Four full-time employees and one student employee received awards during annual employee recognition event “You Are UAB Libraries” March 14 in the Hill Student Center.

Peggy Balch, curator of the Reynolds-Finley Historical Library; Lakonja Billups, user access associate in Lister Hill Library of the Health Sciences; Kelly Schiff, digital imaging manager for Digitization and Digital Preservation; and Ja’kayla Stafford, Interlibrary Loan student assistant, received the UAB Libraries Shared Values Award. The awards highlight Libraries employees who exemplify UAB’s four shared values: Care, Act with Integrity, Respect All, and Excel. Luke Menzies, head of Digitization and Digital Preservation, received the UAB Libraries Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Award.

Peggy Balch

Curator, Reynolds-Finely Historical Library

Nominators write that Balch “consistently exceeds her regular work duties, demonstrating a remarkable dedication and cheerful attitude, particularly when faced with challenging circumstances.”

One of those challenging circumstances arose when Lister Hill Library flooded in 2023, requiring Balch to work long hours to salvage hundreds of severely damaged books. Nominators note that she took charge without hesitation, “coordinating rescue efforts and utilizing her expertise in material assessment and preservation to address the emergency situation quickly and effectively.”

Nominators also wrote that Balch frequently is called on by colleagues across UAB Libraries and other units to help with preservation issues, and that she is well-respected as a rare books curator both at UAB and among scholars at other institutions.

“No matter the circumstances, Peggy exhibits the spirit of partnership and collegiality and serves as a wonderful role model for all of us,” nominators concluded.

Lakonja Billups

User Access Associate, Lister Hill Library of the Health Sciences

Billups is known to go “above and beyond in her work to ensure the highest quality service not just to the students in the Lister Hill Library, but to her colleagues as well,” according to nominators, and consistently exemplifies respectful, collaborative and accountable traits — both peers and student workers seek her out for guidance and support.

Following the retirement of longtime Lister Hill Library supervisor Errica Evans in November 2023, Billups has served as “an invaluable source of help and positivity to her colleagues, stepping up to “support the complicated processes of scheduling the desk, training new student workers, and troubleshooting technology issues,” nominators note.

With Billups’ assistance, the Lister Hill HUB Desk has undergone significant changes, including updating the framework for loan processing and adjustments to scheduling procedures.

“She will put aside anything to make sure you are acquainted with the facilities and all the services we provide and is an example of upstanding customer service with years of experience,” a nominator wrote.

Kelly Schiff

Digital Imaging Manager, Digitization and Digital Preservation

Known for her willingness to support a colleague in need even on short notice, nominators write that Schiff “approaches every task with a smile on her face and is the first one to get her hands dirty if something goes wrong” — such as the infamous 2023 flood in Lister Hill.

She consistently works across departments in UAB Libraries, collaborating with dozens of Libraries colleagues per year, working on projects ranging from fulfilling on-demand digitization requests by Historical Collections, printing large-format posters for numerous entities from Reference to Emerging Technologies, designing UAB Libraries swag for events, acting as event and job talk videographer, and more, nominators say.

Schiff also lends her expertise to Historical Collections by helping install exhibits, supporting classes taught in the Reynolds-Finley Historical Library, and providing expertise on digitization and photography projects.

“UAB Libraries would not be the same without Kelly's contributions and she deserves to be recognized by her colleagues for positive contributions,” a nominator wrote.

Ja’kayla Stafford

Interlibrary Loan Student Assistant

Stafford’s dedication to stewardship and accountability shined through during an effort to identify groups of titles from UAB Libraries’ collections to be moved to the 801 Building for remote storage, nominators write — her work even made it possible for the project to conclude ahead of schedule.

In her daily work, Stafford solves “the many mysteries of ILL” — requests are often not straightforward, and “sometimes there's a need to dig a little to find what is needed to properly fill the request,” a nominator wrote. “Ja’kayla does this with integrity and excellence with little to no assistance.”

Luke Menzies

Head of Digitization and Digital Preservation

When it comes to championing diversity, equity and inclusion, “Luke not only talks the talk, he walks the walk as well,” nominators wrote of Menzies — that he is passionate about the subject is evident upon meeting him, and he strives to share that passion with others.

Beginning with the recruitment process for new employees and carrying into his interactions with colleagues, Menzies is an advocate for UAB Libraries’ core values, nominators continue.

“If you spend any time with any member of Luke’s team, it’s plain to see they are encouraged to find ways to include DEI in their work,” a nominator wrote. “It’s great to have colleagues like Luke that actively share in the work of DEI in any way that he can.”

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Category: Announcements

With years of service ranging from five to 40, employees from across UAB Libraries will be honored during a come-and-go ceremony 2 p.m. April 10 in the Hill Student Center.

The UAB Service Awards honor employees with five or more years of service to UAB at each five-year milestone.

This year’s honored employees:

• Wanda Stevenson, acquisitions manager — 40 years
• Bruce Seals, HUB desk supervisor — 40 years
• Beverly Harris, user access associate — 35 years (retired March 1)
• Tim Pennycuff, university archivist — 30 years
• Suzanne Brazell, interlibrary loan associate — 25 years
• Monica Pritchett, user access associate — 25 years
• Freda Walker, user access associate — 25 years
• Brooke Becker, media literacy librarian — 20 years
• Patrick Boggs, technology labs manager — 15 years
• Jeanene Skillen, research associate — 15 years
• Dana Hettich, College of Arts and Sciences reference librarian — 15 years
• Jill Deaver, head of Lister Hill Library Department of Clinical, Academic, and Research Engagement — 10 years
• Marliese Thomas, fine arts librarian — 5 years
• Kevin Hebert, associate dean for Technology and Technical Services — 5 years

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UAB Libraries patrons can now use the LibCal Mapping Module to view interactive maps and reserve spaces in Mervyn Sterne Library and Lister Hill Library of the Health Sciences.

UAB Libraries patrons can now use the LibCal Mapping Module to view interactive maps and reserve spaces in Mervyn Sterne Library and Lister Hill Library of the Health Sciences.

Users can visit libcal.library.uab.edu/maps or use the Maps tile in the Library Mobile app to see currently available, reserved and unavailable single-person study spaces, group study rooms and seminar rooms in UAB Libraries’ facilities. Sterne’s first floor is home to group study rooms and seminar rooms, while its third floor primarily houses single-person study rooms. Lister Hill’s first floor contains both group and single-person study rooms available for booking, with a conference room space available for booking on the second.

“We hope this improves the overall user experience in finding rooms and study spaces easily,” said Danielle Hassan, systems librarian for UAB Libraries.

To see the availability status of a space, users can enter their desired booking time and use the color-coded legend to determine what options are open, then book directly online.

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An 1885 Chandler and Price printing press on display in Sterne Library.Blazers can explore the history of the printing press from around the world to the UAB campus — and see an original 1885 Chandler and Price machine —  in “To the Letter: A History of the Printing Press,” an exhibit on display on the third floor of Mervyn Sterne Library.

The Chandler and Price press, a hand-operated press manufactured for the printing of small jobs such as stationery, cards, handbills, brochures and small books, was once used at UAB to teach courses in letterpress printing in the 1970s (visitors can see archival copies of course catalogs describing course costs and materials needed).

Visitors also can see examples of early printed works from Sterne Library’s collections and UAB Historical Collections, such as a leaf from an incomplete 1493 copy of “The Nuremburg Chronical” and a Chinese book printed in 1900.

“Displaying our Chandler and Price press is special for us because it’s not just an important part of American history — it’s also a part of UAB history as well, because it was once used as a teaching tool in the classroom,” said Peggy Balch, curator of the Reynolds-Finley Historical Library, located on the third floor of Lister Hill Library of the Health Sciences. “We’re excited to give students, employees and UAB visitors a chance to learn about the history of the craft and see special items from our collections.”

The exhibit also includes a Kelsey 5x8 Excelsior Printing Press, which were manufactured between 1954-1975 and designed to print on tabletops for amateur printers. Both the Kelsey model and larger Chandler and Price press came to UAB more than 50 years ago to be used in the former Book Arts program offered through the UAB Division of Special Studies.

Other exhibit features include displays on the history of the printing press in both the United States and in Alabama, the art and process of printing, a 1917 catalog of type faces, initials and decorative elements available for letterpress printing by the American Typefounders Company, and other materials related to letterpress printing, letterpress-printed pieces, and texts explaining the deeper history of presses and their development over time.

Sterne Library is open 24 hours Monday-Thursday, 12 a.m.-7 p.m. Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and beginning at 1 p.m. Sunday. Hours are altered for spring break March 10-16; visit library.uab.edu/hours for more information.

Get a glimpse at the exhibit below:

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During a Black History Month presentation Feb. 22 titled “UAB Firsts: Celebrating African American Trailblazers,” UAB Libraries’ University Archivist Tim Pennycuff highlighted notable Black figures from university history.

See a selection from his presentation below.

The Afro-American Association, established in 1970 and pictured here in 1972, was established in 1970. Sociology and political science major Prince Chambliss, who graduated in 1971 was the first president. Bracie Watson Jr. (far right), served as president of the Student Government Association in 1971.

Bracie Watson Jr., became the first Black student elected as president of the Student Government Association upon his election in 1971. Watson likely was the first Black student in the state of Alabama elected as president of a student government organization outside of the state’s historically black colleges and universities.

The first Black sorority on UAB’s campus was Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc., Iota Lambda chapter; the sorority’s charter date was May 12, 1972.

American Civil Rights attorney Arthur Shores, a noted patron of UAB, was granted an honorary degree from the university in 1975 — the first Black individual to receive one from UAB. He is pictured here (second from left) with UAB’s first three presidents: from right, Charles McCallum, D.M.D., M.D.; S. Richardson Hill, M.D.; and Joseph Volker, Ph.D., D.D.S.

In 1975, President Gerald Ford signed a resolution recognizing “Black Awareness Week.” Then, in 1976, following urging from the the Association for the Study of African American Life and History, Ford issued a presidential message encouraging Americans to honor accomplishments from Black Americans throughout the month of February. Pictured here is a flyer for Black History Month programming at UAB in 1979; Nikki Giovanni, a notable poet, lecturer and author, was a featured speaker.

Under the direction of Department of History Horace Huntley, Ph.D., UAB formed the African American Studies Program in 1979. Pictured is the program’s information in that year’s course catalogue.

Wanda Hightower, forward for UAB’s women’s basketball team — then called the Lady Blazers — from 1978-82 (far left, bottom row), was the first UAB athlete ever to have a number retired in any sport. She also is the all-time leader for UAB women’s basketball in career points and scoring average, among other achievements.

Aaron Lamar, Ed.D., joined UAB faculty in 1973, and in 1978 was named associate vice president and dean of Student Affairs — the first Black individual named to a senior administrative position at UAB. He received the 1994 President’s Medal and remained at UAB until his retirement in 1998.

James “Jim” White became the third head coach of UAB’s men’s tennis team in 1981, becoming the first Black person named as a Blazer head coach.

On March 26, 1983, Phyllis Pope, a pre-dentistry major from Olympia Field, Illinois, was selected as the first Miss UAB.

UAB first observed Martin Luther King Jr. Day as an institutional holiday in 1993, but events had been held in observation for many years prior, such as the pictured wreath-laying at King’s statue in downtown Birmingham’s Kelly Ingram Park in 1991.

Birmingham-born Vonetta Jeffery Flowers attended UAB from 1992-97, competing as a star track-and-field athlete and serving as team captain all four years. She became one of the most decorated athletes in the program, winning 35 Conference USA titles, being voted most valuable player in the conference six times, and becoming UAB’s first seven-time All-American. Despite not earning a spot on the U.S. Track and Field team for the 1996 and 2000 Summer Olympics, Flowers was given an opportunity to pursue her Olympic dream in a different way — she tried out and earned a spot on the U.S. bobsled team, quickly rising ito the No. 1 brakewoman’s spot. During the 2022 Winter Olympics held in Salt Lake City, Flowers, along with driver Jill Bakken, won the gold medal in the two-women event. Flowers was the first Black woman to win a gold medal in any Winter Olympics. She now is a member of the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame.

Louis Dale, Ph.D., was appointed in 2003 as vice president for Equity and Diversity at UAB, becoming the first Black individual to serve as a vice president at UAB.

Deborah Voltz, Ed.D., became dean of the School of Education and Human Sciences in 2011; she was the first Black dean of a school or college at UAB.

Paulette Dilworth, Ph.D., was named vice president for the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at UAB in 2016, becoming the first Black woman vice president at UAB — and the first in the University of Alabama System.

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Dr. Jayme Locke, M.D.


"Surgery, Science & Advocacy: Promoting Health Equity Across the Continuum of Transplant Care" will be presented by Jayme Locke, M.D., professor of Surgery, Arnold G. Diethelm MD Endowed Chair in Transplantation Surgery, and director of the Division of Abdominal Transplantation Surgery.

The lecture will be held 4 p.m. Feb. 23 in Volker Hall Lecture Hall E (1670 University Boulevard, Birmingham, Alabama). It also will be livestreamed via Zoom. A reception will follow.

The Reynolds-Finley Historical Lecture is part of the Annual University of Alabama Medical Alumni Weekend and is co-hosted by the Medical Alumni Association.

About Dr. Jayme Locke

 Dr. Locke is an abdominal transplant surgeon specializing in innovative strategies for the transplantation of incompatible organs, disparities in access to and outcomes after solid organ transplantation, and transplantation of HIV-infected end-stage patients. Dr. Locke completed an undergraduate degree in biology and chemistry at Duke University and her medical degree at East Carolina University prior to matriculating to Johns Hopkins Hospital where she received training in general surgery and multi-visceral abdominal transplantation. Dr. Locke completed her Master of Public Health degree with an emphasis in biostatistics and epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

 Her research interests include complex statistical analysis and modeling of transplant outcomes and behavioral research focused on health disparities. She has authored more than 200 articles in peer-reviewed journals and 24 book chapters, and is an NIH R01-funded investigator. In addition, Dr. Locke is a Deputy Editor for the American Journal of Transplantation, and is an editorial board member for Annals of Surgery. She is also a member of the American Society of Transplantation (AST), American Society of Transplant Surgeons (ASTS; Councilor-at-Large), and American Society of Nephrology (ASN), as well as, a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons (ACS), Society of University Surgeons (SUS; Councilor-at-Large), the Southern Surgical Association (SSA), Society of Clinical Surgery (SCS), American Surgical Association (ASA), and was recently inducted into the American Society for Clinical Investigation (ASCI). Dr. Locke is the recipient of numerous honors including the UAB Dean’s Excellence Award in Research 2016, and was named the 2016 James IV Association of Surgeons Traveling Fellow, Top 40 Under 40 by the Birmingham Business Journal, AL.com’s 2015 Women Who Shape the State, B-Metro Top Women in Medicine 2017, American College of Surgeons Traveling Fellow 2018, Association for Clinical & Translational Science (ACTS) Distinguished Investigator Award: Translation into Public Benefit and Policy (2018), and the AST Clinical Science Faculty Award 2020.

Dr. Locke is currently Professor of Surgery and the Arnold G. Diethelm MD Endowed Chair in Transplantation Surgery at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and serves as the Director of the Division of Abdominal Transplantation Surgery.

CMEs Available

The University of Alabama School of Medicine designates this live activity for a maximum of 1 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Parking

Parking is provided adjacent to Volker Hall in UAB Lot 5A; entrance is located on 16th Street between University Boulevard and 7th Avenue South. Please be aware if you are entering a parking deck, this is Children’s Hospital parking, and we cannot validate for this deck.

Disability Accommodations

To request disability-related accommodations, please contact reynoldsfinley@uab.edu.

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• reynolds finley historical lecture

Lister Hill Library at University Hospital, a specialized branch of UAB Libraries located in UAB Hospital’s West Pavilion that primarily serves hospital staff, closed Jan. 1 for construction. The ongoing renovation will remodel the existing space into the Graduate Medical Education Wellness Center, a multifunctional location in the hospital where residents and fellows can find tools and resources to decompress, exchange ideas, visit privately with their families, and exercise.

During construction, LHL @ University Hospital will continue its mission to provide hospital employees with accurate, reliable and timely information in support of patient care, education and research, and librarians will return to the space once renovations are complete. To contact a librarian about mediated literature searches, consultations on specific information needs, assistance with locating resources, and hands-on training for individuals or groups, use this request form, call 934-2275, or email lhlwest@uab.edu.

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