Happy National Library Week! As part of our celebrations, we’d like to share some good news we received recently – the promotion of two of our faculty librarians! Effective Fall 2020, Gina Solares, our Head of Cataloging and Metadata Management/Interim Head of Systems, has been promoted to the rank of Librarian; while Reference Librarian Colette Hayes has been promoted to the rank of Associate Librarian.
On the promotion process, Acting Dean Shawn Calhoun shares, “As Acting Dean, one of the first things I had the honor and privilege to work on was USF’s 2020 University Promotion and Tenure Committee. This year I was able to present Colette and Gina to the Interim Provost and VP of Academic Affairs Tyrone H. Cannon and the other USF Deans and I could not be more pleased with the outcomes for both librarians.
The contributions Colette and Gina make every day lift up the library and our collective contributions to teaching, learning and research. Every student and faculty member is impacted in a positive way by their work and I could not be more grateful for that.”
The rest of us at Gleeson Library | Geschke Center could not agree more – congratulations, Colette and Gina!
Colette Hayes
Colette Hayes is a Reference Librarian within the Reference and Research Services department, and her expertise includes teaching information literacy classes for USF 101, the Muscat Scholars Program, and for her many liaison departments within the humanities; as well as coordinating events and outreach efforts for Gleeson Library.
On Colette’s trajectory, Acting Dean Calhoun reflects, “Colette initially joined Gleeson Library | Geschke Learning Resource Center in 2006 as a Part-time Library Assistant / Digitization Coordinator and after years of dedicated service and the completion of her library science degree in 2015 was appointed to Assistant Librarian and joined our Reference and Research Services department. Watching Colette’s trajectory has been a true pleasure and I could not be more happy to see her successfully promoted.”
Erika Johnson, Associate Dean for Technical Services, agrees, stating, “Colette is a Gleeson success story, coming up through the ranks to become an outstanding and valued librarian and colleague. She is a wearer of many hats, which she carries off with aplomb. Her enthusiasm and support for students and faculty seems boundless, and we are so lucky to have her on our team!”
Colette is currently on maternity leave, but graciously took the time to share some reflections on her Gleeson Library journey. She shares:
“I really enjoyed compiling my promotion packet. It was a great opportunity to really reflect on the last five years. I feel so lucky to do the work that I do. That work is rarely, if ever, accomplished alone, but rather alongside talented students and colleagues for whom I am continually grateful. Submitting my promotion application helped my realize how much I’ve grown, learned, and balanced as a librarian, and particularly as a teacher, over the past few years, and how much I’ve come to embrace that ongoing process of balance, growth, and learning. I’ll have much to learn and balance when we eventually return to campus — my personal life has changed — I’m a new mom — and the world looks very different from when I went on maternity leave in January.”
Gina Solares
Reflecting on Gina’s time at Gleeson Library, Acting Dean Calhoun recalls, “Gina joined Gleeson Library | Geschke Learning Resource Center in November 2014 and has served as the Department Head for Cataloging and Metadata Management since coming onboard. The work Gina and her team does is in many ways the intellectual lifeblood of USF. The contributions catalogers make to the scholarly record is immense and truly stands the test of time. Yet Gina is more than a cataloger, she is an indispensable member of the community and leads not only her team but calls on all of us to be our best as members of the USF community.”
On Gina’s many achievements at Gleeson Library, Associate Dean Johnson states, “Gina demonstrates tremendous leadership and collaboration skills that extend beyond cataloging and technical services into the rest of the library and across campus. A staff cheerleader and champion, Gina is always acknowledging and celebrating others’ achievements, and we’re delighted to celebrate her accomplishments in turn. She is an outstanding colleague and professional, and most deserving of this promotion.”
Gina also reflected on her time at Gleeson Library, sharing:
Compiling my promotion packet last fall was a unique opportunity to reflect on my work over the past five years here at Gleeson Library. It was a chance to pause and review the busy months and years of cataloging, library projects, and committee service. I approached the promotion process with a little trepidation but found that it was a joy to recall some of the positive highlights.
- I’ve enjoyed cataloging rare materials held in Gleeson Library’s Donohue Rare Book Room, including manuscripts, early printed materials, and fine press or artists’ books. It has been a delight to inspect, describe, and make these resources discoverable to scholars here at USF and beyond.
- Another highlight has been the opportunity to support USF students through events like the Sustainability Design Challenge or programs like the McGrath Scholars or Muscat Scholars. Whether serving as a research resource, an advisory board member, or a mentor, these experiences provided me with the opportunity to walk alongside our students, to learn from them, and to support them through their learning and growth at USF.
- I was honored to be appointed to the University Council for Jesuit Mission in my first year at USF. Members of this Council helped me to feel immediately connected to the University’s mission, and this service sparked in me a sense of responsibility for living out the mission on campus. As an aside, I’ll add that nominations are currently open for Mission Council service, so do consider nominating yourself or a colleague.
Through this process of reflection, peer review, and affirmation, I am left with a lasting sense of deep gratitude. Thank you to my colleagues in the library, and to the students, faculty, and staff at USF who have supported, encouraged, and collaborated with me over the years. I am deeply humbled and gratified to have gained promotion to Full Librarian rank.
Special thanks to Shawn Calhoun, Colette Hayes, Erika Johnson, and Gina Solares for their generous contributions to this post.
Nominations for Mission Council service are open until Friday 24 April.