Student Assistants Recognized!
College Library is delighted to share the news that two of our student assistants, Elias Cassis and Han Raschka, received the 2024 Library Staff Service Award from the UW-Madison Libraries. Both Elias and Han were recognized for their outstanding achievements at College Library. The awards were presented on Tuesday, April 9, at the Pyle Center.
Han was nominated by their supervisors, Alison Oestreicher and Ian Benton, who coordinate access services at College Library. Alison noted, “Han made an immediate impact as a student staff member. From the beginning, they showed interest in creating efficiencies in circulation tasks. They were inquisitive, thoughtful, and provided feedback freely, always centering the experience of new student staff in any recommendations. Han wanted to make sure that whoever was hired after them would have an easier experience adapting to work at College Library. While Han was still in their first semester of work, they took initiative to help even newer student staff learn and grow into their positions – training without being asked and lending a helping hand.” Ian acknowledged “a string of unfortunate coincidences during Han’s first semester put them on desk without the benefit of an on-site Overnight Supervisor several times.” He continued, “While these lapses are rare, it was uncanny how they all seemed to land on Han! The degree to which they demonstrated great judgment and communication during these periods stood out.”
Elias was nominated by his supervisors in the End User Computing unit, which oversees the 2nd Floor computer lab at College Library. Reina Werth in her introduction mentioned several projects that Elias has lent his technical expertise to including improving the performance of the platform used to check out equipment to library patrons. Another staff member, Ava Butler-Piper, noted, “Elias goes above and beyond for patrons and other staff members. He is always ready to lend a hand and be a problem solver. He is constantly looking for ways to improve the workflow of the computer lab. The EUC is very luck to have him.”
College Library extends its appreciation to all of our student assistants. Without their efforts, College Library would be unable to serve the undergraduate population at UW-Madison. We are doubly pleased that the work of Han and Elias has been acknowledged by the UW-Madison Libraries as a whole.
