The UWM Libraries celebrated the 2021 recipients of the Janet and Carl Moebius Outstanding Achievement Awards during a virtual ceremony on January 19, 2022 with Provost Johannes Britz. Those honored for their exceptional service in 2021 were Svetlana Korolev, Jim Baxter, and Leah Button. The award winners were nominated by Libraries staff.
Svetlana Korolev Science Librarian, recipient of the academic staff award.
Svetlana has provided excellent reference, research support, and collection development expertise for the science disciplines since she arrived at the Golda Meir Library in 2001. Her proactive communications with faculty in the sciences have fostered faculty input on book collections, journal access and article delivery improvements, acquisition of databases, and goodwill with the library. An important member of the Libraries’ Scholarly Communications Team and Research Services Team, she also successfully manages the University Open Access Publishing Fund. Outside of the library, she has been an engaged member of the American Chemical Society—as an ACS Councilor, editor of the Chemical Information Bulletin, and peer-reviewer for manuscripts submitted to ASC publications.
Jim Baxter Circulation Assistant, recipient of the university staff award.
As second-shift Circulation Assistant, Jim “is the glue that holds a lot of the Golda Meir Library operations together, especially those that happen after most staff head home,” one of his nominators wrote. In addition to supervising Circulation Desk operations in the evening, which he accomplishes with kindness and wisdom, he also assists with Facilities, having taken on a mentorship role with student security guards, and saving the library from substantial losses by checking known trouble spots during severe weather events and reporting any issues. During the pandemic—and heightened stress among students and student workers—he has been a source of calm and constancy, helping to coordinate the library’s pick-up service and the building’s staged reopening.
Leah Button Physical Processing student worker, recipient of the student employment award.
A quick learner and an efficient, independent worker—and for a while, the only student employee in Physical Processing—Leah helped the unit manage large, pandemic-related backlogs, and developed new procedures for the intake of music and curriculum materials. Beginning her job at the Golda Meir Library just 12 months ago, she rapidly advanced to a lead position and now assists with the training of new student workers.