(I'll update the SoL page when the winner is announced. If anybody has a digital camera, can you take pictures of the nominees on the stage and the winner and send them to me so I can add them to the page as well?)
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Hi all,
I would like to thank everyone who nominated someone for this award we have a lot of strong contenders for the award this year. The following list contains all the nominees for this year’s award:
- Matthew Bingham
- Peter Bladlund
- Chantale Boileau
- Rachel Chan
- Erin Fields
- Natasha Hesch
- Michelle Lake
- Jessica Olliver
- Megan Potts
- Tina Steed
- Danielle Winn
We are looking forward for the voting to begin. But first there are a few rules:
1. Everyone including students, faculty and staff are eligible to vote for any of the above students.
2. All votes must be submitted by a UWO email address, those that are not from a UWO email address will not be counted.
3. All votes must be in by Monday April 9th at 10 pm.
4. You can only vote once, and for one person.
5. All votes must be made to Student council email address, mlisstudentcouncil@gmail.com
6. You must vote for someone even if you nominated them.
7. Nominees are eligible to vote.
This is a very strong group of students; a list of the nominated students with the nomination testimonies will follow.
Congratulations to all the students who have been nominated and good luck.
Thank you!
Spirit of Librarianship Committee
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Matthew Bingham
Everybody knows Matt, because he makes an effort to be everybody's friend. He works part-time at the GRC, and always has a smile on his face. He's the class clown, and always makes us laugh!
Peter Bladlund
Peter is one of those people who stand out in the MLIS program. He is a very supportive person, whether you're his partner for a project or a classmate. In a team environment, he doesn't sweat the small stuff, believes in the capabilities of his group members, and is very personable. He always goes the extra mile to help people, and what I find the most encouraging about Peter is the fact that he reaches out to you FIRST when you're having assignment difficulties in comparison to you reaching out first. This is the type of nature Peter has, rare to find, and appreciated by all in his presence.
Chantale Boileau
Chantale Boileau should be rewarded with the Spirit of Librarianship Award because she has demonstrated exceptional commitment to the profession. Throughout her time at FIMS Chantale has been on the Executive of Librarians without Borders and the Student Chapter of the Canadian Library Association. She works hard to share current information, and is a great resource for jobs in the Ottawa area. She is also a great person to work with, she is always going out of her way to make life easier for others.
Rachel Chan
Since her first semester at FIMS, Rachel has been very active in extra-curricular activities and has even worked as a Job Web Assistant. She’s been the SOGS Rep for the Student Council and has worked to increase the success of the CLA’s Peer to Peer and Professional Mentorship Program through her role as a participant on that committee. She’s also very involved with Ask Ontario, a major initiative dedicated to creating a 24hr. virtual reference service for Ontarians. Rachel will be an accomplished librarian one day in the very near future and is deserving of this award.
Erin Fields
Erin Fields has been a positive presence in this program since she arrived. She is always smiling or laughing, and is always there for comfort or cheering up when it is needed. She is the rep for the Archive Association, is a member of CLA, and is currently the chair of Librarians Without Borders. Erin truly represents everything which the Spirit of Librarianship award stands for.
Natasha Hesch
She is friends with everyone in the class (of first term) and always has a smile for everyone, and has gotten to know upper-term students as well. She is doing very well in her classes and asks intelligent questions in class. She is a great combination of friendly, fun and studious and is always willing to lend a hand to fellow students.
Michelle Lake
Testimony One:
I would like to nominate Michelle Lake for the Spirit of Librarianship Award. Michelle has been an inspiration to many fellow library students -- her love of the profession is communicated through her enthusiasm and her activism, in short her infectious spirit of librarianship!
This semester, Michelle organized a reading and awareness campaign for the Faculty of Information and Media Studies in support of Freedom to Read Week, receiving coverage in the UWO community -- and was an eloquent host and participant in this successful event.
In addition, Michelle has been an active participant on the MLIS Student Council, responsible for a housing blog, an especially useful tool for students who come and go on co-op in this program -- providing access to information for the rest of us...Michelle builds community & promotes discussion in this program (where interests are diverse!) through her regular communications with colleagues, through email and through her blog "Yarns from M" -- drawing our attention to controversies and new innovations. (see: http://msmeshell.blogspot.com/)
Active in attending conferences, Michelle eagerly shares information and excitement with her fellow students. She fires off emails and letters to support access to, and widespread use of, our libraries. Michelle Lake deserves the Spirit of Librarianship Award this semester as she has proven herself to be an excellent communicator, defender of the profession, and exemplary student in this program.
Testimony Two:
Even if you haven't had the pleasure of getting to know Michelle Lake personally, or met her in one of the various activities she has coordinated and attended, you probably still know her name from the many emails she has sent, sharing information that she feels the MLIS population would be interested in or benefit from. Michelle is all about sharing information, whether by email, on her well-maintained and relevant blog, or over a cup of coffee in the Grad Club. But it's not just because she is a true information professional that she exemplifies the Spirit of Librarianship. Neither is it just because she has sat on Student Council each term, representing her peers and helping them with housing issues. Nor is it just because she organizes events, like the Freedom to Read Week reading, or because she attends events and encourages others to participate (she is a faithful attendee at Trivia Nights). It's not just because she takes advantage of professional development opportunities (having attended the CLA conference in 2006 and OLA in 2007). Michelle isn't worthy of the nomination only because she manages to juggle working at London Public Library with a full MLIS course load, with academic success, or because she has worked in libraries in Hamilton, London, and Guelph. No, it's not for any of those reasons alone. Michelle Lake exemplifies the Spirit of Librarianship because she does ALL of those things, with a smile on her face, a positive attitude, and a willingness to help her fellow students every step of the way. She is genuinely passionnate about librarianship. She has contributed to every aspect of the program and is committed to the profession, to FIMS, to her studies, and to her peers. That is why Michelle deserves the nomination.
Jessica Olliver
Testimony One:
Ms. Olliver is very engaged with the student community and has a great interest in the MLIS program and its ties to the professional community.
Ms. Olliver has been a SOGS rep for Student Council since September, and she is hoping to become more involved with council this summer.Ms. Olliver is also an active member of OLA and currently working to get a student chapter at FIMS. At the moment, she is contemplating having an “OLA Day” once a term where students could focus on professional issues such as resume building, interview skills, networking, etc.
Testimony Two:
Jess Olliver deserves the Spirit of Librarianship Award because of all she does to make the library school experience more enjoyable for her peers. She is a very active member of the Student Chapter of the CLA, and participates in planning and running fun events. She also worked with the Student Council to bring guest speakers to FIMS this semester. It’s amazing, but Jess also finds the time to act as a MLIS SOGS Rep. Jess is always thinking of ways to serve and help others and is truly committed to librarianship.
Megan Potts
Megan would be a deserving recipient of this award for a number of reasons--she is an articulate and constructive contributor to class discussions, is always willing to take time to assist fellow students, and is a positive influence on anyone and everyone she meets. Megan epitomizes the ideals of the profession with her helpful attitude, her interest in learning, and the courtesy with which she treats both students and instructors alike. Megan is a leader and role model to her fellow students, is both bright and hardworking, and she represents all the most positive aspects of Western's MLIS program. For these reasons, she deserves this nomiantion for Western's Spirit of Librarianship Award.
Tina Steed
Testimony One:
As past Chair of the CLA, Tina successfully increased membership and made innovative changes to the executive. She has been an active member of the CLA her entire time at Library School and is currently serving as the Treasurer. Additionally, Tina has been active on the Student Council and currently serves as a Social Rep. Tina is always willing to help out fellow students, and exemplifies the spirit of our profession.
Testimony Two:
Tina was my peer mentor during my first term here (September - December 2006) and we have been friends since the first day we met. In fact, even before I arrived on campus, Tina answered my panicked email and IM messages daily, and answered them thoroughly and honestly. She is an incredibly warm and friendly person who genuinely cares the well being of her fellow classmates. Moreover, she is passionate about the field and is genuinely excited to get out there and make a difference. I would not have made it through my first semester without her, and I continue to value her friendship and support.
Danielle Winn
Over her tenure in the MLIS program, Danielle Winn has consistently made positive social and professional contributions to the program. Throughout her schooling, she has been active in student groups and social and professional activities. This term, while balancing the academic commitments of this program and the demands of a teaching assistant, she has volunteered her time as MLIS Student Council Chair and Communications Representative for the student chapter of the CLA. In these roles she has helped to organize fundraisers and social events, and bring in guest speakers from the wider library community. Her warm, outgoing and fun personality certainly brightens the sterile halls of North Campus Building, and her enthusiasm for librarianship permeates all of her endeavours.
