UIC's Gwen Gregory is 2019 Illinois Academic Librarian of the Year
July 11, 2019
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Gwen Gregory, the Resource Acquisition and Management Librarian at the University of Illinois at Chicago’s Daley Library, is the 2019 recipient of the Illinois Library Association (ILA) Illinois Academic Librarian of the Year Award. The award, presented by the ILA Illinois Association of College and Research Libraries (IACRL) Forum, recognizes an Illinois librarian who is making an outstanding statewide contribution to academic or research librarianship and to library development. The award is sponsored by Library Juice Academy.
Gwen Gregory has demonstrated clear leadership and dedication in not just academic librarianship, but the profession as a whole, at a number of levels. She has served as an officer and a committee member for the Illinois Association of College and Research Libraries, including as President from 2015 to 2016. During her term leading IACRL, she worked to encourage greater participation by academic librarians in the Illinois Library Association, especially in legislative advocacy efforts. Gregory has also served on the ILA Conference Planning Committee and the Reaching Across Illinois Library System Executive Board. She has used her involvement in multiple Illinois library organizations as an opportunity to build partnerships and foster collaboration across all types of libraries in the state, including through planning joint conferences, meetings, and networking opportunities.
At the national level, Gregory has represented Illinois librarians by serving on American Library Association and Association of College and Research Libraries committees, including as IACRL’s representative to the ACRL Chapters Council. Despite her lengthy record of leadership, Gregory has sought to continue improving her leadership skills by participating in such programs as Synergy: The Illinois Library Leadership Initiative.
Gregory has not only contributed to librarianship through her own leadership abilities, but she has also worked to foster leadership and initiative in others. She has shared her professional knowledge and expertise through over 40 published articles. Gregory has also provided training and guidance to the staff members she has supervised at Daley Library, along with serving on numerous library and university governance committees.
Outside of her work, Gregory has mentored and coached community college students and other groups. Her peers clearly recognize her leadership skills and eagerness to help others develop their own leadership abilities, as she received the 2018 Excellence in Mentoring Award from the UIC Library. As one of her supporting nominators for the Illinois Academic Librarian of the Year Award wrote, "I’ve asked her for help, for advice and when I enter a room I always look for her, as I also consider her more than a library acquaintance, but a true friend. I also know I’m not the only one who thinks these things, Gwen is a thoughtful leader and is admired by her peers."
The Illinois Academic Librarian of the Year Award will be presented at the Awards Luncheon to be held on Tuesday, October 22, during the 2019 Illinois Library Association Annual Conference in Tinley Park.
For further information, contact the Illinois Library Association.
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