CSU Libraries Faculty Award for Excellence

Allison Level

Recognizes accomplishments in one or more of the following areas: the practice of librarianship, scholarly research and creative activity, and service.

CSU Libraries Associate Professor Allison Level has been selected as the recipient of the 2007 CSU Libraries Faculty Award for Excellence. This award recognizes a member of the Libraries faculty for outstanding contributions to the Libraries, to the University, and/or to the library profession.

Ms. Level has been recognized not only for her practice of librarianship, but also for her many scholarly and creative contributions to the profession. In the letters of nomination and support one faculty member said, “Allison is a caring and thorough professional who exemplifies the highest standards of our profession.”

A significant achievement has been her work on the NEH-grant-funded Colorado Agriculture Bibliography Project . The Web site and Searchable Database is now used as a model for other librarians. Level and three colleagues received the Libraries’ Bright Idea Project (BIP) Award in 2006 for their work on that project.

Ms. Level has also been active with the United States Agricultural Information Network (USAIN) and is currently serving as a Director on the USAIN Executive Council. She collaborates on the two CSU Agriculture Network Information Center (AgNIC) projects. Melanie Gardner, AgNIC Coordinator at the National Agricultural Library, says “Ms. Level has been a real asset to AgNIC. She is engaged, highly professional, and enthusiastic. She has made tremendous contributions to the partnership.”

Examples of her research areas include information literacy, using Web tools in libraries, information seeking behavior, new models for research sharing such as blogs and wikis, and the future of science librarianship. Among her scholarly achievements are six published peer-reviewed articles since 2003, with two more in press; three chapters in refereed books with another in print; and many articles and reviews for a variety of other publications.

Ms. Level joined the CSU faculty in 2000 as a science reference librarian and is now the College Liaison Librarian to the Warner College of Natural Resources. During her time at CSU she has also worked with several departments in the College of Agricultural Sciences. She holds degrees from the University of Arkansas, Kent State University, and Emporia State University.

No picture available of Allison Level

Bright Idea or
Project Award

The Employee Enhancement Committee (EEC)
Dave Domenico, Louise Feldmann, Shu Liu, & Sande Slack

The BIP Award recognizes the contribution of ideas or a special library project that have found/will find a positive application in the workplace by enhancing service and/or efficiency.This year's award is presented to the EEC Committee for their work on the Library Renaissance Conference.

The conference, many months in the making, was held at CSU in autumn 2006. It attracted 160 librarians and others interested in libraries from Colorado and Wyoming. The five speakers, some nationally and some locally known, shared their experience and insights on current library service and professional issues. The presentations and subsequent discussion have had an impact at CSU and other libraries in the region; the conference was an excellent outreach effort for the CSU Libraries. The award selection committee noted that, "Unlike conferences associated with established library professional meetings, this event was unique in that it addressed a theme that cut across institutional and work boundaries."