Three Library Staff Members Receive WP P.R.I.D.E Awards Three Cheng Library staff members are honored with WP P.R.I.D.E awards for their ingenuity and creativity. Pat Moore and Leah Marie Zamora display their WP P.R.I.D.E. T-shirts. Gary Marks (center) receiving his award with Dr. Edward Owusu-Ansah, Dean, Cheng Library (left), and Provost Warren Sandmann (right). Three Cheng Library staff members were recently recognized for their ingenuity and creativity with WP P.R.I.D.E Awards. Pat Moore, Library Technical Assistant, and Leah Marie Zamora, Library Technician, shared a Pioneer Spirit Award for the activity they developed for students during pre-exam week in December, 2016. Capitalizing on the availability of old donated and discarded books, Pat and Leah created several examples of holiday wreaths made from book pages and paper bags. They then provided all of the materials, as well as their expertise, to help students create their own wreaths. The students were delighted to benefit from this creative opportunity during a typically stressful time. Pat and Leah also provided supplies for those who wanted to continue with the project on their own. They received many compliments and acknowledgements from the students for their thoughtfulness and generosity. A second award was presented to Gary Marks, Library Technical Assistant in the Periodicals Department. Gary won a WP P.R.I.D.E. Award for his original “escape room” activity which served as a team building experience for the Library staff. Gary was familiar with the concept of escape rooms, and thought it would be a great idea for use with the Cheng Library staff. He had read about a middle school math teacher who incorporated escape room strategies into the classroom, and he realized that the idea could be implemented in the Library. Gary began to research the designs, challenges, puzzles and team-building goals related to escape rooms. He then selected one particular room in the Library and developed a unique and innovative event which became part of the Library’s Staff Development Week in January, 2017. The Library’s Staff Development Committee was extremely open to the idea, and allowed Gary to plan the entire event. The first escape went very well without encountering any major design flaws and received positive feedback from the participants. In response to staff requests, a second escape room was designed, and this experience incorporated some technology aspects. This second challenge did meet with some unforeseen glitches due to technological mishaps, but still received excellent reviews. Gary intends to continue to devise additional escape challenges, and the Library plans to schedule future events for staff and possibly to expand the events to include student participants. Congratulations to Leah, Pat, and Gary for their awards! September 11, 2017
