OSU Libraries honors faculty, staff for leadership and innovation

April 20, 2026

The Oklahoma State University Libraries celebrated faculty and staff for outstanding contributions at its annual awards ceremony April 14, honoring four individuals.

The Outstanding Library Staff Award, which recognizes significant contributions to the library, was presented to Chuck Austin, library lead in Access Services, and Hannah Fortney, coordinator in Digital Resources and Discovery Services.

Austin joined the library in 2015 as a night manager and has since served in multiple roles, cross-training staff and student workers across functional areas. He is an involved mentor to students, many of whom have gone on to become leaders in the library and beyond. He was nominated by Whitney Hilley, head of Access Services, and Suzanne Reinman, head of Government Documents.

Fortney trains and manages more than 12 students each semester and became an expert in FOLIO, the library's integrated library system, with a focus on cataloging tasks. She also developed and taught "The Care and Feeding of Books," a mending course for colleagues in which she handled all logistics, curriculum and marketing. She was nominated by Jenny Bodenhamer, assistant professor and assistant department head of Digital Resources and Discovery Services.

The Library Faculty Award for Notable Achievement, which recognizes sustained scholarship or service to the library, university or profession, was presented to Chris Rosser, assistant professor in the library, and Patrick Daglaris, associate professor and assistant department head of the Oklahoma Oral History Research Program.

Rosser joined the OSU Libraries in 2024 and co-leads the First-Generation Mentorship program with a colleague. He is described as a creative and thoughtful innovator who continuously refines his courses and tailors information literacy content for specific audiences including students, faculty and administrators. He was nominated by Megan Macken, associate professor and head of Digital Resources and Discovery Services.

Daglaris has been with the OSU Libraries since 2018, building workflow systems for new and donated oral history collections and collaborating with Special Collections and University Archives on a digitization plan. As part of his role at the Oklahoma Oral History Research Program, he has worked on preservation efforts for Stillwater's historically segregated school and is supporting the city of Clearview's participation in the Oklahoma Civil Rights Trail development. He was nominated by Sarah Milligan, Hyle Family Endowed Professor and head of the Oklahoma Oral History Research Program.

Service Anniversaries

The ceremony also honored staff members for years of service. Rob Robinson and Karolana Foister were celebrated for five years, and JoAnn Bennett was recognized for 20 years.

Greenberg/Howland Personnel Development Award

The Greenberg/Howland Personnel Development Award was established by emeritus librarian Jill Holmes upon her retirement in 1992 in honor of Mary Greenberg and Marguerite Howland, two former library employees. The award supports full-time employees in pursuing work-related professional development, including higher education tuition, seminar registration fees and conference expenses. The 2026-27 recipients are Shannon Austin, Karolana Foister, Ben Hedges and Amy Hunt.

URL: https://library-dep.okstate.edu/news/latest-news/osu-libraries-honors-faculty-and-staff

Last Updated: 24 April 2026