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Dean Victoria A. Montavon (left)
presents the QSI Award to Alphonso Early (second to left) as
the QSI Award Committee (Dorris Jackson, Mikaila Corday, and
Becky Topmiller) looks on.
Photo by Melissa Cox Norris
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"Wow! I never thought I'd win! This makes my day--no, my year!"
Alphonso “Al” Early spoke these words of surprise and elation
as the Quality Service Initiative (QSI) prize team awarded him with
the Fall Quarter University Libraries’ QSI Award. Al is a Library
Assistant I in the Curriculum Resources Center (CRC), and has been with
University Libraries for 18 years, honing his quality service skills
in a variety of departments. Al started in the Conservation and Binding
Department. He then spent several years in Periodical Services before
moving to the CRC in 2001.
Al’s users and colleagues know him for his detail-oriented work
and for his practice of never letting a problem go uncorrected. Recognizing
that the success of the library largely depends on student assistants,
Al has made student training his forte. In addition to his exemplary
hands-on student training, Al has created training and reference manuals
that are organized, up-to-date, and always within reach as a secondary
resource for his student staff. CRC’s student assistants admire
Al, noting that his easy-going personality and methodical approach to
teaching them the ropes of the library make their work at CRC especially
enjoyable. “He makes us want to do a good job,” one of his
students said during the ceremony.
Anyone who’s been in the CRC may be daunted by the many types
of materials with multiple classification systems housed in the stacks,
everything from children’s books, games, toys, and teachers’
manuals to name just a few. Al insists on continual stacks maintenance
to ensure that this varied collection of materials is readily accessible.
Al also contributes to quality service by serving on many University
Libraries’ committees, including the Staff Advisory Committee,
the Quality Service Initiative Committee, and the Quality Service Award
Committee.
Al’s hard work and attention to detail result in satisfied users
and a happy, motivated staff of coworkers and student assistants. Congratulations
Al!
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