UT Libraries and librarians were honored with several awards this spring.

The Libraries’ Diversity Committee received this year’s Dr. Marva Rudolph Diversity and Interculturalism Unit Excellence Award. Thura Mack accepted the award on behalf of the committee at the Chancellor’s Honors Banquet on April 17. Our Diversity Committee was recognized for having “demonstrated continual campus leadership in diversity through professional development, educational programs, and wellness events, as well as through diversity-centered research presented at the local, state, and national level.” The Diversity Resident program and the “Difficult Conversations” lunch-and-learn series were also mentioned.

The Student Government Association named the UT Libraries their SGA Campus Partner of the Year for 2017-18. Rachel Caldwell accepted the award at SGA’s Transition Ceremony on April 26. The UT Libraries was recognized for collaborating with SGA to encourage the use of open educational resources (OER) in university courses. Open textbooks, one type of OER, can be read online for free, potentially saving each student hundreds of dollars a year. Together, SGA and the Libraries have been tracking the savings from adoptions of open textbooks. During the 2017-18 academic year, UT instructors who adopted open textbooks in their courses saved students almost $750,000.

Holly Dean was honored April 11 with the Faculty Environmental Leadership Award for her efforts in starting a seed library, a project for students to learn hands-on about sustainable gardening practices. The award was conferred by the Committee on the Campus Environment, a program of the Office of Sustainability.

Holly Mercer was recognized for “Extraordinary Collaborations in Research Compliance and Safety” by the UT Office of Research and Engagement at their 3rd annual Research Integrity and Compliance Awards in February.

Ken Wise was recently a guest of honor at the Department of Religious Studies end-of-semester awards ceremony for students and faculty. He was presented with the Department of Religious Studies Certificate of Appreciation for his work as the liaison librarian to Religious Studies faculty.

Award ceremonies, top to bottom: Dr. Marva Rudolph Diversity and Interculturalism Unit Excellence Award; Faculty Environmental Leadership Award; Research Integrity and Compliance Awards; Department of Religious Studies