Excellence in Librarianship — 2004

The Award for Excellence in Librarianship recognizes extraordinary achievement and dedication in library science.

Carol Anne Germain
Senior Assistant Librarian Carol Anne Germain has served on the staff of the University Libraries for eight years, and has excelled in every aspect of the profession during her relatively short career. “Ms. Germain is an excellent librarian whose performance is exemplary,” wrote Dean Meredith Butler in support of Germain’s nomination. “She is an incredibly engaged and dedicated librarian, a knowledgeable and skilled reference librarian and teacher.”

Germain’s main responsibilities as Networked Resources Librarian involve both reference services and undergraduate teaching. She develops and teaches two sections of an information literacy credit course, and she has created a number of interactive Web-based tutorials and user education Web pages as part of the information literacy program. “As a reference librarian, there is no one better,” wrote Bibliographer Gerald Burke. “She engages patrons with enthusiasm and treats them with a personable demeanor. No question is either too insignificant or too complex for her, and she makes people feel that their problem is hers also.”

Germain brings the same energy and enthusiasm to her service activities. She is president of the Academic and Special Libraries Section of the New York Libraries Association, and she is the sole member of the Vendor Support Committee. She has served or played leadership roles on more than 15 University Libraries committees and has been active in several women’s organizations. “Ms. Germain’s service to the profession of librarianship is outstanding. She is clearly a leader in the field and makes valuable contributions to the profession,” wrote Deborah Emerson of the Rochester Regional Library Council.

Much of Germain’s scholarship has focused on why, how and when students use library resources and services. She has produced five refereed articles and is also an accomplished speaker. Germain received the New York Library Association’s Dewey Fellowship, the Janice Newkirk Research Award from the Eastern New York Chapter of the Association of College & Research Libraries, and a scholarship to participate in the ACRL Institute for Information Literacy program. Butler wrote, “Ms. Germain is an outstanding librarian who has made a significant difference to our Libraries, to the University at Albany and to librarianship, and we are extremely fortunate to have someone of [her] gifts on the faculty.”