University of Houston Libraries honored outstanding employees at the 2025 Library Excellence Awards this week. Now in its 25^th year, the event, held at the MD Anderson Library Elizabeth D. Rockwell Pavilion, recognizes the special work and talent of UH librarians and staff. The annual tradition is supported through the generosity of the John P. McGovern Foundation.

Interim dean Christina Gola opened the garden party-themed celebration 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 facilities staff. Libraries student employees who won scholarships for the upcoming academic year were also acknowledged.

The Dean’s Advocate Award went to Terri Batiste of UH Human Resources. This award recognizes a UH employee from outside UH Libraries who has worked closely with the Libraries during the past year.  Batiste collaborated with the Libraries Organizational Development team to provide invaluable assistance with specialized leave scenarios, including Family Medical Leave requests and authorizations. Her dedication ensures that requestors, the Organizational Development team, and supervisors understand the complex FML process and navigate it with ease. 

The Student Achievement awards were presented to Rebecca Fox and Chelsea Dzu, two Coogs whose superior performance demonstrates their commitment to carrying out the Libraries’ mission for UH. Fox is recognized for her exceptional job performance and skill set. Her keen judgment and problem-solving abilities have earned the trust of her supervisors, who have asked her to take on progressive responsibilities as a student lead.

Dzu is described as an exemplary employee in the William R. Jenkins Architecture, Design, and Art Library. She is a self-starter who is curious by nature and has a positive impact on others. She took the lead in creating a workgroup chat for student employees for updates and to ensure coverage at Jenkins Library.

This year’s McGovern Outstanding Student is May Le, who is described as dedicated, meticulous, and extremely dependable. She has been crucial to the success of the Jenkins Library, taking on key service and operational responsibilities after unexpected vacancies. Her expertise with systems such as WorldCat, Iliad, and the Avery Index has been a valuable resource.

Julia Dion is the McGovern Staff Rookie of the Year. Dion quickly became an integral part of the Special Collections team, making what can be a hectic department run smoothly. In addition to managing the reading room calendar, coordinating supply orders, and making the effort to give student workers quality learning opportunities, Dion leverages previous archives experience in training students on processing and serves as the point of contact for inquiries received via Archives Space and Texas Archival Resources Online.

The McGovern Librarian Rookie of the Year is Katy Allred. Previously, she was a processing archivist in Special Collections, and in her current role as assistant university archivist, Allred processes UH archival materials that have been prioritized for the upcoming Centennial. She is a trusted, supportive colleague who is known for her calm professionalism and great attention to detail, and is not intimidated by difficult projects.

Eric Larsen and Frederick Young received Staff Achievement awards. Larsen’s performance has been particularly meritorious over the past year in the Music Library. After the departure of the manager, he assumed oversight of the student leaders and managed successful continuity of services to the academic programs supported by the Music Library. Larsen brings a high level of excellence to his role, seeking opportunities to learn, grow, and contribute, and providing wisdom and enthusiasm to the incoming colleagues and managers during the onboarding process.

Young is recognized for his expertise, strong relationship-building skills, and thoughtful approach to his work. Over the past year he has leveraged these strengths to achieve positive outcomes for UH and other university libraries. As leader of the UH Alma Stakeholders committee, he coordinated efforts to develop a sustainable infrastructure for shared governance of the library services platform and worked with Ex Libris to implement Alma Primo VE enhancements to improve the user experience.

The McGovern Outstanding Staff awardee, Lakeshia Clark, has made high-impact contributions to Information and Access Services. After expertly managing the course reserves and faculty delivery services for several years, she accepted the role of service desk manager during a time of departmental transition, becoming familiar with policies and processes while assuming new responsibilities over student hiring, training, and supervision. In addition to her new role, she continued to manage the course reserves and faculty delivery services as she worked closely with colleagues to transition these services to other areas.

Wenli Gao and Mea Warren were honored for Librarian Achievement. Gao has continued to build a national reputation in scholarship and service while leading several key initiatives for the Libraries. She is effective at collaborating with colleagues with a work style that is efficient and inclusive. In 2024 she led a holistic evaluation of Libraries collections, the implementation of Article Galaxy Scholar, a new article-on-demand service, and the Circulating Print Collections Assessment (CPCA) project. Last year, Gao was awarded the Distinguished Service Award from CALA, the Chinese American Library Association, an organization for which she is currently serving on the Board of Directors.

Warren became interim head of Teaching and Learning in 2024. She was elected to the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) University Libraries Section Executive Board and appointed to its nominating committee. She was also appointed to the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) Information Literacy Module Review Task Force. At UH, she is a faculty senator and member of the Graduate & Professional Studies Committee of the Faculty Senate. She chaired the Libraries’ Promotion Committee during a busy year and served on the inaugural Librarian Annual Performance Review Peer Review Committee.

Madelyn Washington is the McGovern Outstanding Librarian, with impressive 2024 accomplishments. She demonstrated dependability, priority-setting, and leadership in managing operations of the Music Library while taking on a new leadership role as the head of Information and Access Services. She was also promoted to the rank of associate librarian, having achieved excellence in scholarship and service to the profession.

This year’s Outstanding Group is the Resource Management Unit, Tim McGittigan and Jennifer Unruh. A nominator stated this unit “worked magic this year” as new employees in resource management, where they created a triage system for handling a significant backlog of unprocessed gift books, unbound serials, and uncatalogued unique items. Their efforts nearly eliminated the entire backlog in just a year, resulting in making materials discoverable and available for students and scholars.

The Trailblazer Award for Leading Organizational Change went to collaborators Maurine Nichols and Devianee Vasanjee, who led the development of new licensing and procurement workflows within a tight timeframe. While one surfaced opportunities for drastic improvement of workflows to align with UH administrative priorities, the other demonstrated diligence and creativity in understanding and interpreting university policies and finding solutions reflecting the unique needs of acquiring library materials. Both developed new relationships on campus, leveraged the strengths of their talented teams to accomplish this work, and built a positive reputation for Libraries compliance and collaboration.

Members of the Library Excellence Awards Committee are Jamie Duke, Julie Grob (chair), Jennifer Holland, Susan Hoover, Natalia Kapacinskas, Eric Larsen, Yesenia Umana, and Santi Thompson, (ex officio).

Joyce Gabiola, archivist for the Contemporary Literature Research Collection and the LGBT History Research Collection at University of Houston Libraries Special Collections, was selected to be a Memory Workers fellow as part of the Autistic Voices Oral History Project (tAVOHP). 

Last year, tAVOHP received a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) to support the fellowship program, which “aims to expand understanding of neurodiversity, foster collective and accessible community documentation of the Autistic lived experience and advocacy movement, and enhance the fields of archives and oral history.” 

The Memory Workers track provides an opportunity for allistic and Autistic archivists, librarians, oral historians, and Library and Information Science students to study neuro-affirming practices, cross-neurotype communication, and Autistic culture. 

Over the next few months, Gabiola will take part in a series of Expanding Knowledge sessions intended as a guide in conducting oral histories. Topics include workflow and tool training, Autistic mental health, and understanding sensory processing. As part of the fellowship, Gabiola will select two narrators as oral history subjects, and engage them in a conversation to learn about any aspect(s) of their life they would like to share with the world. “This might include the factors and situational context surrounding the time of their diagnosis, their education and career, romantic relationships, growing up in the American South or other region in the U.S., navigating high school, family vacations, and/or all the things that bring them joy,” Gabiola said. “The possibilities are endless.”

Gabiola’s research interests involve how archives and special collections can provide an accessible environment for everyone to support teaching, learning, student success, and public engagement. Their participation in the fellowship is a way of contributing to the practice of centering and preserving first-person narratives while gaining knowledge about neurodiversity and documenting unique perspectives as primary source materials. Significantly, an oral history can impart emotional context, an aspect that might go unseen in an archival photo or document. 

“A person’s oral history is the only one like it in the world,” Gabiola said. “Oral histories provide a fuller understanding of the person and their community based on their experiences, and can be empowering because each narrator has control and the interviewer will be guided by what the narrator wants to share.”

Interviews will eventually be preserved and made accessible through the University of Kentucky Nunn Center for Oral History. 

University of Houston librarians and staff are actively engaged in scholarship and service to the profession, demonstrated through presenting, publishing, and community engagement; and recognized through fellowships, honors, and leadership roles. Below is a summary of recent activities.

Kate McNally Carter accepted an appointment to co-chair the Texas Library Association (TLA) 2026 Conference Planning Committee for the TLA Annual Conference to be hosted in Houston; and was invited to join the editorial staff of the Journal of Open Educational Resources in Higher Education (JOERHE) as an associate editor.

Carter will present “Inclusive or Equitable? OER Advocacy and Automatic Textbook Billing” at Texas Library Association Annual Conference 2025 in Dallas; and co-present “Enhancing Discoverability of OER: Promoting Collaborative Repository Workflows” with Xiao Zeng (lead author) and Ariana Santiago at the Library Publishing Forum (virtual).

Catherine Essinger authored a conference paper, “Teaching Information Literacy in a Post-Truth Society,” for AMPS Research Conference, a joint conference of California State University, Los Angeles, Universidad de los Andes, Chile, and Universitas Katolik Parahyangan, Indonesia.

Essinger is a member of the Association of Architecture School Librarians Annual Conference Planning Committee and co-chair of the Membership Committee.

Wenli Gao and Xiao Zeng will present “Assessing Open Access Publishing Activities to Inform Open Publishing Services at a Large R1 Institution” at All Things Open Week 2025 (virtual).

Lauren Gottlieb-Miller presented “Crisis and Care: Rewriting Disaster Response for the People Behind Recovery” at the Joint Conference for the Association for Architecture School Librarians and the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA) in New Orleans.

Gottlieb-Miller will co-present “Transformación Juntos: History and Future Engagement Between the ARLIS/NA Community and Mexico” with J. Evans and M. Pompelia; and co-present “The State of Art Museum Libraries: Evolving Practices Since 2016 and Shaping the Next Decade Together” with C. Clavell, S. Osborne Bender, J. Reistenberg Pepin, and K. Alleman at Art Libraries Society of North America (ARLIS/NA) Annual Conference (virtual). 

Gottlieb-Miller began her term as vice president/president elect for the ARLIS/NA Texas-Mexico chapter in January.

Jennifer Holland was appointed to the 2026 TLA Annual Conference Planning Committee; and to the role of incoming vice chair for the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) Instructional Section Membership Committee for the 2025-2026 term (chair for the 2026-2027 term).

Holland, Mea Warren, and Veronica Arellano Douglas co-wrote a chapter for the forthcoming book Leading in Libraries (published by American Library Association (ALA), “Asking for Help in a Helping Profession: Encouraging and Modeling Help-Seeking Behaviors in the Library Workplace.”

Natalia Kapacinskas and Veronica Arellano Douglas are presenting a research project, “The Role of Emotion in Access to Information on Reproductive Health, Illness, and Disability: Implications for Information Literacy Instruction,” at the LILAC Conference in Cardiff, Wales. Kapacinskas and Arellano Douglas are also presenting with Mea Warren and Erica Lopez “Reflection as a Means to Assess Information Literacy Instruction” at the LILAC Conference.

Christian Kelleher and Lauren Gottlieb-Miller hosted the board of The Diana Foundation for a tour of their archives.

Kelleher promoted the UH Libraries Energy and Sustainability Research Collection as an exhibitor during the Petroleum History Institute at the annual North American Prospect Expo (NAPE).

Andrea Malone is co-chair of the ALA International Relations Round Table Pre-Conference Committee; secretary of the Modern Language Association (MLA) Executive Committee of the Libraries and Research Forum; chair of the UH Libraries Grievance Committee; and member of the UH Libraries Organizational Learning Committee.

Malone presented “Creating Your Online Profile/Research Visibility” for UH Faculty Engagement and Development; and will present “Analytics of Research Visibility and Impact (RVI): Assessment of Faculty RVI Knowledge and Practices” at Research Analytics Summit.

Malone, F. Razzaghi, L. Chua, M. Harris, and P. Gunasekaran co-wrote “Reflections on the 2024 International Librarians’ Pre-Conference and a Look Ahead to 2025” which appeared in International Leads 39(1).

Malone completed the 3-year MLA Bibliography Fellowship and was recognized at the MLA Convention in January.

Mary Manning and assistant professor Elizabeth Coen published “Integrating Primary Source Research in Collective Syllabus Design: A Model for ‘Play’ in the Archives” which appeared in the Teaching with Primary Sources (TPS) Collective.

Manning co-presented “Greening Archival Spaces and Practices” with Cody Levina and Erin Renee Wahl at the Society of Southwest Archivists virtual workshop series.

Leo Martin published a book review of “DJ Screw: A Life in Slow Revolution” by Lance Scott Walker, which appeared in Association of Recorded Sound Collections Journal, 55 (2).

Linda Garcia Merchant and Taylor Davis-Van Atta presented “State of DH@UH” for the UH Division of Research. 

Ariana Santiago was elected to serve on the Library Publishing Coalition Board for a term starting July 1.

Santiago presented a webinar titled “Open Education 101” as part of Open Oregon’s Open Education Week webinar series; and will co-present a panel titled “Breaking Down Barriers, Building Equity: Librarians’ Journey with Open Pedagogy” with T. Schultz, E. Azadbakht, and M. Goodsett at ACRL Conference.

Santi Thompson was selected as a fellow in the Association of Research Libraries Intensive Learning Program.

Shawn Vaillancourt and Orolando Duffus presented “Filling the Gaps: Applying AI/LLM and Library Tools to Enhance Data-Driven Decisions in Collection Development” at Electronic Resources and Libraries (ER&L) 2025.

Vaillancourt will present “Accuracy of Basic LLM Recall of LC Classifications” at CALA Canada’s Annual Conference.

Marian Smith

University of Houston Libraries is pleased to welcome Marian Smith as the new reformatting projects librarian.

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

In the Preservation and Reformatting Department (PARD), I work on project planning for the reformatting aspect. This means my focus is on planning and coordination with other departments, the how-to bits, and troubleshooting that goes into taking an item and making it a digital object. The reformatting process assists in preservation by extending the life of our resources and connecting UH students and researchers to the information they need to further their research.

Please share a bit about your background and professional interests. How do these inspire and shape your approach as a librarian?

I earned my bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management here at the University of Houston, and soon learned that my interest in the field was information dissemination and not so much business. After that realization, I then enrolled at the University of North Texas and earned my master’s degree in Library Science, with a focus in Archival Studies and Imaging Technology. After graduating with my master’s, I came back to campus on a contract position as a digital technician, and worked on the Thesis and Dissertation Digitization project. Once my contract wrapped up, I took a pitstop as a librarian on the digitization team at Houston Public Library before making my way to this position.

My interest in how information is delivered has really shaped how I approach reformatting, and has fascinated me with how reformatting can both preserve and enhance the viewing of an object. There are both opportunities to provide additional accessibility tools (additional descriptions, optical character recognition [OCR], and such) and challenges regarding what is lost in the reformatting of an object (a loss of digital or physical manipulation, the question of how much can you do before it’s an entirely new object, and similar thoughts). It is a topic with no clear-cut lines or standard answer, but is something I keep in mind.

What are one or two things you’d like faculty, students, and scholars to know about the function/purpose of preservation and reformatting?

Preservation and reformatting at the heart of it is a series of tasks done to extend the life of both physical and digital objects. Reformatting can be viewed as a set of processes underneath the preservation umbrella, adding an additional form to the original object; think taking a century old book and after carefully scanning each page, stitching it together into a PDF that you can read. For researchers, a PDF grants easier access to the book’s contents without the need to pull the book from storage and flip through in person.

The next question someone may have is ‘why keep the book if we have a reformatted version of it?’ The book itself may be of use in the future for research not related to the words of the book, such as swabbing for fiber content that will expound on binding practices of the area in which the book was printed. Maybe a closer in-person examination can lead to a new discovery.

University of Houston Libraries, the Hewlett Packard Enterprise Data Science Institute, and the Digital Humanities Core are pleased to announce the 2025 DH@UH event series. DH@UH serves as a platform for advancing digital humanities research and collaboration across the University, bringing together humanists, data scientists, librarians, and students to foster innovative digital projects, particularly those that forge connections between academic research and public communities. 

The University community is invited to attend the following events:

• Monday, February 17, 12 noon – 1 pm, online: State of DH@UH
  Linda Garcia Merchant, director of the Digital Humanities Core, and Taylor Davis-Van Atta, head of Research Services at UH Libraries, will discuss the current state and future vision of the DHC as well as the Digital Research Commons, a lab supporting multidisciplinary research in the MD Anderson Library. 
• Monday, March 3, 12 noon – 1:30 pm, MD Anderson Library Digital Research Commons and online: Public Heritage and Spatial Humanities in the South Texas Borderlands
  This presentation will highlight a dynamic academic and professional journey that illustrates René A. Ballesteros’s dedication to leveraging digital platforms with anthropological insights to foster community engagement and cultural heritage preservation. A conversation with Shine Trabucco, PhD candidate in History, and Q&A with the audience will follow.
• Thursday, March 6, 11 am – 12 noon, MD Anderson Library Elizabeth D. Rockwell Pavilion: Who Is Your FYP Actually For?: Algorithmic Justice For The Next Generation
  A keynote by Dr. Avriel Carinna Epps, computational social scientist and a Civic Science Postdoctoral Fellow at the Cornell University CATLab
• Monday, March 24, 12 noon, online (Zoom link forthcoming): ClioVis demonstration and discussion with Dr. Kristina Neumann and ClioVis developer Dr. Erika Bsumek

For more information on DH@UH, contact the Digital Humanities Core.

University of Houston Libraries is now accepting applications for the Open Education Incentive (OPEN) Program. Formerly known as the Alternative Textbook Incentive Program, the OPEN Program now includes a variety of funding opportunities to support engagement with open educational resources (OER) and open educational practices. Instructors can apply for the following award categories:

• Textbook Affordability Incentive: Instructors can receive funds to replace a required commercial textbook in their courses with OER and/or no-cost alternative resources, such as library licensed or freely available resources. Awards in this category will range from $1,000 to $5,000 based on the cost of the textbook being replaced, projected number of students impacted, type of resources to be adopted, overall feasibility of the proposal, and scope and type of project proposed. Deadline to apply: Friday, March 7, 2025. Instructors are encouraged to apply by February 17 to receive feedback and the opportunity to revise and resubmit their application, if desired. Group applicants are welcome.   

• Open Educational Practices Incentive: Instructors can receive funds for either creating openly licensed learning objects, or replacing a traditional assignment with a renewable assignment. Awards in this category will range from $500 to $2,000 based on the project goals, overall feasibility of the proposal, cost of course materials, and scope and type of project proposed. Deadline to apply: Friday, March 7, 2025. Instructors are encouraged to apply by February 17 to receive feedback and the opportunity to revise and resubmit their application, if desired. Group applicants are welcome. 

• OER Professional Development Incentive: Instructors can receive funds for participating in a guided professional development program in which they explore and better understand OER through a series of self-paced online learning modules. Participants will attend a required introductory meeting and may attend an optional virtual discussion. Instructors who complete the program will receive $250. Deadline to apply: Friday, February 21, 2025.

OER are teaching and learning resources that are in the public domain or have been licensed in such a way that allows anyone to freely use, modify, and re-purpose them. Open educational practices leverage OER to enhance student learning, and include the creation, use, and reuse of OER, and open pedagogical practices, such as renewable assignments.

The OPEN Program supports the University’s strategic goal of providing a top tier educational experience to all UH students. Using open educational resources ensures that educational programs are more financially accessible for all students and complements the Cougar Textbook Access Program administered by Auxiliary Services. Since the launch of open education initiatives in 2018, UH Libraries has helped nearly 20,000 UH students save approximately $2.56 million in textbook costs. Additionally, open educational practices support innovative and creative teaching methods and enhance experiential learning opportunities to enrich student learning.

Interested applicants are encouraged to attend an information session on February 11 to learn about the incentive program and the benefits of open education.

Faculty and instructors may also make an appointment with Open Education Services to discuss implementing OER and the support provided through the incentive program.

Learn more about Open Education Services.

Santi Thompson

Santi Thompson, interim associate dean for Organizational Development, Learning, and Talent and Eva endowed professor at University of Houston Libraries, was selected to the competitive 2025 Association of Research Libraries (ARL) Intensive Learning Program (ILP) cohort. As one of 20 awardees, Thompson will participate in an eight-month experience that “explores operational aspects of senior-leader portfolios in research libraries and archives as well as responsibilities related to managing those portfolios.” Fellows will participate in a variety of opportunities to enhance skills for impactful leadership.

“Santi Thompson is a talented senior-leader and poised to be one of the most influential research library leaders in the country,” said Christina H. Gola, interim dean of UH Libraries. “Today’s most adept leaders need to be prepared to lead through challenges and opportunities influenced by a variety of internal and external forces. This program will sharpen his political acumen and decision-making confidence to thrive in today’s environment and advance the impact of UH Libraries.”

At UH Libraries, Thompson holds the rank of librarian. In 2022 he was appointed as the associate dean for Research and Student Engagement (RASE). In 2020, Thompson was selected as the inaugural recipient of the Eva Digital Research Endowed Library Professorship, an appointment which enables the Libraries to expand its services in the emerging areas of digital research, data preservation and accessibility, and scholarly communication. In his prior role as head of Research Services, Thompson was integral in positioning the Libraries to support expansion of research productivity at the University, and continues to provide significant contributions in the development of research support services. Thompson developed policies and workflows for the digital components of scholarly communications, including digital research support and digital repositories. Under his direction and with support from the UH Division of Research and Office of the Provost, UH Libraries launched the Digital Research Commons (DRC) in 2018, a facility dedicated to the production of digital research projects and instruction on digital research methodologies.

Thompson has authored and produced numerous peer-reviewed publications and presentations and has been invited to present his work at international venues. He has represented the profession and the University through leadership roles with the Digital Library Federation (DLF), the Association of Library Collections and Technical Services (ALCTS), and the Texas Digital Library (TDL). In 2018-2019 he served as an inaugural DLF Futures Fellow. He previously served as the principal investigator for the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS)-funded “Digital Content Reuse Assessment Framework Toolkit” (D-CRAFT) grant project, the principal investigator for the IMLS-funded “Developing a Framework for Measuring Reuse of Digital Objects,” and the co-principal investigator for the IMLS-funded “Bridge2Hyku Toolkit: Developing Migration Strategies for Hyku.”

Thompson earned a Master of Arts in Public History and Master of Library and Information Science from the University of South Carolina.

ACCESS
University of Houston Libraries has five locations on campus:

• MD Anderson Library
• William R. Jenkins Architecture, Design, and Art Library
• Health Sciences Library
• Medical Library
• Music Library

Immediately access millions of teaching and research materials
Request additional materials from around the world using interlibrary loan

TEACH
Collaborate with librarians to incorporate information literacy in your classes
Request workshops focused on information literacy concepts and research abilities
Incorporate interactive research lessons, videos, and research guides in Canvas
Request material to be placed on course reserves
Get support for adopting open and affordable learning materials
Collaborate with Special Collections curators on incorporating rare and archival primary source materials into courses, and teaching primary source literacy

CREATE
Get support for your research, including:

• Analyzing, managing, and sharing research data and other materials
• Scholarly publishing and licensing, including theses and dissertations
• Understanding research identifiers, assessment, and impact

Plan and develop interdisciplinary research through the Digital Humanities Core facility
Record podcasts, develop and present scholarship in the Digital Research Commons

A new initiative at University of Houston Libraries is transforming the way Coogs learn and collaborate.

Peer mentors with Teaching and Learning librarians Carolina Hernandez and Mea Warren at the recent Books and Bubbly event

The peer mentor program, led by student success librarian Carolina Hernandez, expands the reach of information literacy efforts offered by the Teaching and Learning team. Peer mentors comprise a small cohort of undergrads who are learning research and teaching skills, and who will go on to teach their peers across campus through co-curricular engagement while building community among UH students.

The goal of the pilot program is to improve information literacy and student success outcomes. Information literacy “is the set of integrated abilities encompassing the reflective discovery of information, the understanding of how information is produced and valued, and the use of information in creating new knowledge and participating ethically in communities of learning,” as stated in the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education.

“Peer-assisted learning has been shown to not only improve students’ understanding, but can also give students a sense of belonging,” said Hernandez. “We hope that, through getting help from peer mentors, students will feel more welcome and comfortable with using UH Libraries.”

Sophia Sanchez, a first-year biochemistry major, is a peer mentor who learned about the program during UH Weeks of Welcome. “I was intrigued by the opportunities it presented, and the work environment provided by the library really appealed to me,” she said.

This semester, Sanchez has learned how to approach lesson planning, research counseling, and team communication. “These skills will be useful in my own future research and team settings,” she said. “I’m grateful to be able to gain leadership experience through teaching this early in my college career.”

“Peer learning is an essential skill to have, as it’s not only about teaching others with less experience; it’s also about connecting with peers who share your level of expertise and helping them pick up new abilities or even improve existing ones,” said Lexi Gaddis, a first-year pre-business major who plans to study marketing. Through peer mentor training, Gaddis has learned about creating research topics and using library databases to find scholarly resources, information she’s looking forward to sharing with other undergrads.

Gabrielle Epps is excited to see how the peer mentor program develops. She is inspired by the importance of student engagement in teaching and learning, and creating space for students to ask questions. She says peer mentors contribute to UH student success by being an additional resource that can reach more students and equip them with the right tools.

Nilesh Garg notes that peer mentoring can help students navigate the range of resources available at the University, such as books, peer-reviewed articles, and other academic tools. “It’s a valuable service that helps bridge the gap between students and professional librarians by offering guidance from peers who have a similar academic background,” Garg said. “It empowers students to become more confident and self-sufficient in their academic work.”

UH Libraries peer mentors are completing training, and in spring 2025, will be available to meet with students one-on-one for research assistance. The peer mentors encourage Coogs to take advantage of the widely accessible services the Teaching and Learning team offers. Students of any major can benefit from the introductory information literacy guides and videos developed by librarians, and can contact the team with specific academic and research-related questions.

This week, University of Houston Libraries hosted a stewardship event for friends and supporters to learn about services, resources, and scholarship offered for the advancement of student success, faculty research, and community engagement. 

Interim dean Christina Gola gives welcome remarks at “Books and Bubbly.”

“Books and Bubbly” was a “sparkling” celebration of UH Libraries and the communities we serve. Held at the MD Anderson Library Elizabeth D. Rockwell Pavilion, the event featured presentation stations with Libraries leaders discussing current projects and programs. Guests of “Books and Bubbly” were encouraged to visit all stations and gain awareness about the foundation for Reimagined Libraries, a big idea that will drive the development of near-future spaces and services.  

Interim dean Christina H. Gola opened the celebration with thanks, and an invitation for guests to imagine the possibilities and share in the Reimagined Libraries vision as they engaged with librarians and archivists. 

Emily Vinson, preservation coordinator, presented audio/visual archives from the KUHT Film and Video collection and demonstrated preservation and reformatting efforts.  

Vince Lee, archivist of the Carey Shuart Women’s Research Collection, guided guests through the exhibit Nevertheless, She Persisted! 

Mary Manning, university archivist, and Katy Allred, assistant university archivist, displayed materials from University Archives. As the University approaches its centennial celebration, they are working to help tell the story of our past and its connection to our growing success.  

The Open Education Resources team, Ariana Santiago and Kate Carter, discussed expanding access to course materials and teaching tools that are freely available, customizable, and collaborative. Open educational resources (OER) engage students in critical inquiry in ways that traditional textbooks do not, and offer significant cost savings to students.  

Interim head of Teaching and Learning Mea Warren and student success librarian Carolina Hernandez discussed the newly formed peer mentor program, in which undergrads are taught research and teaching skills, and find creative means of teaching their peers across campus through co-curricular engagement. Students from the program were present to talk about how peer mentorship is transforming the way Coogs learn and collaborate. 

Leo Martin, head of Resource Management and Metadata, showed how UH Libraries makes its collections more accessible through reparative cataloging research efforts, in which librarians and archivists undertake a critical reexamination of language, terms, and practices used to describe materials. 

Wenli Gao, head of Collections Strategies and Services, talked about the evaluation of circulating print collections to inform how UH Libraries can transform spaces and make collections more visible.  

Linda Garcia Merchant, director of the Digital Humanities Core Facility, and Taylor Davis Van-Atta, head of Research Services, led guests on a visit to the Digital Research Commons and presented innovative digital humanities initiatives that are flourishing across campus, with students taking a central role in moving DH forward. 

 View photos from “Books and Bubbly.”