(Winners each semester are indicated in italics.)

Fall 2007 Nominees

Gloria Liu embodies the spirit of librarianship because she is always willing to assist anyone who needs help whether through computer technology, research  assistance, or even directions. She is a team player, resourceful, intelligent, innovative and works very diligently whether at her job at the GRC, student research assistant or volunteering in a library at Hamilton. All of her duties are conducted with an exemplary and a positive attitude. What makes Gloria an excellent candidate for this award is her willingness to always assist others and she is always smiling.

Ainsley Zock. She is always ready to help a fellow student with a smile and a laugh.  She is also extremely active in student groups this term she is on the CLA board and student council, and still finds the time to do class and volunteer at the Pride Library.  I think that she is a great person who really deserves this award.

Rebekah Schmidt. Although this is only her first semester, in classes she is not only truly passionate about the MLIS field, but also about user services and putting the user's needs above other library goals and purposes.  She's a very hard worker and is always willing to speak out in class about issues and also to help classmates in any way possible.  From the more practical perspective, I'm confident she'll complete her program with the same persistence and passion that she's demonstrated in a couple of short months!

I'd like to nominate Iona Reid for the SOL award. I think she really works hard with regard to all matters concerning the student body as a whole. She is dependable, reliable and always willing to assist. As well she is a great team player, who has no problem going the extra mile to help others.

Sarah Camm has proven herself to be a dedicated student at FIMS over the past three semesters. She has been a member of Student Council since her first term and has done a wonderful job as Council Chair this term. She participates actively in classes and shows dedication to both the faculty and the profession.

I would like to nominate Kristen Wood for the Spirit of Librarianship Award. A well-travelled, bilingual, lifelong learner with a proven history of instruction, Kristen is critical when necessary but simultaneously enthusiastic and encouraging to others. Last but not least, Kristen will often surprise you with her oddball (yet always positive) humour, and although she has been known to wear her hair in a bun, she could never be accused of or mistaken for contributing to a library stereotype.

I want to nominate Kate Scheiers. I think she represents the Spirit of Librarianship because of her sincerity and willingness to help others. As a service based profession I think this attitude is essential. Also, her involvement in Library Associations reflects her commitment to the profession.

 

Summer 2007 Nominees

Barb Janicek
I nominate Barb Janicek. This is her last term at FIMS. She displays an extremely positive attitude, in spite of being busy with council, midterm feedback sessions and a full course load. She is more than willing to help out with any questions, and is always a wealth of knowledge. She is definitely an excellent candidate for the Spirit of Librarianship award.

Barb is a wonderful person who goes above and beyond in everything that she does. She took it upon herself this year to revise the feedback sessions and did a wonderful job at it.  Furthermore Barb is always willing to help out a fellow student no matter what their problem maybe. It is my opinion that Barb will make a wonderful librarian and succeed at everything that she wants to do.

Jennifer Maddock
I would like to nominate Jennifer Maddock for the Spirit of Librarianship award. For the entire time I have known her, both as a fellow student and a friend, she has never failed to be there with a kind word or a helping hand. She has matched many of us with peer-to-peer and professional mentors with her commendable and tireless work on the mentorship committee. Whether she's helping out with the CLA or offering support and encouragement in class, she does it with enthusiasm and general caring. With her desire to listen and help, always with a smile on her face, she personifies the spirit of librarianship.

Catherine Richmond
I'm nominating Catherine because of her work with CLA, her additional enthusiastic participation in non-CLA activities, her overall helpfulness and friendliness as an MLIS student, and the strong work ethic that she has shown in her course work.

Jessica Olliver
I would like to nominate Jessica Olliver for the Spirit of Librarianship Award. She contributes to the CLA above and beyond her official role as treasurer. I first met her during my orientation and she provided a wealth of friendly information. She exemplifies leadership and generously provides help whenever needed. If this award is for peer support, this is your recipient! Thank you for your consideration.

Elizabeth Sander
As an upper-term MLIS student, Elizabeth has given her first-term peers superb support by offering helpful advice for our study and time management strategies. Her steadfast and caring presence, her positive collegial support and her readiness and generosity to help have made a great difference to me and others in the first term of the MLIS program. It is certainly a blessing to have Elizabeth as our classmate. Therefore, I strongly believe that Elizabeth exemplifies the spirit of librarianship

Jenny Smith
I nominate Jenny Smith for her great job as head of Librarians Without Borders.

Jen Easter
I would like to nominate Jen Easter. Not only is Jen the current chair of the CLA Student chapter, but she remains enthusiastically involved in many aspects of librarianship. She is always willing to lend a helping hand, whether she's organizing activities, giving her all in class (Jen's handout creating skills can be surpassed by no other), or just supporting her friends and colleagues. Jen has shown a commitment to the profession since the beginning of her time in the MLIS program and continues to exude qualities that will make her a fantastic librarian.

Winter 2007 Nominees

Matthew Bingham
Everybody knows Matt, because he makes an effort to be everybody's friend. He works part-time at the GRC, and always has a smile on his face. He's the class clown, and always makes us laugh!

Peter Bladlund
 Peter is one of those people who stand out in the MLIS program. He is a very supportive person, whether you're his partner for a project or a classmate. In a team environment, he doesn't sweat the small stuff, believes in the capabilities of his group members, and is very personable. He always goes the extra mile to help people, and what I find the most encouraging about Peter is the fact that he reaches out to you FIRST when you're having assignment difficulties in comparison to you reaching out first. This is the type of nature Peter has, rare to find, and appreciated by all in his presence.

Chantale Boileau
 Chantale Boileau should be rewarded with the Spirit of Librarianship Award because she has demonstrated exceptional commitment to the profession. Throughout her time at FIMS Chantale has been on the Executive of Librarians without Borders and the Student Chapter of the Canadian Library Association. She works hard to share current information, and is a great resource for jobs in the Ottawa area. She is also a great person to work with, she is always going out of her way to make life easier for others.

Rachel Chan
 Since her first semester at FIMS, Rachel has been very active in extra-curricular activities and has even worked as a Job Web Assistant. She’s been the SOGS Rep for the Student Council and has worked to increase the success of the CLA’s Peer to Peer and Professional Mentorship Program through her role as a participant on that committee. She’s also very involved with Ask Ontario, a major initiative dedicated to creating a 24hr. virtual reference service for Ontarians. Rachel will be an accomplished librarian one day in the very near future and is deserving of this award.

Erin Fields
 Erin Fields has been a positive presence in this program since she arrived. She is always smiling or laughing, and is always there for comfort or cheering up when it is needed. She is the rep for the Archive Association, is a member of CLA, and is currently the chair of Librarians Without Borders. Erin truly represents everything which the Spirit of Librarianship award stands for.

Natasha Hesch
 She is friends with everyone in the class (of first term) and always has a smile for everyone, and has gotten to know upper-term students as well. She is doing very well in her classes and asks intelligent questions in class. She is a great combination of friendly, fun and studious and is always willing to lend a hand to fellow students.

Michelle Lake
 Testimony One:
I would like to nominate Michelle Lake for the Spirit of Librarianship Award. Michelle has been an inspiration to many fellow library students -- her love of the profession is communicated through her enthusiasm and her activism, in short her infectious spirit of librarianship!
This semester, Michelle organized a reading and awareness campaign for the Faculty of Information and Media Studies in support of Freedom to Read Week, receiving coverage in the UWO community -- and was an eloquent host and participant in this successful event.
In addition, Michelle has been an active participant on the MLIS Student Council, responsible for a housing blog, an especially useful tool for students who come and go on co-op in this program -- providing access to information for the rest of us...
Michelle builds community & promotes discussion in this program (where interests are diverse!) through her regular communications with colleagues, through email and through her blog "Yarns from M" -- drawing our attention to controversies and new innovations. (see: http://msmeshell.blogspot.com/) Active in attending conferences, Michelle eagerly shares information and excitement with her fellow students. She fires off emails and letters to support access to, and widespread use of, our libraries. Michelle Lake deserves the Spirit of Librarianship Award this semester as she has proven herself to be an excellent communicator, defender of the profession, and exemplary student in this program.


Testimony Two:
Even if you haven't had the pleasure of getting to know Michelle Lake personally, or met her in one of the various activities she has coordinated and attended, you probably still know her name from the many emails she has sent, sharing information that she feels the MLIS population would be interested in or benefit from. Michelle is all about sharing information, whether by email, on her well-maintained and relevant blog, or over a cup of coffee in the Grad Club. But it's not just because she is a true information professional that she exemplifies the Spirit of Librarianship. Neither is it just because she has sat on Student Council each term, representing her peers and helping them with housing issues. Nor is it just because she organizes events, like the Freedom to Read Week reading, or because she attends events and encourages others to participate (she is a faithful attendee at Trivia Nights). It's not just because she takes advantage of professional development opportunities (having attended the CLA conference in 2006 and OLA in 2007). Michelle isn't worthy of the nomination only because she manages to juggle working at London Public Library with a full MLIS course load, with academic success, or because she has worked in libraries in Hamilton, London, and Guelph. No, it's not for any of those reasons alone. Michelle Lake exemplifies the Spirit of Librarianship because she does ALL of those things, with a smile on her face, a positive attitude, and a willingness to help her fellow students every step of the way. She is genuinely passionnate about librarianship. She has contributed to every aspect of the program and is committed to the profession, to FIMS, to her studies, and to her peers. That is why Michelle deserves the nomination.

Jessica Olliver
Testimony One:
 Ms. Olliver is very engaged with the student community and has a great interest in the MLIS program and its ties to the professional community. Ms. Olliver has been a SOGS rep for Student Council since September, and she is hoping to become more involved with council this summer.Ms. Olliver is also an active member of OLA and currently working to get a student chapter at FIMS. At the moment, she is contemplating having an “OLA Day” once a term where students could focus on professional issues such as resume building, interview skills, networking, etc.

Testimony Two:
Jess Olliver deserves the Spirit of Librarianship Award because of all she does to make the library school experience more enjoyable for her peers. She is a very active member of the Student Chapter of the CLA, and participates in planning and running fun events. She also worked with the Student Council to bring guest speakers to FIMS this semester. It’s amazing, but Jess also finds the time to act as a MLIS SOGS Rep. Jess is always thinking of ways to serve and help others and is truly committed to librarianship.

Megan Potts
Megan would be a deserving recipient of this award for a number of reasons--she is an articulate and constructive contributor to class discussions, is always willing to take time to assist fellow students, and is a positive influence on anyone and everyone she meets. Megan epitomizes the ideals of the profession with her helpful attitude, her interest in learning, and the courtesy with which she treats both students and instructors alike. Megan is a leader and role model to her fellow students, is both bright and hardworking, and she represents all the most positive aspects of Western's MLIS program. For these reasons, she deserves this nomiantion for Western's Spirit of Librarianship Award.

Tina Steed
Testimony One:
 As past Chair of the CLA, Tina successfully increased membership and made innovative changes to the executive. She has been an active member of the CLA her entire time at Library School and is currently serving as the Treasurer. Additionally, Tina has been active on the Student Council and currently serves as a Social Rep. Tina is always willing to help out fellow students, and exemplifies the spirit of our profession.

Testimony Two:
Tina was my peer mentor during my first term here (September - December 2006) and we have been friends since the first day we met. In fact, even before I arrived on campus, Tina answered my panicked email and IM messages daily, and answered them thoroughly and honestly. She is an incredibly warm and friendly person who genuinely cares the well being of her fellow classmates. Moreover, she is passionate about the field and is genuinely excited to get out there and make a difference. I would not have made it through my first semester without her, and I continue to value her friendship and support.

Danielle Winn
Over her tenure in the MLIS program, Danielle Winn has consistently made positive social and professional contributions to the program. Throughout her schooling, she has been active in student groups and social and professional activities. This term, while balancing the academic commitments of this program and the demands of a teaching assistant, she has volunteered her time as MLIS Student Council Chair and Communications Representative for the student chapter of the CLA. In these roles she has helped to organize fundraisers and social events, and bring in guest speakers from the wider library community. Her warm, outgoing and fun personality certainly brightens the sterile halls of North Campus Building, and her enthusiasm for librarianship permeates all of her endeavours.

Fall 2006 Nominees

Emily Gusba
Emily is energetic and friendly in class.  She has helped organize extra-curricular activities for our class and eagerly supports other peoples ideas.  She worked hard to make class sweatshirts. Emily is good at working with others and is always helpful.

Iona Henderson
Iona is always cheerful, outgoing and energetic every time I see her.  She is always there to listen to anyone who has problems and is heavily involved in councils.  Her positive attitude and genuine concern for everyone makes her an awesome person to be around and work with.  Her tireless attempts to expose MLISers to the professional and social side of librarianship should earn her the spirit award.  As a member of the peer mentoring committee, she has spent countless hours connecting us with working professionals.  Iona also works to build connections between students, through her coordinating work with the peer mentorship group.  Her efforts on the social committee include trying to convince us that even if we are in library school, we should still have the occasional evening off.  Even better, she gives out food to her classmates!  Iona once came to class with home-smoked Pacific salmon, fresh off the plane from the west coast.

Lindsay Holdsworth
Put simply, Lindsay is a dynamo.  In addition to taking five classes per semester for each of the last three semesters (and maintaining an honour roll average overall), she's worked a part-time job at the London Public Library and volunteered on a number of student organizations in high-commitment, high-responsibility positions including Treasurer for CLA and Chair of Student Council.  When we met with our Advocacy professor earlier this term, the professor observed that the professor observed that she felt like she was teaching at least three future CLA Presidents.  I don't know who the other two people she was referring to were but I am pretty sure Lindsay
was the third one!

Dave Hudson
I'd like to nominate Dave Hudson.  He is a great classmate who is enthusiastic, inquisitive, very helpful, friendly and an all around good student.  The job of a librarian- we are taught, is to find information for information seekers.  He has helped many in my class by sharing his knowledge with those of us who may be lacking it with regards to assignments.  I think he would be a wonderful candidate for this award.

Barb Janicek
I'm nominating Barb Janicek for the Spirit of Librarianship award. Barb is a dedicated student and a supportive colleague. Always there with a helpful suggestion, a sympathetic ear or just a videotape of your favourite show (that you missed, because there's no time!); Barb represents what is great about the MLIS program. Barb's advocacy on behalf of her fellow students is inspirational, as is her attention to detail and strong work ethic. Her calm demeanor and good humour make her an excellent future librarian and a valuable fellow-student.

Michael McAlpine
I would like to nominate Michael McAlpine for the Spirit of Librarianship Award.  Michael has no previous experience in libraries and from the beginning of the semester he has shown enthusiasm for learning about librarianship and a dedication to the ideals of the profession.  He is an eager, hard-working guy who is always willing to help someone in need and he is excited about his future in the field.  Michael loves the MLIS Program and his devotion to both his studies and the profession of librarianship is inspiring to those around him.  

Megan Potts
I would like to nominate Megan Potts of section 002.  She is always attentive in class, she always participates in class discussion and offers extra insight into course material. She is very friendly and very enthusiastic about being in this program. She offers help whenever asked for it.

Magda Skowran
I'd like to nominate Magda Skowran because she embodies the energy and optimistic attitude that I think librarians should have.

Gillian Webster
I'd like to nominate Gillian Webster for the Spirit of Librarianship.  I feel that Gillian exemplifies the true spirit of library and information science through her dedication to organizing social outings for the stressed out students of this programme.  We all work hard at our studies, and often it is refreshing to get out with our colleagues and friends and blow off some steam.  From my past experiences on student council I know how much time and effort goes into organizing these events.  Gillian has also been responsible for fundraising within the MLIS programme, and takes time to attend and support social events including the trivia nights on Wednesday evenings, and the speakers that are brought in by the MLIS administration for lectures.  As well, she is an active member of her community, working part-time at the London Public Library, and publishing short stories in some campus feminist publications.  For these reasons I feel she is an ideal candidate for the Spirit of Librarianship this semester.

Summer 2006 Nominees

Boldt, Gabe
Gabe Boldt is a wonderful person and exudes the spirit of librarianship.  He has actively participated in the student council for this semester as the SOGS rep.  As the SOGS rep, he attended meetings and recruited many MLIS’ers to join him.  Overall, I nominated Gabe because I think he has done an excellent job of participating in many events and showing the true spirit of librarianship.

Bussiere, Linda
In my opinion, Linda exemplifies librarianship at its best because she is passionate about the profession, generous with her knowledge, and very supportive of her fellow students. Furthermore, she actively participates with both the MLIS community and the community at large, and volunteers for numerous programs such as the Freedom to Read Week, and the Student Council Coffee House.

Dupont, Quinn
Quinn embodies many of the qualities of the ideal librarian - whether it is enabling access to information by sharing digital versions of readings with his classmates or by raising awareness by running a movie series that is focused on librarians and library-related issues.  Beyond this, Quinn has a deep intellect and a collegial manner.  One classmate summed up his presence like this: "Did you ever notice that Quinn's the only one of us, who, when he puts up his hand to make a point in class, everybody stops typing or daydreaming and pays attention?"  Finally, although it is only in the planning stages right now, his idea to do a "Captain Commons" comic book in response to Access Copyright's biased and library-unfriendly "Captain Copyright" character is a stroke of genius that I'm sure will show another side of the copyright debate and garner much attention from the wider library community, across Canada and the beyond.

Fyfe, Bruce
Bruce has the spirit of librarianship because he is friendly to everyone and he puts in extra effort with the Special Libraries Association to bring in guest speakers.

Peters, Jay
Jay has a ready smile; his laugh fills the NCB with warmth.  He is welcoming to all, encourages us all to be our best, and is a wonderful communicator.  He is always ready to lend a hand.  Jay has served two terms on the student council, and will be graduating in August.

Remillard, Tracy
Tracy was student council chair this past semester and with her help the council had one of its most successful semesters ever.  It comes as no surprise, as Tracy is a wonderful leader.  She lets others decide for themselves without interfering, and is very secure in her own likes and dislikes, is fair to everybody, and gives off a positive feeling everywhere she goes.  Tracy is finishing her studies in London and will be returning to work in Ottawa.

Smith, Mark
Mark came into the MLIS programme with significant work experience as a library technician and I have noticed that he has demonstrated an eagerness time and again to share his knowledge with his classmates. In addition to his helpfulness, Mark's sense of humour has also made a positive difference to the studying environment.

Thibault, Michael
Mike Thibault is a well deserving candidate for the Spirit of Librarianship award.  Mike has always been willing to assist fellow students by offering a hand or by sharing his knowledge and library work experiences.  Mike’s active involvement in Student Council, his relaxed good nature and generous involvement in social events has helped to create a pleasant atmosphere and has made the MLIS experience a memorable one.


Baird, Catherine; Jansen, Becky; and Liebregts, Daniella

(Note: you cannot vote for the group, only one individual)

I'd like to nominate the three co-chairs, operations, of Librarians Without Borders, Catherine Baird, Becky Jansen, and Daniella Liebregts,
and propose that we give the first ever joint Spirit of Librarianship award.  These three students have numerous individual strengths but it's
through their work together as a group that they've really made an outstanding contribution over the last couple of terms.  I feel that they
really demonstrate the spirit of librarianship at its finest.

Since Melanie Sellar graduated, LWB has been in a state of flux, poised to move beyond an internal FIMS-student-organized nonprofit to a larger organization with registered charity status and a much broader community. The work that's been done toward making this transition couldn't have been done without these three keeping things going with the current and new MLIS students and also reaching out to current and potential members around the world.

Daniella has been membership co-ordinator since 2005 and Catherine and Becky took over as communications co-leads in January 2006.  Together these three have been the on-the-ground managers of LWB operations, as well as being the public faces of the organization.  They have managed the day-to-day operations of LWB and recruited and managed volunteers, interns, and work study students.  They've created fundraisers and managed to keep the spirit alive despite their own heavy workload and the heavy workloads of the students they've been trying to recruit.

All three have taken leading roles in planning and co-ordinating the Sponsor-A-Book fundraising campaign, which we hope will ultimately provide books for a community library in Angola.  Their jobs have involved liaising with other educational, non-profit and government organizations both in Canada and in Angola and have included quite a lot of p.r. work here at FIMS and abroad.  They have promotions within the university and within the city, and were responsible for a very successful poster presentation at the 2006 CLA conference in Ottawa.

Together they've really kept LWB going and, more than that, thriving. They've created newsletters and updates, created and maintained a database of members, managed volunteers, organized guest speakers, planned the transition from nonprofit organization to charitable organization and attended to all of the requisite legal and financial details, answered questions, made presentations, provided advice and input on the creation of a digital resource centre for the LWB site, twisted arms for karaoke, and a thousand other jobs that none of us see.

I think the thing that impresses me the most is that even when things are looking completely unmanageable, they manage to find the reservoir of strength to go on, and to go on with a smile.  Despite many LWB ups and downs over recent months, the three have maintained an excellent working relationship that is characterized by maturity, respect and good humour. Disagreements have been negotiated, differing opinions sought out, and compromises reached.  All this while carrying on MLIS course loads and other responsibilities.

(No blurbs were collected previous to Summer 2006)