BATON ROUGE -- Three employees from LSU Shreveport’s Noel Memorial Library received awards at the 2023 LOUIS User’s Conference in Baton Rouge. This conference is an annual meeting of librarians in October from Louisiana’s public and private colleges and universities.
Jessica Hawks, Brian Sherman and David Gaither earned individual honors.
Hawkes, first-year experience and undergraduate success librarian, received the award for Timely Librarianship. This award recognizes a librarian who has completed a significant achievement, contribution, project, or goal related to a theme involving circumstances from the previous year. Hawkes works to bring attention to and engage our campus community in discussions on issues of censorship, earning her this award as the state’s academic library “Anti-Censorship Hero.”
She gives students opportunities to express themselves through regular open mic nights, highlights “hidden histories” of historically under-represented groups through interactive, research-based exhibits, and reminds students of the power of free speech through leading the library’s celebration of “Banned Books Week” each year.
Brian Sherman, dean of the library, took home the 2023 award for “Leader in Librarianship,” which recognizes a library administrator who has shown exceptional leadership, guidance, and innovation within their library.
“I’m a supporter of the library being the academic hub of the university, where students connect and collaborate,” said Sherman, who became dean in 2016. “You shouldn’t walk into a library and see just a collection. You should see a community. That’s the mindset that drives the mission of the Noel Memorial Library.”
Library associate David Gaither received the “Library Support Staff Scholarship” to attend the conference. This award is given to library support staff who demonstrate outstanding and ongoing contributions to their library and the consortium.
“When David joined Noel Memorial Library, he stepped into a role that was brand new to our library and has developed this role to fully support the mission of the library and the university in serving both faculty and student researchers,” said Sarah Mazur, director of resource management and discovery. “His optimistic, can-do attitude is infectious and makes him an integral part of our library community.”
Librarians at Noel Memorial Library have been recognized by the LOUIS Consortium several times in past years for their commitment to excellence and their innovation in librarianship.
In 2022, the library won “Library of the Year” for demonstrating excellence in service to the LSUS community and creativity, innovation, and leadership in librarianship. Mazur was awarded “Outstanding Early Career Librarian” in 2021, and Brian Sherman was awarded “Leader in Librarianship” in 2017.
LOUIS is a library consortium of all 47 public and private college and university libraries in the state of Louisiana. Founded in 1992, the consortium works to create a cost-effective collaboration among institutions for the procurement of library resources. LOUIS is governed by the Louisiana Board of Regents.
