Three UMD librarians among inaugural cohort of Provost’s Do Good Innovator Awardees
Emily Deinert, Rachel Gammons, and Brynne Norton recognized for passionate, purpose-drive work with social impact
The Do Good Institute, in partnership with the Office of the Provost, has announced the inaugural recipients of the Provost’s Do Good Innovator Award. The award recognizes excellence by members of the campus community who create, nurture, expand and amplify social impact through education, programs, and research, both in and outside the classroom.
Among a cohort of 57 exceptional staff and faculty from every corner of campus, three faculty librarians were selected – Emily Deinert, Rachel Gammons, and Brynne Norton.
Emily Deinert, Humanities and Social Science Librarian, channels her deep sense of social justice to identify gaps within the Libraries’ public collection of books regarding LGBT+ communities. Her determination to seek out innovative methods of collection serve our diverse university community and support students’ sense of belonging and inclusion.
Brynne Norton, Head of Resource Sharing & Reserves, oversees the Libraries’ Top Textbooks on Reserve program which helps make college more affordable by allowing students to borrow textbooks in lieu of buying them. Under Norton’s leadership, the number of courses served expanded to 165 in Fall 2023 (a 63% increase). These courses’ total enrollment exceeds 32,000 students.
Rachel Gammons, Head of Teaching Services, is a leader who provides mentorship to new and emerging librarians; supports the research and academic needs of the UMD community; and develops strong communities of practice around teaching. She created the Fearless Teaching Institute to help librarians be better teachers and developed the Research and Teaching Fellows Program to train and provide opportunities to emerging librarians.
Nominated by Libraries’ colleagues who recognized the broad and meaningful impact they create, the award reflects their impressive commitment to UMD’s Do Good Campus core values: Experiential Learning; Social Impact; Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging; Service to Humanity; Collaboration; and Innovation.