The Academic Research Paper competition is an annual event that encourages research on developments in academic libraries that present challenging opportunities for libraries and librarianship throughout the state, region and/or nation.
Join us on Thursday, Sept 24th at 2pm as the winners present their papers. Attendance is free for the GLC Webinar Bonus Pack Series, but registration is required – please register at https://forms.gle/tokg9iGrDeiyTLCW9
Alex Thomerson is this year’s recipient of the GLA ALD Research Paper Award for “Academic Library Space and Technology Concerns: A Content Analysis by Discipline”. Alex Thomerson works for the DeKalb County Public Library at the Brookhaven Branch, where he helps patrons with circulation, reference, and reader’s advisory service. He is also actively involved in the Friends of the Brookhaven Library local book sale. During his career, Alex has also worked in youth services, interlibrary loan, and genealogy and local historical research. A recent graduate of Valdosta State University, Alex obtained his MLIS degree in May 2020 with a special emphasis in reference work and information organization. Alex also holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Spanish from Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama. During his undergraduate studies, he had the privilege of studying abroad in Spain for one summer. Alex resides in Marietta, Georgia.
Alex said: “It is an honor to be recognized by the GLA Academic Library Division for my paper “Academic Library Space and Technology Concerns: A Content Analysis by Discipline”. I would like to offer my sincere thanks to the ALD officers for this award. As I reviewed the literature of this important subject, I became aware of understudied areas that offered promising insight into user space behavior in academic libraries. I am excited to offer a webinar of my paper on September 24th and I look forward to sharing my findings with all who can attend my presentation.”
Lauren Jones is this year’s runner-up for her paper on “Post-Traditional Student Satisfaction with the User Services Provided by Dacus Library”. Lauren is a Reference Assistant at Winthrop University. She has worked part-time for Dacus Library at Winthrop since 2015 where she started out as a student assistant in content services and later began working for the circulation department. During her Spring 2018 Semester, Lauren studied abroad in San José, Costa Rica where she completed a library internship and studied Spanish at Veritas University. She graduated with her BA in Modern Languages – Spanish from Winthrop University in 2018 and completed her MLIS at Valdosta State University in May 2020. During her time at VSU, Lauren worked part-time as a reference intern for Winthrop University. She is passionate about improving the academic library experience for international, ESL, and post-traditional students.
Congratulations to both Alex and Lauren on their winning papers!
