Congratulations to Kristin Proctor, Laura Hall, and David Lucero, winners of HSLIC’s 2025 Annual Employee Recognition Awards!
Kristin Proctor – Outstanding Performance
“Kristin went above and beyond as interim manager of Public Services in early 2024. She stepped into the role with her characteristic can-do attitude, ensuring daily operations ran smoothly. She faced numerous challenges and handled each with reason and care. When the department ended up being short two people, Kristin prioritized supporting the remaining team members and fostered a collaborative environment, taking deliberate steps to prevent anyone from feeling overwhelmed.
In addition to her professional expertise, Kristin fosters a collaborative and supportive work environment. Her willingness to mentor colleagues, share her knowledge, and provide thoughtful input has helped elevate the entire team. Her positive attitude and dedication to excellence resonate in all aspects of her work. She is a shining example of what it means to serve our library community with passion and professionalism.”
Laura Hall – Outstanding Performance
“When questions about AI started to surface in the library, Laura spearheaded HSLIC's approach to navigating the technology. She learned about the history, took classes on how to use and understand it, and then started to teach others. She created the Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Health Sciences Research Guide to assist others in answering questions about AI specifically in the health sciences. She developed the AI Crossroads: Community of Practice online series to help create a space of HSC members to learn from and share with colleagues about use.
Laura has done a number of presentations and consultations for various departments at the HSC about AI and has helped them navigate what will and what won't work for their needs. She also worked with a grad student to create a toolkit. She had done all of this on top of her normal day to day activities and management of RAD. Her customer service, performance, and project creation deserves to be acknowledged and awarded.”
David Lucero – Outstanding Project or Process Improvement
“During the past year, David has facilitated searches to fill multiple positions, including Manager of Administrative Operations, Accountant 2, Education & Research Librarian, Clinical & Education Librarian, Public Services Division Head, Temporary LIS 3, Library Outreach and Support Coordinator, and several Public Services student positions.
Throughout the process, David keeps everyone informed about what is going on, communicates clearly when there are questions about policies, procedures, or best practices, and seems to never miss a beat despite having multiple other job duties to attend to at the same time. For example, reminding us to turn in paperwork or complete tasks for student employees and new hires.
In addition, David has been instrumental in making our hiring process more equitable. He has added our diversity statement to staff postings (not just faculty), worked on initiatives to reduce bias in the hiring process, and has adapted quickly to changes such as when OMT decided on the recommendation of the JEI committee to send first interview questions to candidates prior to the interview (thus creating another task that David has incorporated into the procedures). David has also implemented a new process of using a Smartsheet form for candidate evaluations--a brilliant idea that I hope makes his job a little bit easier.”
