Libraries News and Information

Emma Halm and Hannah Kramer have each received spot bonus awards for their extraordinary efforts while working at the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum (BICLM).

In October 2021, Emma started her role at BICLM, assisting with the library reading room. Unexpectedly, her direct supervisor took a leave of absence that started on her first day of work and lasted for five months. In addition, BICLM’s other key public services staff member retired in November. As a result of these absences, Emma assumed additional tasks and responsibilities far beyond the scope of her original position description, including day-to-day training and supervision of student employees and their projects, overseeing patron services in the reading room, managing reference requests and photocopy orders and assisting with preparing materials for classes and tours. Her willingness to undertake these challenges made it possible for BICLM to keep the reading room open and to continue to provide excellent service to users despite staffing shortages. Emma extended research appointments beyond BICLM’s very limited pandemic hours for out-of-town users so that they could complete their research. She also volunteered to work shifts in the museum galleries, including weekends, to compensate for a shortage of security staff. Her contributions made a tremendous positive impact on staff, student employees and users, including faculty, students and scholars from around the world. 

Hannah is being recognized for her work involving Uncatalogued Collections Organization Project at BICLM. This project is an outstanding achievement beyond the original scope of her position. During Emma’s six-month temporary position, she used her past student employee experience with BICLM to complete a massive project involving organizing, sorting and reviewing uncatalogued books and serials. She demonstrated incredible attention to detail, maintained clear, thoughtful and direct communication of the project needs and garnered support and enthusiasm from the staff.  Emma collaborated with curators, catalogers and staff to refine the project needs and scope, culminating in the organization of over 10,000 items. The effect of her exceptional work has been immediate and will make a huge impact on BICLM’s ability to steward these materials, to manage the cataloging backlog, and to facilitate moving them through the cataloging workflow so they can be made available to researchers. For the first time, BICLM has a count of uncatalogued materials that will help them in their planning. The BICLM team is tremendously grateful for Emma’s dedication to the collections, to the team and to this project. 

Mary Neno and Julian Robbins have each received spot bonus awards for their extraordinary efforts involving the Libraries Collections Disaster Management program.

From July 2021 through June 2022, an interdepartmental group worked on the acquisition, preparation and distribution of collections disaster equipment and supplies, as well as the development of training materials and communications for the revised program. Mary purchased a variety of equipment and supplies to outfit refurbished Miscellaneous Emergency Supply Source Kits and three Collections Emergency Hubs, work that became very complicated due to the supply chain issues that occurred during the pandemic. Student Assistant Julian assisted in labeling, preparing and distributing all of the equipment and supplies across Libraries locations.