Congratulations to the following December 2023 Employee of the Quarter winners:
Hamilton:
Michaela Perkins – 2 nominations
Michaela seems to know every child and teen who comes to our childrens’ department. She bonds with all of them and always makes them feel welcomed at Lane. Kids ask for her by name because they look forward to seeing Miss Michaela at the library. She’s also always willing to help wherever needed: taking time to explain things gently and thoroughly to patrons, helping coworkers with projects they’re swamped with, covering a quick bathroom break; you name it, Michaela is willing to help with it! Her sunny disposition makes her an incredible asset to Lane!
Cathy and I came up with a plan to reorganize the Children’s floor. I mentioned the plans to Michaela and she got it done in like 2 days when I thought it would take a week or two. Thank you Michaela!
Fairfield:
Kerri Doll
I appreciate everything Kerri does here at FFB. She is the book whisperer here, if it’s missing she’s going to find it!
Oxford/Smith:
Keely Moloney – OXB – 2 nominations
Keely’s kind nature and cheerful disposition are a treat for every patron that gets to interact with her. She offers patrons and staff great book, movie and TV recommendations (across many genres). Keely quietly takes care of many responsibilities at the branch. If she sees something that needs to be done, she jumps right in to help. It is always a pleasure to work with Keely.
Keely helps out with so many projects. She often takes on projects without even being asked, because she can see what needs to be done. She has a great rapport with patrons and is very friendly and helpful.
LAC/BKM/Tech Center:
Rylee Del Rio – Tech Center
Being the newest hire, Rylee has become a welcome presence in the workplace. Polite and always ready to assist, she’s been working hard to familiarize herself with everything we have available here to help out patrons the best she can when they come to her for help. She isn’t afraid to ask questions in order to find the quickest, most reliable way to make something happen.
Congratulations to this quarter’s winners! Each winner will receive their choice of 4 hours of vacation or a $50 gift card.
Congratulations to the following nominees:
Hamilton:
Jennifer Albinus
Jennifer is always a steady worker. She tends to the garden here at LPL, is always helpful and informative with patrons, is always willing to help cover shifts when needed, and always has a sunny disposition. Jennifer is the definition of consistency and kindness!
Megan Russo – 2 nominations
Megan is consistently a bright helpful light to our patrons as well as fellow employees. A delight to work with, or be helped by!
Megan is our most recent hire and she can never leave. She caught on to things quickly and is comfortable asking questions when she has them. Her coney drop offs are also greatly appreciated!
Amy Carmichael
Amy has been working hard to make some amazing adult programs. Her murder mystery program was a big hit, and I constantly hear about how people love her Only Murder at the Library program. Not only that, she’s a good friend to have at the workplace. She’s always willing to help.
Maria Falcon
Maria consistently works hard at providing a fun experience during her programs. The kids are always happy to see her, and the parents have mentioned how much they appreciate her.
Sammy Haven – 3 nominations
Even with an injured foot, Sammy is always cheerful and knocks out any and all tasks that need doing. We’re so lucky to have Sammy!
Sammy is an amazing Lane teammate. They are incredibly patient and work hard to create a welcoming environment for our patrons and our branch staff. Sammy is always ready to jump in and help out with anything that is thrown at them. As a newer addition to the Hamilton branch, I have felt so welcomed by Sammy and I’m grateful to have them!
I’ve asked Sammy to do some random things and they have done so with no complaints! Thank you for fluffing up the tree and boxing up some books!
Shyann Thomas
After our fall sale we had a TON of books that needed boxed up. I was overwhelmed with the amount and sent out an SOS to LPL. I did have a ton of responses but Shyann I was the first one I could show what to do. She basically went insane and boxed up 20+ books (with the help of Sammy Haven) and I am so happy. On a similar note, sorry John.
Fairfield:
Morgan Sackenheim
Starting this job in November, I had a lot of questions working in the reference department. She answered every single one and went out of her way to teach me as much as she could. Offering any advice and assisting me with any issues I had. She made this a smooth transition for me and it would have been a lot harder for me if she didn’t step up as much as she did.
Jen Neborak – 2 nominations – won June 2023
Jen is a super knowledgeable member of the circ team here at FFB! She is super fun to work with and always makes the boring days better. She’s great with the patrons and is always willing to go above and beyond to help!
Jen has been so helpful getting me caught up on the processes and procedures with coming back FT to FFB! She is funny, kind, and friendly with coworkers and with staff. I enjoy working with her!
Danielle White – 3 nominations – won September 2023
Dani is such a very important part of the circ team! She’s so good with the patrons and is always willing to help both patrons and her coworkers with whatever needs done! She does AMAZING work with the wellness committee and her efforts to boost staff morale is beyond appreciated!
Danielle has been so helpful and patient in catching me up with the various processes and procedures at FFB. She is always calm and collected – even when things can get busy and chaotic with multiple patrons needing help and programs going on! She is a joy to work with!
Danielle made us a delicious breakfast meal for a Wellness Friendsgiving event. It was so good and she spent a lot of time and work making it special for everyone.
Hannah Kuhn
Hannah has been so helpful in my time back with FFB! I have had many questions since I returned as FT, and Hannah is always quick to help me with whatever I need. She is kind and helpful with patrons, and she is great to work with!
Pam Giulliano
Pam is a great coworker. She is great with the patrons; friendly, patient and kind. She also was one of the main forces behind the effort to decorate the Christmas tree for the Community Art Center this year. Wow, did it ever turn out nice. She combed the shelves to find books on making ornaments out of old books and natural materials. She organized us into working on the decorations and did a ton of work herself. Her vision and hard work definitely paid off. The FFB tree is beautiful and unique and the family that gets to put it in their house will be happy to have such a wonderful tree that not only reflects the Lane Library but also the love that was put into it.
Adam Fisher
Adam routinely exhibits an advanced expertise in the collection and when approached with a problem he always has a solution for both patrons and staff alike. His ability to prepare and host exciting programs is a great asset to our community as is the knowledge he has for fellow staff to excel in their own programming. He always proves to be an irreplaceable part of our reference team and it’s a privilege to work besides him.
Michelle Marcus
Michelle is always willing to step in and help in every situation. She also lends her art skills to decorating signs for different programs. She’s such an important part of the FFB circulation team.
Oxford/Smith:
Alice Aherns Radlinski – OXB – won March 2023
Alice is extremely kind and helpful. She is full of knowledge and the sweetest coworker. From stepping in to help with random issues to helping with tricky patrons, we can always depend on her!
Caroline Williams – OXB
Caroline is a joy to work with, she’s always got a joke to make! She’s also extremely helpful with anything you ask of her. I love discussing our cats’ shenanigans!
Jackie Berberich – OXB – 2 nominations
Jackie treats her coworkers at the library very similarly to how we aim to treat our patrons at the Lane. That is, to say, that she always goes above and beyond when working with her colleagues and aims to help whenever she can. I will never forget her going out of her way to help me catch a ride to retrieve my keys when I locked myself out of my apartment. Go Jackie!
OXB is so fortunate to have Jackie on the staff. She is always friendly, helpful and creative. This fall she created outstanding bulletin boards for the youth services department, held many art programs that patrons thoroughly enjoyed and provided great reference assistance to our patrons.
Caitlin Campbell – OXB – 2 nominations
Caitlin is always ready for our questions, and she keeps us laughing while she answers them. She’s hard-working, creative, and inspiring.
Caitlin had a busy fall quarter with lots of outreach to schools, programs. partnered with a MU prof on a student assignment to help create a new theme for the Conscious Child Book Discussion kits and for the first time held an ILR Course on Children’s Literature for Grandparents. The ILR course was very well received and participants told me Caitlin was knowledgeable, fun and created ways for them to engage meaningfully with the course material. Caitlin does an outstanding job juggling lots of tasks and her story times are always top notch. Thank you for all that you do for the youth at OXB.
Patrick Hayes – OXB
We can always count on Patrick to keep an eye on the various collections in the building and let us know when it’s time to weed or redistribute materials. Plus he’s always willing to help out with this process. We are lucky to have him!
Sasha Levine – OXB
Sasha does an excellent job of meeting patrons’ needs in a professional manner. She is always ready to assist others in a kind manner. This fall she also provided the Oxford community with many outstanding programs.
Sue Brooks – OXB
Sue Brooks is a very enthusiastic person. She greets each patron with a smile and is always happy to help people out. Sue is always on the move throughout the Circulation Department.
Elizabeth Franz – OXB – 2 nominations – won Sept 2023
Liz is simply amazing. She handles so many projects at once. For the month of November she created a display honoring Veterans. It was so thoughtfully and respectfully done. Patrons commented on the display and participated in honoring veterans by writing their names on stars. It was both educational and interactive.
Elizabeth is an amazing librarian. I am constantly impressed by her knowledge, patience and professionalism. Elizabeth recently created a passive Veterans Day program in the lobby. It was wonderful to watch as patrons of all ages engaged with the many aspects of the display.
Kayleigh Swatzel – OXB
Kayleigh may be relatively new, but she already knows so much. She is quick with the computer and other technology. She works well with the patrons and is willing to answer questions quickly and in a professional manner. Plus she is a well of information on so many topics!
Haleigh Miller – OXB
Haleigh has jumped right in and will happily work on any projects that come her way. Her computer skills are great. She started out shelving and now does an excellent job in Circulation.
Taylor Maddox – OXB
Taylor is very knowledgeable in all things Circ. She pitches right in on any project that need to be done and gets it done quickly and accurately. She is a pleasure to be around for both patrons and employees.
Caroline Williams – OXB
Watching Caroline push a flat top cart with 20 pizzas on it across our parking lot, reminded me that she is always ready and willing to help. Whatever you need, whether it is serious or ridiculous, Caroline is there for you. Caroline is a great coworker and her contributions are part of what makes Oxford Lane such a fun place to work.
LAC/BKM/Tech Center:
Virginia Phelps – LAC – 4 nominations
Virginia is always consistently conscientious about whatever task she is undertaking. She can be counted on to follow through until the job is satisfactorily completed. It is a pleasure to work with her.
Virginia is so incredibly organized and always so helpful when I send her requisitions. She is also very thrifty and can often find items at a lower price. Virginia does so much for Lane; we are lucky to have her!
Virginia keeps everything running – no matter what! I’m often in awe of how she keeps organized and on top of it all. She’s knowledgeable and helpful about so much! I really appreciate all she does!
Virgina makes sure that we always get what we need to get our jobs done. She has a lot on her plate inside and outside of work but still is amazing at what she does. I am sure she is always being pulled in several directions and I just think she needs recognized for that. Thank you Virgina you truly are the glue that holds us all together. Thanks for all that you do I know we can all be demanding.