LSU Libraries recognizes three outstanding employees

On Friday, June 11, 2021, LSU Libraries bestowed three employees—Jacob Fontenot, Hayley Johnson, and Andrea Hebert—with awards as part of the 2021 LSU Library Staff & Faculty Awards. They were nominated by their colleagues and chosen by a committee to receive $1,000 each for the Library Staff Award, the Early Career Librarian Award, and the Carolyn H. Hargrave Senior Leadership Award respectively.

photo of two women and one man

Award winners (left to right): Hayley Johnson, Jacob Fontenot, and Andrea Hebert.

Lois Kuyper-Rushing, associate dean of public & collection services, describes these awards as an annual recognition of “…outstanding library employees who have made significant contributions to the LSU Libraries, the library profession, or who have served library users in unique ways.” The selection committee comprised of the following employees:

  • Sarah Simms, chair and undergraduate and student success librarian
  • Barry Cowan, assistant processing archivist
  • Jen Cramer, director of T. Harry Williams Center for Oral History
  • Mark Martin, public services librarian
  • Tasha McClain, government documents librarian
  • Winnie Schwaid-Lindner, digital preservation librarian

Each award recognizes a library faculty or staff member based on their position type and career level:

  • The Library Staff Award recognizes an LSU Libraries non-classified professional staff member who has demonstrated exceptional accomplishment in the LSU Libraries through job responsibilities, service to the Libraries, and to LSU. The recipient must have demonstrated outstanding achievement and maintained excellent relations with library employees and library users in their service to the LSU community.
  • The Early Career Librarian Award recognizes an LSU Libraries faculty member who has demonstrated exceptional accomplishment in the LSU Libraries through initiative, creativity, and ability to make a significant contribution to the library within the first six years of his or her career.
  • The Carolyn H. Hargrave Faculty Leadership Award recognizes an LSU Libraries faculty member who has demonstrated exceptional leadership through job responsibilities, research, and service.  The award is named in honor of Dr. Carolyn H. Hargrave, whose outstanding academic leadership in higher education provided a statewide network cooperative for resource sharing among Louisiana academic libraries.

Jacob Fontenot, head of the Interlibrary Loan (ILL) unit in the Access Services department, received the Library Staff Award. As head of ILL, he has guided, supported, and enhanced essential library services related to the borrowing of books, articles, audiovisual, and other materials by LSU students, faculty, and staff and resource sharing with other academic libraries who request to borrow similar materials from the Libraries. Most recently, Fontenot has served an instrumental role in the Libraries’ implementation of an expedited article delivery service that supplements traditional resource sharing.

He has also contributed to the library profession through two presentations: one as coordinator for “Interlibrary Loan in Turbulent Times” for the Louis Users Conference (LUC) in October 2020 and another as presenter of “Re-Working ILL Workflows in a Post-Big Deal Environment” to the Association for Southeastern Research Libraries (ASERL) in March 2020. It was also at LUC 2020 that Fontenot received the Excellence in Library Support Award from the LOUIS Libraries Consortium. He is from Eunice, LA, and has an MLIS, a BA in history, and a second BA in English literature from Louisiana State University (LSU).

Hayley Johnson, head of Government Documents, received the Early Career Librarian Award. An LSU alumna from Bourg, Louisiana, Johnson joined LSU Libraries in 2017, the same year as Fontenot. Her role is multifaceted in that she oversees the Libraries government documents collection and departmental operations; administers the federal depository program in Louisiana, which includes assisting depository libraries in fulfilling their roles in the program; and provides general reference and instruction in the use of both federal and Louisiana state documents. Johnson has been the recipient of several grants and awards that support the mission of the Libraries, often in collaboration with Sarah Simms. These grants and awards include:

Most recently, she, along with Sarah Simms and Art & Design Librarian Marty Miller, was also selected to join a cohort of 25 librarians from across the state to work alongside instructional designers in order to foster the creation of the Interactive Open Education Resources (OER) for Dual Enrollment program. This new program will aim to improve the quality of the dual-enrollment program and expand its availability for more high school students.

Andrea Hebert received the Carolyn H. Hargrave Faculty Leadership Award. She currently serves as the human sciences & education librarian but was originally hired in 2013 as a reference librarian. A former elementary school educator in East Baton Rouge Parish and editor-turned-coordinator in the former LSU Continuing Education Independent & Distance Learning (now LSU Online) program, she has been well-suited to her role supporting the teaching, research, and learning needs of the College of Human Sciences & Education and those who teach and learn at a distance. Last year, as the Libraries developed new policies and procedures in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Hebert, along with humanities & social sciences librarian Brittany O’Neill, led a Research and Instruction Services initiative to host individual instruction and group workshops virtually. They posted two public playlists that feature workshops and how-to videos onto the LSU Libraries YouTube Channel.

Most notably, Hebert has contributed to the library profession through numerous presentations and publications. She has presented at the Empirical Librarians Conference, LLA Conference, LUC, and the 17th Distance Library Services Conference, where she received the 2016 Distance Library Services Conference Award. She has been published in national and state publications such as Behavioral & Social Sciences Librarian, Evidence-Based Library and Information Practice, Louisiana Libraries, Journal of Library & Information Services in Distance Learning as well as co-authored the book chapter “Maximizing LibAnswers data to drive workflow processes” in Innovative LibGuides applications: Real-world examples (2016).

All recipients expressed sincere gratitude for this recognition from their colleagues and the Libraries. Fontenot reflected on the support that he receives from within Access Services, “It means so much to be recognized for this award. I want to thank the amazing ILL and Circulation teams. They made an incredible effort for our patrons during a challenging year. And thanks to all the library faculty and staff for being great colleagues and for supporting Access Services and our patrons.” Johnson states, “It is an honor to be this year’s recipient of the Early Career Librarian award. My colleagues at LSU Libraries are all outstanding and to be recognized from amongst this group of professionals for doing work that I enjoy is a privilege.” Hebert says, “It’s an honor to receive this award and to have my work recognized by my peers. I’d like to thank the mentors and colleagues I’ve had at LSU Libraries and at other institutions who have been so generous with their knowledge, advice, and support. They have each contributed to my growth as a librarian, and they are to thank for any success I’ve had.”

Although the 2020 awards were postponed due to campus closure (see awardees from 2019 and 2018), LSU Libraries was delighted to finally recognize and congratulate all three very deserving winners. Fontenot, Johnson, and Hebert represent not only the best of the Libraries but also LSU.

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Recent faculty publications

2022

Kelsey, Sigrid, ed. Fostering Student Success: Academic, Social, and Financial Initiatives, ALA Editions, 2022.

2021

O’Neill, Brittany. “Do They Know It When They See It?: Natural Language Preferences of Undergraduate Students for Library Resources,” College & Undergraduate Libraries. Volume 28, Issue 2 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1080/10691316.2021.1920535

O’Neill, Brittany and Rebecca Kelley. “Delivering Bad News: Crisis Communication Methods in Academic Libraries,” College & Research Libraries, Volume 82, Issue 3 (May 2021). https://doi.org/10.5860/crl.82.3.310

Connel, Ruth Sara; Lisa C. Wallis; David Comeaux. “The Impact of COVID-19 on the Use of Academic Library Resources,” Information Technology and Libraries. Volume 40, Issue 2 (2021). https://doi.org/10.6017/ital.v40i2.12629

O’Neill, B. (2021).”Three-layer primary source dip: Introducing history students to primary source research through active learning.” In The teaching with primary sources cookbook, edited by J. M. Porterfield, 16-18. Association of College & Research Libraries, 2021.

2020 

Blessinger, Kelly and Dave Comeaux. “User Experience with a New Public Interface for an Integrated Library System,” Information Technology in Libraries. Volume 39, Issue 1. https://doi.org/10.6017/ital.v39i1.11607

Cramer, Jennifer A. “First, Do No Harm”: Tread Carefully Where Oral History, Trauma, and Current Crises Intersect,” The Oral History Review, 47:2 (2020): 203-213, DOI: 10.1080/00940798.2020.1793679

Diamond, Tom, ed. The Academic Librarian in the Digital Age: Essays on Changing Roles and Responsibilities. McFarland, 2020.

Kelley, Rebecca and Mitch Fontenot. “Serving our Student Veterans in Louisiana,” Louisiana Libraries. Volume 82, Issue 2 (Spring 2020).

Kuyper-Rushing, Lois.A Thematic Index of Works by Eugene Bozza, A-R Editions, 2020.

Lounsberry, Megan. “Troubleshooting electronic resources from an ILL perspective,” Technical Services Quarterly, Volume 37, Issue 3.
https://doi.org/10.1080/07317131.2020.1768699

McDonald, Ebony. “2020 Regina Medal Recipient Christopher Paul Curtis,” Catholic Library World. 

Miles, John David.  “James Harrison and the Tensas Troubles of 1878,” Civil War Book Review: Volume 22, Issue 1 (Winter 2020).

Morgan, Randa Lopez. 2020. “Supporting Student Wellness and Success through the LSU Libraries Relaxation Room.Journal of Library Outreach and Engagement v. 1, no. 1: 104–115.

2019

Batte, Elizabeth; David Dunaway; Emily Frank; Sarah Mazur; and Laurie Phillips. “LOUIS Membership with Open Textbook Network Brings Incentive for Faculty OER Advocacy on Campuses,” CODEX: Journal of the Louisiana Chapter of the ACRL. Volume 5, Issue 3 (Fall/Winter 2019).

Borchardt, Rachel; Polly Boruff-Jones; Sigrid Kelsey; and Jennifer Matthews, “A Proposed Framework for the Evaluation of Academic Librarian Scholarship” (2019). Proceedings of the Charleston Library Conference.

Comeaux, Dave;  Emily Frank; and Mike Waugh. “Supporting Student Success: E-books as Course Materials,” CODEX: Journal of the Louisiana Chapter of the ACRL. Volume 5, Issue 2 (Fall/Winter 2019).

Dunaway, David. “Bibliometrics for Faculty Evaluation: A Stastical Comparison of h-indexes Generated Using Google Scholar and Web of Science Data,” CODEX: Journal of the Louisiana Chapter of the ACRL. Volume 5, Issue 3 (Fall/Winter 2019).

Haber, Natalie, Melissa Cornwell, & Andrea Hebert. “This worksheet works: Making the DLS Standards work for you,” College & Research Libraries News. 

Hawk, Amanda K. “Implementing Standardized Statistical Measures and Metrics for Public Services in Archival Repositories and Special Collections Libraries,” Proceedings of the 2018 Library Assessment Conference, (Association of Research Libraries, 2019): 836-843. https://doi.org/10.29242/lac.2018.78

Hebert, Andrea and Jodi Duet. “’I’m Really Confident I Can Find the Exact IKEA Pillow’: A Qualitative Look at the Search Self-Efficacy of Graduating MLIS Students,” Behavioral & Social Sciences Librarian. https://doi.org/10.1080/01639269.2017.1690891.

Lounsberry, Megan. “No Textbooks Allowed! (Unless You’re a Graduate Student!): Louisiana State University Pilots an ILL Textbook Service. Journal of Interlibrary Loan, Document Delivery & Electronic Reserve, 28 (3/4): 61–73. https://doi.org/10.1080/1072303X.2019.1676862

Miles, John David. “Colfax, Kate Grant, and the Domestication of Reconstruction’s Violence,” Civil War Book Review. Volume 21, Issue 2 (Spring 2019).

Miles, John David. “The Loyalty of West Point’s Graduates Debated,” Civil War Book Review. Volume 21, Issue 1 (Winter 2019).

Miller, Marty. “Curriculum, Departmental, and Faculty Mapping in the Visual Arts Department,” Art Documentation, Volume 38, Issue 1 (March 2019): 159-173.

Morgan, Randa L. “Libraries and Gardens: Growing Together.” Catholic Library World, Volume 90, Issue 1 (September 2019): 68.

O’Neill, Brittany; and  Allen LeBlanc. “Evaluating Trends in Instruction Scheduling Management: A Survey of Louisiana’s Academic Libraries,” CODEX: Journal of the Louisiana Chapter of the ACRL. Volume 5, Issue 2 (Fall/Winter 2019).

Russo, Michael, “The Moon Belongs to Everyone:  ResearchGate and Subscription Databases Compared.”  Louisiana Libraries. Volume 81, Issue 3, (Winter 2019).

Russo, Michael, “Information Literacy through Service Learning” in Library Collaborations and Community Partnerships: Enhancing Health and Quality of Life.  Fannie M. Cox, Henry R. Cunningham, and Vickie Hines-Martin, eds., 2019.

Simms, Sarah; Hayley Johnson. “Hidden in Plain Sight,” 64 Parishes (Magazine of the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities). Issue 4 (Summer 2019). https://64parishes.org/hidden-in-plain-sight.

Simms, S., & Johnson, H. Subtle activism: Using the library exhibit as a social justice tool, Alexandria, Volume 29, Issue 1-2 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1177/0955749019876119.

Ziegler, Scott; and Cara Key. “More Than a Pretty Interface: The Louisiana Digital Library as a Data Hub,” CODEX: Journal of the Louisiana Chapter of the ACRL. Volume 5, Issue 2 (Fall/Winter 2019).

Ziegler, S.L. “Digitization Selection Criteria as Anti-Racist Action,” Code4Lib Journal. Issue 45 (2019). https://journal.code4lib.org/articles/14667

Ziegler, S.L. and Steve Martin. “A Hidden Gem Becomes a Fertile Mining Ground: Historic Prison Admission Books and Data-Driven Digital Projects,” The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography Volume 143, Issue 3 (October 2019): 363-373.

2018

Hebert, Andrea. “Information Literacy Skills of First-Year Library and Information Science Graduate Students: An Exploratory Study,” Evidence Based Library and Information Practice Volume 13, Issue 3 (September 2018).

Miller, Marty. “Sacred vs. Profane in The Great War: A Neutral’s Indictment: Louis Raemaekers’s Use of Religious Imagery in Adoration of the Magi and Our Lady of Antwerp.” Catholic Library World, vol. 89, no. 1, Sept. 2018, pp. 20–32.

Rasmussen, Hans. “The Life and Death of Raquette in Nineteenth-Century New Orleans,” Sport History Review 49 (May 2018): 23-38.

Wilder, Stanley. “Delayed Retirements and the Youth Movement among ARL Library Professionals,” Research Library Issues, no. 295 (2018).

Wilder, Stanley. “Hiring and Staffing Trends in ARL Libraries,” Research Library Issues, no. 295 (2018).

Wilder, Stanley. “Selected Demographic Trends in the ARL Professional Population,” Research Library Issues, no. 295 (2018).

Ziegler, Scott; and Richard Shrake. “PAL: Toward a Recommendation System for Manuscripts,” Information Technology and Libraries, Vol. 37, No. 3 (2018).

2017

Caminita, C.; Cook, M.; and Paster, A. (2017). Thirty years of preserving, discovering, and accessing U.S. agricultural information: Past progress and current challenges. Library Trends, 65(3), 293-315.

Dauterive, Sarah; John Bourgeois; and Sarah Simms. “How little is too little? An examination of information literacy instruction duration for freshmen.” Journal of Information Literacy, 11.1 (2017): 204-219.

Fontenot, Mitch; Emily Frank; and Andrea Hebert. “Going Where the Users Are: Three Variations on a Theme,” Louisiana Libraries, Fall 2017.

Hawk, Amanda K. “Highflying Crowdfunding: Creating a Successful Partnership with a Campus Donor,” Archival Outlook, July/August 2017: 12-13, 19. https://www.bluetoad.com/publication/?i=422988.

Hebert, Andrea; and Marty Miller. (2017). Using FSA-OWI photographs to teach information and visual literacy. Louisiana Libraries, 79(3), 19–25.

Johnson, Hayley. “#NoDAPL: Social Media, Empowerment, and Civic Participation at Standing Rock,” Library Trends, Fall 2017.

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