On Wednesday, April 10, the Hesburgh Libraries celebrated National Library Week and honored the hard work and dedication of its employees. Library faculty and staff were recognized for milestone years of service and several staff received the annual Library Award for Excellence.

First sponsored by the American Library Association in 1958, National Library Week is an annual celebration highlighting the valuable role libraries, librarians, and library workers play in transforming lives and strengthening our communities.

National Library Week is an exciting opportunity for library supporters and libraries of all types to raise awareness of their value and impact in their communities.

Tuesday of National Library Week is designated as National Library Workers Day — a day for library faculty, staff, users and friends to recognize the valuable contributions made by all library workers.

“The slogan for National Library Worker Day is Libraries work because we do. I am proud of the work that our faculty and staff do each and every day to advance the University’s mission,” said Edward H. Arnold University Librarian Diane Walker. “Each year we celebrate this day together and also give special recognition to a few of our staff for their extraordinary achievements beyond their regular job responsibilities.”

This year’s winners of the Library Award for Excellence include:

Sheila Britton – For taking on the workloads of coworkers and adding a workflow to her regular responsibilities.

Kevin Cawley – For facilitating new digital pathways to the archival collections that he has managed and preserved over the course of his 36-year tenure at the University of Notre Dame.

Barbara Cole – For demonstrating a commitment to teamwork by taking on additional responsibilities at the Architecture Library.

Debra Dochuk – For her invaluable contribution to Rare Books and Special Collection’s reader services and processing initiatives.

Kim Ferraro – For excellent teamwork and taking on additional duties at the Mahaffey Business Library.

Sarah Kasten – For the development and implementation of her creative “Pseudo-Scrum” model for RAD Program planning.

Kara Rosselit – For taking on work outside the scope of her regular job responsibilities.

Hannah Sabal – For her work on the ArchivesSpace Implementation and Quality Assurance project.

Julie Vecchio – For exemplary resolve, service excellence, and innovation in the launch of the Navari Family Center for Digital Scholarship.