Grants and Awards

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2026 Outstanding Library Student Employee Award

Sponsored by the Friends of the Libraries

Think about everything our student employees do for us — big or small, their contributions make a significant impact on our ability to run smoothly and provide the best services possible. 

Nominations are now closed.

The Friends of the Libraries wish to recognize three student employees who:

• Provide continuous excellence of job performance (regular and consistent demonstration of superior performance in all job responsibilities).
• Exceed regular job expectations and make unique contributions, such as exceptional actions and taking strong initiative.

Eligibility: All student employees of the Libraries are eligible, regardless of position, level of responsibility, or size of unit. Nominees from diverse backgrounds and/or those working on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Access related projects are encouraged. The student needs to be an employee at the time of nomination and award notification. The student nominees are immediately notified when nominated and must answer the question in point 2 below to be considered for the award.

Nomination process

Any staff member of the Libraries may submit a nomination between Thursday, Feb. 12 – Tuesday, March 3, 2026.

1. Nomination: Use the online nomination form to answer the following questions:

• What is the nominee’s job?  (Name, title, department, and brief job description.)
• How has this student shown continuous excellence, what is outstanding about the nominee’s job performance and how has it benefited the department?  Provide specific examples.
• What distinguishes this student employee from others?

2. Upon submission of your nomination, student nominees are immediately notified and will be asked to answer the following question to be considered for the award. This response is required and will be a significant factor of the committee’s evaluation of the application:

In 300 words or less describe how your work as a student employee in the U Libraries has impacted your academic and/or personal experience as a student, and/or your future plans for what you will do after you graduate.

3. Nomination Due before 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 3, 2026.

Selection: The Awards Committee will select three student employees who will each receive a $500 award.

Notification of the recipients will be made by March 27, 2026.