News

The University of Maryland Libraries is grateful for the generous commitment of Sonya E. Shooshan, MLS ’95, to establish the Library Student Workforce Endowed Operating Fund through the University of Maryland College Park Foundation, Inc. With this new commitment of $50,000, the endowed fund will provide operating support to subsidize the cost of employing, training, and mentoring student assistants employed by the University of Maryland Libraries.

As previously announced, the University of Maryland Libraries will move to a new library search platform on May 23, 2024.

The University of Maryland Libraries’ Special Collections in Mass Media & Culture (MMC) is proud to announce the addition of the papers of the late journalist Ann Corrick to its growing collection of material on women in broadcasting. Ann Corrick, whose voice is one of the only female correspondents in the Group W (Westinghouse) tape archives, led a remarkable career in the mid-20th century when women were rarely permitted to participate in the male-dominated fields of broadcasting and journalism.

On Monday, Team OARS edged out Team VIRAL and TOXINS to clinch the UMD Libraries’ Gemstone Research Award at the finalists presentations, where each team presented their research to a panel of judges. UMD Libraries awarded a first place prize of $2,000 and a $1,000 prize to both runners up. The Gemstone Research Award recognizes student teams that demonstrate excellence in the integration of principles of information literacy into their work and who conduct research with integrity and diligence.

Celina McDonald, UMD Libraries’ Government Information and Criminology Librarian, has been awarded the 2024 Bernadine Abbott Hoduski Founders Award for Federal Government Information by The Government Documents Round Table (GODORT) of the American Library Association for her outstanding work in the field of government documents librarianship. McDonald has been an integral part of UMD Libraries and our role as a Federal Depository Library since she started in 2012.

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.

February 29, more affectionately known as Leap Day, is a “bonus day” once every four years that helps our calendar more closely match up with Earth’s rotation around the sun. It just so happens to sit at the intersection of Black History Month (February) and Women’s History Month (March), which we think makes it the perfect opportunity to celebrate both black history and women’s history. Spend this extra time exploring this list of 29 books by Black women authors, poets, and activists compiled by UMD librarians and staff.

This spring, UMD Libraries along with the 17 libraries across the University System of Maryland and Affiliated Institutions (USMAI) will be implementing a new integrated library system (ILS) and searching/discovery service that will go live on May 23, 2024. UMD Libraries will migrate to the Alma and Primo systems, after having been on the Aleph system for over 20 years. Both of these systems are created by Ex Libris®, part of Clarivate.

The 1856 Project held its First Annual Research Update event at McKeldin Library on February 7 to discuss the project’s first research report, Reconstructing the Truth. Researchers shared findings based on historical information from UMD Libraries’ special collections and archives,  uncovered by members of The 1856 Project, Summer Research Initiative participants, Fall 2023 semester undergraduate student interns, and community historians.

James Spring, Library Services Unit Manager in McKeldin Library, has been named a recipient of UMD’s inaugural MVP Impact Award alongside 17 staff members from units and departments across campus. The MVP Impact Award recognizes staff members who, over the past year, have demonstrated a Fearlessly Forward attitude of excellence, outstanding service to the university and their colleagues, and a commitment to improving their workplace. Spring and fellow recipients were honored at a reception hosted by university leadership and each received a $1,000 cash award.