Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College (SMWC) Director of the Library Rusty Tryon, DMin, MLS, was among the awardees who recently received the Outstanding Achievement Award for Leadership in Deep Collaboration from the Private Academic Library Network of Indiana (PALNI).
The awardees, nominated by their peers in the consortium, are recognized for their leadership in building, supporting and advancing the tenets of deep collaboration. It is given to select staff and directors who have led the way in working together more deliberately and effectively.
Library and consortia staff members were recognized for outstanding service, deep collaboration, leadership and more during PALNI’s biennial All-Staff Meeting at Conner Prairie in Fishers, Ind., on Aug. 7.
“I was not expecting this award and receiving it was quite a humbling honor. Deep collaboration is not only a core value, but also the standard operating procedure for both The Woods and PALNI,” said Tryon, who was one of five recipients of the award. “Partnering and cooperating with others on campus to achieve more for our students is simply how we do business. Deep collaboration within PALNI allows us in the Rooney Library to accomplish more than we could ever do on our own. For The Woods, deep collaboration in PALNI has been realized in piloting new initiatives, which has benefited us and PALNI as we both seek to innovate in providing student-centered services.”
A nonprofit consortium serving 23 private academic libraries and 40,000 students across Indiana, PALNI provides its institutions with shared library systems, technology, services, and expertise, giving each campus access to capabilities no single institution could sustain alone.
“Each person in PALNI holds a great deal of knowledge and expertise within their respective role, which contributes back to the collaboration in many ways,” said Kirsten Leonard, PALNI executive director. “These awards recognize what we accomplish together. It has been a privilege to watch this community grow over the years, and this year’s honorees exemplify the deep collaboration that makes PALNI what it is.”