UH Libraries News

University of Houston Libraries celebrated its outstanding employees at the 2026 Library Excellence Awards recently. Now in its 26^th year, the event, held at the MD Anderson Library Elizabeth D. Rockwell Pavilion, recognizes the commitment and talent of UH librarians and staff. The annual tradition is supported through the generosity of the John P. McGovern Foundation.

This year’s event theme was “Greatest of All Time,” inspired by the distinctions of UH Athletics, the recent Olympic Winter Games, and the upcoming World Cup. Dean of UH Libraries Christina Gola opened the festivities with gratitude for the many individuals who helped produce the awards event, including all nominators, members of the awards committee, members of the employee engagement committee, and staff. Libraries student employees who won scholarships for the upcoming academic year were also honored.

The Dean’s Advocate Award went to Heidi Appel, dean of the Honors College, who has been an extraordinary collaborator and advocate for UH Libraries over the past two years. Dean Appel deeply understands the essential role libraries serve in student success and has been a true partner in advancing that mission.

Dean Heidi Appel and Dean Christina Gola

Brooke Bailey is the McGovern Staff Rookie of the Year. Bailey is described as “an absolute marvel” whose expertise has had a positive impact on several processes at the Jenkins Architecture, Design, and Art Library. Under her direction, social media engagement has doubled, and with her promotion of materials, circulation has increased by more than 20%.

The McGovern Librarian Rookie of the Year is Louise Kidder, who is described as a “reliable, collaborative, and inclusive colleague.” Just six months after joining the Libraries, she stepped into an interim department head role, helping her team maintain “positive, steady morale during a time of significant change.” She successfully led several complex projects, improving workflows, strengthening partnerships, and enhancing the Libraries’ ability to support student success and research.

The Student Achievement awards were presented to Riya Dhanduke and Christina Miller. Dhanduke is a “highly collaborative and dependable employee” in Resource Management and Metadata whose assistance in the Pressbooks to MARC Pilot project was invaluable. Miller is recognized for her “reliability, cheerful personality, playful creativity, and excellent work ethic” at the Jenkins Library.

This year’s McGovern Outstanding Student is Kira Giannetti, who is known to be a collaborative, professional, autonomous, and diligent sound engineer for the Hamill Studio. Giannetti conveys care, good judgment, and a high degree of technical expertise that is appreciated by her many studio clients.

Jamie Duke and Susan Houston received Staff Achievement awards. Duke is an exceptional team member and “natural problem-solver” who shows grace and skill in her position, making sure that Libraries resources are used wisely and that recruiting and onboarding go smoothly. Houston juggles countless daunting tasks related to building management, and her “practical expertise and deep institutional knowledge” never fail to impress. 

Winners of the 2026 Library Excellence Awards

The McGovern Outstanding Staff awardee, Austin Stakes, is recognized for the essential behind-the-scenes contributions that help make the work of UH Libraries possible. Described as a “meticulous and exacting” digital photo technician, he is known for the attention to detail and technical expertise that strengthen every project he supports. 

Veronica Arellano Douglas and Kate Carter were honored for Librarian Achievement. Douglas has built an exemplary record of scholarship, service, and leadership while advancing UH Libraries’ mission both on campus and within the profession. She led the development of Teaching and Learning’s Reflection Toolkit, serves on the editorial board of the journal portal: Libraries and the Academy, and is a facilitator for ACRL Immersion.

Carter advances the Libraries’ mission through her work in open educational resources. She has taken on important leadership roles in the profession, and contributes to the field through scholarship, including a recent book chapter exploring the work of OER librarians. As chair of the Libraries Research and Scholarship Travel Committee, she leads improvements to application processes and documentation to better support students and future committee work.

Jennifer Holland is the McGovern Outstanding Librarian. “Supportive and dedicated,” Holland made various valuable contributions in 2025, such as participating in the Texas Library Association 2026 planning committee and the National Forum on Privacy Literacy Standards and Competencies at Penn State. She also became a co-convener of the American Library Association’s privacy literacy discussion group, co-presented with a colleague on library resources and research strategies for the Houston Early Research Experience program, and serves as chair for the Library Excellence Awards committee.

This year’s Outstanding Group is the Subscription Accounts Management team, Susan Ryan and Jeannie Pham. Their “tenacity, attention to detail, and insistence on accuracy,” along with their ability to respond quickly to unexpected challenges, were critical to the project’s success. Working collaboratively with colleagues and vendor partners, they navigated numerous billing and subscription management challenges while building strong, high-trust relationships with new partners. Their teamwork and persistence ensured continuity of access to UH Libraries’ print and electronic collections and demonstrated excellent stewardship of these important resources.

The Trailblazer Award for Leading Organizational Change went to collaborators Keith Komos, Frederick Young, and Selina Khan, who navigated the complexities of a shared library system with exceptional creativity and persistence. The group brought together partners from UH Libraries, university IT, and faculty across the UH system to meet an ambitious implementation timeline. Their technical expertise, programmatic leadership, and commitment to collaboration helped establish new relationships and set a standard for effective cross-campus teamwork. 

Members of the Library Excellence Awards Committee are Jennifer Holland, Sarah Barber, Susan Hoover, Eric Larsen, Yesenia Umana, Duong Pham, and Marian Smith; and ex officio members Jamie Duke and Santi Thompson.

Members of the Employee Engagement Committee who contributed to the development of the theme and celebration are Armin Lopez, Susan Ryan, Ann Blosser, Molly Knapp, and Quoc Phung.

Jessica Rodriguez and Larry Schmidt provided logistics support for the space and committees. Kyle Boberg provided photography.

See more photos on Facebook

The University of Houston MD Anderson Library was occupied in 1950 and dedicated on April 1, 1951. 75 years later, we are commemorating the legacy of our Library, the heart of the University, and looking toward the future of a Reimagined Library. In 2026, we invite the UH community to join us in celebrating this significant moment in our University’s history.

Celebrating 75 Years of the MD Anderson Library

The original MD Anderson Library, modest in size, has since evolved through three major expansions—the 1968 Blue Wing, 1977 Brown Wing, and 2004 Gold Wing—into a 400,000-square-foot facility. Its evolution mirrors the University’s growth, becoming a modern, collaborative hub for scholarship and creativity.

Explore this page to learn more about MD Anderson Library through the decades, engage in signature anniversary events, share your Library story, and find out how you can help shape the future of the Reimagined Library.

A new exhibit at University of Houston Libraries features local primary sources curated from the LGBT History Research Collection.

“We the People: Exploring the American Experience through the UH Libraries LGBT History Research Collection” illuminates lived experiences represented by photos, handwritten letters, artwork, newspaper clippings, clothing, and ephemera. Presented with support from The Hollyfield Foundation, the exhibit offers visitors a unique opportunity to experience deeply individual yet publicly resonant perspectives from the 1940s to 2000s.

Artwork and a photo from the Pat Gustavson and Mignon Weisinger Papers

After thoughtful research and planning, archivist Joyce Gabiola selected rare, one-of-a-kind materials documenting extraordinary moments and milieus in Houston and LGBT history. 

“As a UH alum and professional archivist who grew up in Houston, it’s an honor and privilege to have developed the exhibit for the UH community and public,” Gabiola said. “It’s also personally meaningful. One of my favorite parts of the exhibit is the inclusion of recent UH graduates’ affective engagement with materials in the collection, which represent academic and creative possibilities of archival research.”

Some of the collections featured in the exhibit are the Botts Collection of LGBT History, Diana Foundation Records, Arden Eversmeyer Papers, Fundación Latinoamericana de Acción Social Records, Gulf Coast Archive and Museum of GLBT History, and PFLAG Houston Records.

Photo from the JD Doyle Archives; correspondence from the Arden Eversmeyer Papers

UH Libraries has one of the most significant LGBTQ research collections in the country, built through decades of scholarly collaboration with members of the local community,” said Christian Kelleher, director of exhibitions and external relations. “While the exhibit only has room for a small sampling of materials from the extensive collections, it captures a sense of the personal and public, the civic, social and cultural historical primary sources represented in the archives.”

Curatorial assistant Lysandra Cruz stated that materials from the C. Patrick McIlvain Papers were especially notable for her. “It was a physical showcase of the kinds of emotions a person could go through,” Cruz said. Connected to Special Collections for a capstone course, she was motivated despite limited prior experience with physical primary sources. “What brought me to do this archival work was my want to learn more and experience a part of history that I felt also belonged to me,” she said.

Any UH student scholar, or member of the public who may be interested in exploring research collections can start with a finding aid search and connect with UH librarians and archivists who oversee the collections. 

“We the People” is on view through December 2026 and is located at MD Anderson Library floor 1. For more information or to discuss possible instruction opportunities connected to the exhibit, contact Joyce Gabiola.

To support a safe and accessible environment for all Library visitors, bicycles and electric scooters are no longer permitted inside the MD Anderson Library, effective April 6, 2026. As stated in MAPP 09.04.02, bicycles and scooters are not allowed inside buildings; and reckless or negligent operation of all bicycles and scooters (motorized or otherwise) on any part of campus is prohibited.

This change is being implemented to:

• Reduce safety hazards in high‑traffic areas
• Prevent damage to Library facilities
• Ensure clear walkways and emergency access routes for all visitors

What this means for you:

Bicycles and electric scooters may not be brought, ridden, charged, or stored anywhere inside the Library. Students, staff, faculty, and visitors are encouraged to secure or park bicycles and scooters at designated outdoor racks before entering.

We appreciate your cooperation in keeping our shared spaces safe, welcoming, and conducive to study and research. If you need accommodations related to mobility, please contact the Justin Dart, Jr. Student Accessibility Center. 

Thank you for helping us maintain a safe and accessible environment for everyone.

A faculty member in the University of Houston Cullen College of Engineering recently published a new open educational resource (OER) with the support of UH Libraries Open Education Services.

Dr. Tasha Bennett

Dr. Tasha Bennett, lecturer in Human Development and Consumer Sciences, participated in the OER Creation Program with UH Libraries, an incentive program that supported faculty in developing high-quality course materials that are free to access, share, and customize. The program provided professional development and financial support for faculty to develop new OER that would be used as required course material in a UH course or program, and that would fill a gap in existing OER content.

Bennett successfully completed a year-long professional development program facilitated by the Rebus Foundation, which provided training for OER project scoping, content creation, review, and editing. After completing the program, Bennett developed and organized the content for the book, then formatted and published the completed OER on Pressbooks, a publishing platform provided by UH Libraries for open course materials.

Reflecting on her experience, Bennett noted that the structure and support provided helped her move the open textbook project from concept to completion. “It not only supports the development of high-quality open textbooks but also empowers faculty to rethink how learning resources can be designed to better serve our students,” Bennett said.

The open textbook, A Journey Through eLearning Design: From Idea to Impact, was published on UH Libraries Pressbooks in December 2025. It was designed to support two undergraduate Human Resources Development courses, Instructional Design for Human Resources Development and Designing eLearning Applications, both required for students majoring in the program. 

A Journey Through eLearning Design: From Idea to Impact

The textbook equips emerging creators with skills and strategies to design digital learning experiences that will engage learners in modern classroom settings. Covering a variety of foundational topics like learning design models and dimensions of learner engagement, in addition to emerging technologies like AI, the book will help students understand how they can design learning experiences intentionally to maximize their impact. 

The resource is available under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license, allowing other instructors to reuse, adapt, and redistribute customized versions that meet their specific teaching and learning needs. 

“This OER will have a huge impact on the students who will be using it, not only because it’s free of cost, but it is a unique, custom resource that is tailored to Dr. Bennett’s courses,” said Kate McNally Carter, Coordinator of Open Education Services. “I am excited to see how she will be able to build upon this resource as she continues to teach with it. Additionally, it will also benefit the broader OER community by serving as an exceptional resource for instructional design education.”

In addition to structure and support, the OER Creation Program offered flexibility and emphasized faculty ownership and agency over the materials they were developing. “I appreciated the autonomy of designing a resource that aligned closely with my teaching philosophy and the specific needs of my students,” Bennett said. This enabled Bennett to center the OER around her curriculum, providing targeted training for in-demand skills that will better prepare UH students for the training and development industry.

To learn more about creating OER, contact Open Education Services by emailing [email protected].

University of Houston Libraries is pleased to welcome Allison Young as the new library manager in Special Collections.

Special Collections Reading Room

Please describe your role. How does your work align with the student success and research impact focus of the University?

My role as Library Manager is directly involved with student success. I oversee our student employee pool in daily operations and patron service. I also assign students to archival projects that align with their academic and personal interests, which fosters a more rewarding work experience. Our students thus gain invaluable insight into archival research and processing.

I am also responsible for fielding research requests, making me a direct line of communication between potential patrons and our services. I thus not only assist former and future patrons in finding relevant materials, but I also schedule their appointments and put them in contact with curators of relevant collections. I further assist researchers at our reference desk when they visit our Reading Room.

Please share a bit about your background and professional interests. How do these inspire and shape your approach in Special Collections?

I received my BA in Art History with a minor in Anthropology and my MA in Art History from the University of Houston. My academic interests are reflections of my personal passions for the arts and humanities. The investigation of human history and creativity has always led me to libraries and museums. As such, I was extremely excited when I landed a student worker position at Special Collections. As a student worker, I was exposed daily to intimate materials reflecting parts of local, national, and international history. Excited and motivated by new skills in archival research, I translated my experience into my thesis work by visiting Special Collections and other institutions as a patron. These skills I continue to sharpen have colored the determination I bring to my new position at Special Collections daily. 

What are one or two things you’d like scholars and students to know about engaging with primary source materials?

Researching primary source materials can be like an archeological dig in the archives, you never know what you will uncover. What can be found can move your research forward or stop it dead in its tracks. It can also humanize your perceptions on a person, people, and/or history. From personal experience, I have found glimpses into people’s lives–anywhere from centuries to a few years ago–that have made me laugh, made my heart ache, made me empathize. Primary sources are intellectual and emotional tools that, I believe, should not be underestimated.

At University of Houston Libraries, we’re redefining the research library, a place where ideas intersect, spaces inspire, and creativity and connections thrive. Your 2026 UH Giving Day support drives this transformation, helping us create a vibrant culture of research and learning that benefits students, faculty, and scholars. 

Preservation matters to student success and research productivity because it ensures long-term access to primary sources, which are the foundation of deep learning and scholarship.

This year, we’re featuring the Libraries Preservation General Fund for your Giving Day opportunity. Preservation is an ongoing effort to care for UH Libraries’ collections and ensure they are accessible well into the future. Gifts to the Preservation General Fund provide critical support for protecting materials and housing them in proper environments for long-term care.

Preservation matters to student success and research productivity because it ensures long-term access to primary sources, which are the foundation of deep learning and scholarship. Preservation protects rare, unique, and fragile materials that cannot be replaced. These materials serve as primary evidence for historical, cultural, scientific, and artistic inquiry. Without preservation, students and scholars would lose access to the original artifacts that empower authentic research output. Digitization also broadens access of primary source materials to students and researchers regardless of their location or physical ability to handle fragile items.

Watch Preserving Our Story, Propelling Our Future to learn more about UH Libraries’ preservation efforts.

UH Libraries is pleased to introduce Cougar Collections, a new video series featuring the rare and unique research collections you can find at UH Special Collections.

In the inaugural episode, processing archivist Kevin Kinney shares a few compelling themes of the Red Adair Collection.

The Red Adair Collection is the first to be featured in UH Libraries’ new series, Cougar Collections.

Special collections and archives contain primary source materials, the ingredients of original scholarship. The new Cougar Collections series brings archives alive, surfacing the stories and voices that illuminate our history and inform our future.

Watch Cougar Collections: Red Adair.

Learn more about visiting Special Collections.

Access digitized materials at UH Digital Collections and the Audio/Video Repository.

Kate Carter, coordinator of Open Education Services, and Natalia Kapacinskas, teaching and learning librarian, have been selected as the 2025 recipients of the Rooks Early Career Librarian Fellowship.

The Rooks Fellowship supports a librarian for three years in the pursuit of career development and research. Use of funds includes, but is not limited to, professional memberships, conference fees, travel costs, research assistance, specialized equipment, technology, or other expenses related to enhancing the recipient’s individual knowledge, research, and career development.

The fellowship is made possible through an endowment established by UH Libraries former dean Dana C. Rooks and her husband, Dr. Charles (Mickey) W. Rooks. 

In this video feature, Carter and Kapacinskas talk a bit about their research interests.

2025 Rooks Early Career Librarian Fellowship Recipients