UT Libraries Celebrates Staff During 2025 Spirit Awards Ceremony

The UT Libraries held its annual Spirit Awards ceremony on May 22. The yearly breakfast is an opportunity to recognize and honor the outstanding achievements of faculty, staff, and students who embody the spirit of excellence, innovation, and service within the UT Libraries.

For most awards, a committee of library staff members selects the winners from among those individuals nominated by their library colleagues.

The Undergraduate Student Award recognizes a student library assistant who frequently surpasses the responsibilities and expectations of their assigned role. The 2025 Undergraduate Student Award winner, Nick Valdez, in addition to exemplifying hospitality and reliability, takes on extra projects. When custom swag items were needed for Ag Day, he learned the 3D printing process so that he could confine production to his own evening and weekend shifts, thus minimizing disruption to 3D printing services.

The Graduate Student Award recognizes personal excellence in job performance and exceptional dedication to the mission of UT Libraries. Brooke Talley was touted as the “lynchpin” that keeps library operations running smoothly — taking on added responsibilities at times when Pendergrass Library lacked an evening supervisor and even single-handedly evacuating the library during a tornado warning.

The Library Unsung Hero Award goes to someone who works quietly behind the scenes to assure the success and smooth functioning of their unit. As the unit leader for Library Express, Unsung Hero Award winner Michael Lowe is a proactive problem solver — for instance, diligently tracking the continual relocation of university departments to assure that Library Express deliveries arrive promptly at the correct destination. 

The Rookie of the Year Award celebrates the remarkable achievements of a faculty or staff member who has been with UT Libraries for less than three years but has already demonstrated impressive drive, creativity, and initiative. The Rookie of the Year Award for Faculty went to Mikayla Wood, who has demonstrated remarkable achievements for an early-career librarian. Her accomplishments this year include creating a sustainable process for obtaining critical technical standards, assuring equal access to library support for users at the UT Space Institute, and authorship of several notable publications. As the new Pendergrass Public Service Manager, Lara Canner “hit the ground running and hasn’t slowed down since.” She received the Rookie of the Year Award for Staff for taking on projects such as improving the quality of electronic resource sharing, developing new event programming, and freeing up growth space in Pendergrass’s compact shelving by reviewing and deaccessioning thousands of items.

The Outstanding Faculty Member Award honors a faculty member who exemplifies excellence in librarianship. Honoree Shaina Anderson has built strong, lasting relationships with faculty in her subject areas. She has led and expanded Frederick Douglass Day activities over the past three years. And, for a new course on The History of Black Businesses in the United States, she introduced students to conducting research using primary source materials.

The Outstanding Staff Member Award recognizes a colleague who consistently exceeds expectations and demonstrates exemplary service. This year’s award winner, Josh Morgan, oversaw the complex migration of our digital collections to a new platform. He also trained and led a team of student library assistants who completed numerous digital initiatives, including scanning a backlog of theses and dissertations totaling more than half a million pages.

The Library Society Service Endowment for Extraordinary Customer Service honors an individual whose work within UT Libraries is a daily demonstration of extraordinary customer service. The colleague who nominated the 2025 honoree said of award winner Olivia Chin: “Whether collaborating on scholarly publications, refining copyright policies, or assisting students in navigating open resources, she ensures that every interaction promotes shared learning.”

This year’s Red and Theresa Howse and Jim and Betty Papageorge Library Scholarship was awarded to Elizabeth Nix. Elizabeth said of her time at UT Libraries: "Every time I meet with the students, I'm making an impact and difference in their lives. Connecting them with the resources and information they need to flourish makes the hard work we put into our outreach worthwhile."

The Paul E. Trentham, Sr. Library Partner Award goes to an individual outside the Libraries whose efforts have helped foster increased communication and visibility for our services on campus. This past spring, award winner Qiusheng Wu, an associate professor in the Department of Geography and Sustainability, invited UT Libraries to participate in the Open Science Workshop and Symposium hosted by the College of Arts and Sciences, giving us a new avenue to establish working relationships across campus and providing a platform to discuss open-access funding, open data, and available library services.

The Paul E. Trentham Sr. Teamwork Award is granted to a team that has successfully implemented a significant project over the past two years, positively impacting our Libraries. In February of 2024, the Medbery Makerspace opened. A group of talented staff members came together to not only set up the physical space and organize a wide range of equipment but also to create a foundation of policies, training materials, and instructional support that continue to empower our users today. Congratulations to the founding members of the Medbery Makerspace: Michelle Brannen, Katie Forgy, Woody Holmes, Trey Hobson, Connie Inman, Jared Sebby, Mina Shawky, Shelly O’Barr, and Paris Whalon.

The Paul M. and Marion T. Miles Innovation Award is presented to an individual or individuals whose creative thinking improves the internal efficiency or public services of the UT Libraries. Two awards were made this year. Each year, the EURēCA undergraduate research showcase triggers a massive increase in poster printing requests, causing delays, stress, and significant staff effort. This year, Innovation Award winner Samantha Ward negotiated with the Office of Undergraduate Research to secure centralized funding to cover poster costs for participating students — provided they submitted on time and printed standard-sized posters on plain paper. This strategic change significantly reduced costs, delays, and staff time. Innovation Award winner Sidney Gavel developed and delivered the Generative AI 101 workshop for all audiences across campus. The workshop demystifies the fundamentals of generative AI, offers a clear historical context, and shares practical strategies for responsibly using AI tools in higher education.

The Paul E. Trentham, Sr. Dean's Award for Excellence in Professional Performance is awarded to a faculty or staff member who has made significant contributions to the Libraries over a period of years. Award winner Richard Sexton has expanded and improved Pendergrass Library's 3D printing services, collaborated on 3D printing and technology projects with academic researchers, advised on developing makerspaces on campus and in the community, and devoted countless hours to learning the latest technologies to ensure our users receive nothing short of excellent, future-focused support.

Door prizes were provided by the Knoxville Ice Bears, Pygmy Harbor Farms, East Tennessee History Center, and Gus's Good Time Deli.

Congratulations to all Library Spirit Award winners!