Congratulations to the following September 2021 Employee of the Quarter winners:
OXFORD/SMITH
Rebecca Evans – OXB – 3 nominations
I nominate Rebecca Evans for September employee of the month. Her skill at creating and delivering quality adult programming is exemplary. She is our “in-house” local historian who patrons seek out for help in locating information as well as just asking where to start their search. During this crazy past year, Rebecca has been OUR go to staff member when we are short staffed. I’ve not known her to say NO once. A worthy employee.
Rebecca Evans has been an asset to the Lane Library for many years. Her personal knowledge of local history is amazing. She has shared her knowledge in the well researched historical programs that she has presented throughout her library career. She has taught high school, worked for the forestry service, and is an active in farming; which adds to her ability to work with many patrons and cover many topics. She is a real gem.
Rebecca Evans is an excellent reference librarian who is always there when you need her. She is not afraid to work in other departments and willing to pick up extra shifts when we need the help. Rebecca is willing to do anything necessary to ensure the library functions smoothly (including the dreaded “dead bird duty”).
Rebecca has a strong sense of community and a treats each patron with respect and outstanding customer service. Her programs are truly amazing and informative and have earned her a local following. She even presented her “Passionate Patriotism: Women and the Revolutionary War” program for the Oxford Rotary last week!
Rebbeca Evans is always going above and beyond for her patrons and her co-workers. Thank you, Rebbeca, we appreciate your professionalism and kindness.
HAMILTON:
Jeff Baker
Jeff has been busy this summer, not only with his teen programs, but with helping out with storytimes and making videos. I think he has found his calling behind a camera.
FAIRFIELD:
Odalis Jimenez – 2 nominations
Odalis has put in so much hard work planning Fairfield’s Hispanic Heritage Festival. She has also taken initiative to create more Spanish-speaking materials, including offering a webinar of Spanish-speaking resources for our patrons. She and April have been collaborating on how to make Fairfield’s relationship with its Hispanic community the best it can be!
Odalis is such a hardworking and dedicated staff member. Sometimes I forget that she is only part time!
Her work in planning the Hispanic Heritage Festival at FFB is very impressive. Odalis has been able to connect with a number of community partners, including a group of Hispanic Engineers at GE.
She is always looking for new program ideas and ways to support the community! We are extremely lucky to have Odalis at Lane!
LAC/BKM/Tech Center:
Matthew Leffler – LAC
Matthew has been a HUGE help here at the Tech Center. Not only has he been an invaluable resource when it comes to helping train all our new folks when Amanda Chafin and I are seeing to other duties, but he’s also working tirelessly to figure out how to properly set up our new laptops so they will be ready for our Fall programs. The Tech Center would not have survived the lean months if not for his help and willingness to jump in whenever something comes up, and I hope he knows how much we all love having him here.
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:
Oxford:
Alice Ahrens Radlinski – Oxford
Alice is a font of knowledge and is invaluable to the Circ team here (and she knows her reference stuff as well!). Any question I ask, she either has the answer or takes the initiative to figure it out. She doesn’t give up on difficult situations–she takes them head-on. She’s also a wonderful person to work with due to her kindness, patience, and humor. I don’t know what I would do without her!
Hamilton:
Emily Mays
Emily has really risen to the occasion of becoming Circulation personnel after years as a shelver. She is such a pleasure to be around and works so hard, no matter what task she’s undertaking. She makes the library a brighter place!
Robyn Pittenger
For most of the summer, Robyn has picked up an extra shift to shelve at Bookmobile which has been helpful. Even if she has to shelve E Fiction for 5 hours straight, she is always willing to help and it is very appreciated.
Camille Dainton
Camille has worked her butt off organizing our supply closet and all our desk areas. I had no idea how disorganized we were until she started working her magic! Finally, we don’t have to think about where to find things.
Kelly McKewin – 2 nominations
Kelly is detailed oriented, has a ‘can do’ attitude, is a great researcher and addition to the Cummins Room team, and overall just has a good sense of humor with her co-workers. She has been a great employee and we feel very lucky to have her!
Kelly quickly learned how to use the resources in the Cummins Room and has done a great job using these resources to assist patrons and conduct historical research.
Alex Scales
Alex has consistently gone above and beyond helping patrons with the Cummins Room and working on reference requests related to local history and genealogy.
Michaela Perkins
This quarter Michaela has taken on every, and I mean EVERY, project that I have given her. She is always quick to finish them and looking for the next one. Thank you Michaela!
Fairfield:
Missy Thompson
Missy is always hard working and dedicated. She has an extraordinary eye for detail and is an excellent person to ask for a different viewpoint. She constantly demonstrates excellent customer service and has been a wonderful mentor to new staff.
Mary Carroll
Mary is such a positive person and so pleasant to work with. She provides quality customer service and is a great mentor for new staff.
Abriljoanna Huerta – 4 nominations
April has put in so much hard work planning Fairfield’s Hispanic Heritage Festival. She has been connecting with so many different organizations for this event, and we know it’s going to be a huge hit. And April has made it so much easier to connect Lane with its Hispanic community.
April has done an amazing job organizing the Lane Teen Discord Server. She worked with other teen staff to develop the guidelines for it and led a training for teen staff who were not familiar with how to use Discord.
Discord is a great way for us to connect with teens who may not be able to visit the library in person, and April’s knowledge of technology and teen interests has been incredibly beneficial to the library.
I’ve had the privilege of working alongside April for the Hispanic Heritage Festival and it has been such a wonderful experience. April’s commitment to making the Library a more inclusive space, where everyone feels welcome and celebrated is something worthy of praise. I admire her hard work and tenacity. I can’t wait to see all the amazing things I know she will accomplish! Way to go April!!
Between coordinating with community leaders (and Odalis) on the upcoming Hispanic Festival, working with Sarah on the new Teen Discord Server, and getting involved with LGBTQ+ community organizations, April is absolutely killing it right now! I’ve been so impressed with her professionalism and drive to make Lane Libraries a better place for all. Even if she doesn’t win, she deserves some recognition for all her hard work.
Jennifer Bonnlander
With support staff coming and going Jen has been very reliable in getting things done and showing others the ropes. Her bright personality makes mornings brighter. Jen’s hard work each day helps us hit the ground running here and we are very grateful to be her coworkers.
Savannah Usher – 2 nominations
She is so amazing with patrons! She keeps calm and helps them as much as she can. She is such a sweetheart and a great person to work with.
Savannah is always so kind, patient and attentive to patrons. She takes the time to listen and goes to extra mile to ensure that the patron leaves pleased. Savannah also has a keen eye for detail and she’s great mentor for our new staff and collaborator with the circ team.
Morgan Sackenheim – 2 nominations
Morgan goes above and beyond as a member of the reference team. The upcoming adult newsletter is coming together almost entirely as a result of her superior efforts. Further, she puts a lot of time and effort into producing online content for the library, which is essential during these uncertain times.
Morgan made these awesome videos detailing book covering and John’s day. They were great and really gave us a lot of information. Also, she stated selected the mystery books that we get and those have really been circulating! Great job!
Michelle Marcus
Michelle always has a great, positive attitude and offer quality service to our many patrons. She is a true asset to our team.
Jen Tanaka
Jen is such a positive ray of sunshine. I always look forward to the boost of positive energy she brings with each shift. It is a pleasure to work with her.
Danielle White
Danielle is always helpful and friendly to staff and patrons alike. She serves as a great mentor to our newer staff and is a valued member of our team.
Pam Giuliano
Pam is always so patient and kind. Patrons and staff alike appreciate her calm, positive and gentle approach to sometimes challenging situations.
Laura Barnette
If you are not sure of the answer to a question, chances are Laura might know. She’s a champion Librarian, the Weeding Queen, and a truly kind, compassionate human and co-worker.
LAC/BKM/Tech Center:
Virginia Phelps – LAC – won December 2020
Virginia went well beyond her job responsibilities by helping us find a very affordable solution to our search for new Juvenile labels. She is always very approachable and very conscientious in her work and in her interaction with others.