loss was prevented by Ljiljana’s attention to detail. Becky Zukerman, a junior aiming to major in Music and Business, is the veteran in the Technical Services mending department at Mortensen. She was trained during her freshman year and has learned a variety of processes needed to properly mend books. She has also learned that each book may need a different approach and that a great degree of common sense, intuition and creativity are necessary to find a solution to individual problems. Mending books requires love, precision and attention to detail. Becky has been able to collaborate with other menders teaching them her ways and learning from them alternative techniques. “She is very careful that each book she mends is as good as it can possibly be before it is reshelved.” She can be relied on to work at her own pace, efficiently managing batches, avoiding wasteful intervals needed for drying or setting. Flexible and dependable, she is “a pleasure to work with.”