Anne Lesher, Reference Librarian, has been selected as the recipient of the Edward J. Belanger Jr. Staff Award for Excellence in Service for 2014.

Ed Belanger worked for the Libraries for over 40 years before retiring in 2002 as our business manager. His service and dedication to his fellow staff was extraordinary; and he is one of the most positive, up-beat, and good natured people you will ever meet. After his retirement, his children made a donation to the Libraries for the creation of an award in his honor.

Each year the Libraries select a staff member of the year who not only contributes outstanding service to the library but also shares Ed’s good nature. Our recent practice has been for the past honorees to serve as the award committee, selecting from among nominations submitted by library staff.

Excerpted from one nomination:

She juggles many hats and does it with a smile. She orders books for and physically maintains a large variety of collections. Her coordinating work involves a lot of training of a variety of library employees. She is a team player and flexible when changes in procedure are made or having to learn new technology. She works well with students and faculty at the desk and with faculty in her liaison departments. I find her to be a wealth of institutional history since she has worked for the University Libraries for over 20 years. When I need advice on how to tackle a project or just advice in general I find her.