Celebrating Excellence: The Priscilla Neill Library Leadership Award

Initiated in 2005 through a gift from Priscilla Neill, former Associate Dean for Human Resources for the Libraries, the “Celebrating Excellence” award acknowledges and rewards exceptional leadership that advances the mission of the University of Cincinnati Libraries. The honorees for 2009 were:

• Janice Hutzler, Head of Accounting: The Most Outstanding Leadership Award for her many efforts that enhance the organization’s effectiveness, promote quality service, and improve productivity. Her nominators spoke of Janice’s exemplary work to merge the Donald C. Harrison Health Sciences Library’s accounting records and practices with that of the UC Libraries - a job she did with great efficiency and accuracy while keeping sound accounting practices at the fore every step of the way. Janice was described by one of her nominators as “always willing to try new methods and systems that improve efficiency and effectiveness for the entire organization.”
• Caryn Watts, Library Associate 2 in the Circulation and Multimedia Services Department: The Outstanding Leadership Award in recognition of her leadership in delivering e-reserves, her exemplary work with traditional print reserves, and for numerous collaborations with members of the UC faculty and library colleagues. Considered by many as the expert on all things reserves, Caryn is often called upon to solve complicated e-reserves issues or to stop everything to put an item on reserve needed immediately. UC faculty who come to the library for her assistance have come to rely on her “prompt and efficient service,” but also enjoy “a wonderful chat about gardening, music, or timely issues.”
• Erma Fritsche, Head of Library Information Technology: The Outstanding Leadership Award in recognition of her leadership that improves productivity. Specifically noted were Erma’s efforts to implement a common sign-on user name and password for the various IT services and functions available in the Libraries. The common sign-on has drastically reduced the common refrain previously heard from users throughout the Libraries of: “What do I use to log on here?” In addition, Erma was recognized for her dedication to providing quality IT service, passing what one nominator said should be the litmus test for prospective nominees of the award, namely: “Have they spent literally all night working in the library?,” “Do they have an electronic tether (a.k.a. pager) that could pull them back to the library at any time?,” and “Do they have a
  positive can do, will do attitude?”

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