Excellence in Librarianship — 2005

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

Mary Y. Osielski
Mary Y. Osielski has served on the staff of the University Libraries since the late 1960s. During her extensive career and many years of service to the University, she has distinguished herself in a variety of roles, most recently as a Special Collections Librarian in the M.E. Grenander Department of Special Collections and Archives.

In her most recent work in special collections, she is a resource for faculty and students in providing research assistance and obtaining access to original resources. She provides particular support for the collections in the University Libraries, most notably the German and Jewish Intellectual Émigré Collection and the General Manuscript Collection.

Her accomplishments as a scholar come through not only in her own production of handbooks, guides, and bibliographies, but also through the scholarship of others she serves. Her colleague David Mitchell captures this forcefully when he says "… her consummate skill in librarianship is by itself a demonstration of her considerable scholarship and her continuing professional growth."

In Osielski's varied career, she has served UAlbany and its faculty with distinction and professionalism. Whether she is providing editorial support for publications developed by others, supporting a grant proposal by colleagues, proofreading exhibits prepared by the department, or conducting a comparative analysis of the department's e-mail reference queries, researchers receive excellent support from Osielski.

M. Suzanne Turner
M. Suzanne Turner began her service with the University Libraries in 1990, and has served as head of the Interlibrary Loan/Document Delivery Unit since 1992. Under her tenure, the increasingly important service of Interlibrary Loan and Document Delivery has flourished.

In the words of Dean Meredith Butler, Turner is "… a skilled and knowledgeable librarian and an accomplished professional who has provided excellent leadership to the Interlibrary Loan Department." As head of the unit, Turner has supervised the transformation of this service from a hand-written paper-based operation to an electronic system in which requests are made over the World Wide Web and documents are delivered electronically.

Turner is also a model of engaged scholar and professional. Beyond the many conference and professional activities in which she participates, she publishes her scholarship in outlets that enable her expertise to have wide impact.

The consummate librarian, Turner is skilled in all areas of her field and exceptional in several. She is a strong team leader, an organized manager of successful projects, and an active contributor to scholarship in her field. She does all this with a "… smiling face and willingness to help, despite the stresses of her position." In the words of her nominator, "… her efficacy in supervising Interlibrary Loan, in maintaining this invaluable service for the University community, and in upgrading its capabilities and access, is a highly visible achievement that warrants an Excellence Award."