A staffer who spearheads various McDermott Library teaching programs and another who makes sure its accounts are in order were winners of this year’s Ethel Ward-McLemore Awards for Library Excellence.
Administrative services officer Jach Ross and instruction librarian Susan Kutchi are the 2009 recipients of the library’s highest honor.
They each received a certificate, gold pin and $1,000 in presentations made by Dean of Libraries Larry D. Sall.
Kutchi joined McDermott Library in 2003 as a reference librarian. She is McDermott’s instruction librarian, teaches freshman Rhetoric 1101 and organizes other Rhetoric 1101 classes. She also teaches information literacy classes and serves as the library liaison to the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences and to Biology.
Earlier this year, she received one of the six CARE Awards, which honor staff members who demonstrate superior performance and enhance UT Dallas’ image in their work. The McLemore selection committee recognized her flawless customer service and also noted, “She is fondly known among students, staff, and faculty as ‘everyone’s favorite aunt.’ ”
Ross who joined McDermott Library in 2002 after serving in the budget office, human resources and biology department. She is described as a “behind the scenes” staff member who focuses on the library’s financial picture. The selection committee noted that she has to “maintain and reconcile numerous accounts on a daily basis, and is subject to constant scrutiny from the dean, the Library Advisory Board, the UT System and the state of Texas.”
She has been active on a Multicultural Affairs committee, which organizes such events such as the Martin Luther King Annual Breakfast and the Juneteenth Celebration. She has served on the Staff Council and volunteered for a variety of campus fund-raising activities.
The library awards were established 21 years ago by the late Ethel Ward-McLemore, one of the first female geophysicists. She created and funded the employee recognition program at McDermott Library because of her concern about the well-being of libraries and the library profession.
The 2009 selection committee consisted of Jennifer Gordon, Head of Electronic Resources; Carol McGee and Sue McInis, winners of the 2007 McLemore Awards: and Carol Oshel and Tom Koch, winners of the 2008 McLemore Awards.
Media Contact: Tom Koch, McDermott Library, UT Dallas, (972) 883-4951, tkoch@utdallas.edu
or the Office of Media Relations, UT Dallas, (972) 883-2155, newscenter@utdallas.edu
Dr. Larry D. Sall, the UT Dallas dean of libraries, congratulates administrative services officer Jach Ross (left) and instruction librarian Susan Kutchi, the winners of the 2009 Ethel Ward-McLemore Awards for Library Excellence.