From left to right: Rikki Babin, Hans Rasmussen, and Amanda Hawk" data-title="From left to right: Rikki Babin, Hans Rasmussen, and Amanda Hawk" data-align="center"/>

LSU Libraries is delighted to recognize Rikki Babin, Amanda Hawk, and Hans Rasmussen for the 2022 Library Staff and Faculty Awards. Babin, Hawk, and Rasmussen will receive $1,000 each for the Library Staff Award, the Early Career Librarian Award, and the Carolyn H. Hargrave Senior Leadership Award, respectively. These awards recognize library faculty or staff members based on their position and career progression.

Library Staff Award, Rikki Babin

The Library Staff Award recognizes an LSU Libraries non-classified professional staff member who has demonstrated exceptional accomplishment in the LSU Libraries through job responsibilities, service to the Libraries, and service to LSU. The recipient must have demonstrated outstanding achievement and maintained excellent relations with library employees and library users in their service to the LSU community.

This year’s Library Staff Award recipient is the Libraries’ Human Resources Coordinator, Rikki Babin, who oversees the hiring and onboarding of new employees and student assistants. Babin has a wealth of experience with administrative services, having served in nearly every role, including as Interim Business Manager and as the Payroll & Travel Coordinator for the Libraries. Babin finds it rewarding to help Libraries faculty and staff navigate the hiring process.

Babin earned her master’s in public administration from LSU in 2019. In 2022, Babin earned certification with the Society of Human Resource Management Certified Professionals and with the College Business Management Institute.

Early Career Librarian Award, Amanda Hawk

The Early Career Librarian Award recognizes an LSU Libraries faculty member who has demonstrated exceptional accomplishment in the LSU Libraries through initiative, creativity, and ability to make a significant contribution to the Libraries within the first six years of their career.

Amanda Hawk, this year’s Early Career Librarian Award recipient, is Head of Public and Research Services in Special Collections. She earned an MLS and an MA in history from the University of Maryland, College Park in 2013. Hawk manages reference services at LSU Libraries Special Collections, including in-person services in the reading room, remote reference inquiries, and the fulfillment of duplication requests through our online platform. Additionally, Hawk leads primary resource instruction sessions and manages rights and permissions for the publication of materials held in Special Collections.

Hawk’s accomplishments with the Libraries include playing a key role in the architectural design of the new Special Collections reading room; managing Audubon Day (LSU Special Collections’ largest public event of the year); and developing and navigating temporary policies, procedures, the appointment system, and service hours for a safe return to campus during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hawk is an active member of the Society of American Archivists. She previously served as the first athletics archivist at the University of Maryland and as a special collection assistant for public services at Princeton’s Seeley G. Mudd Manuscript Library.

Carolyn H. Hargrave Faculty Leadership Award, Hans Rasmussen

The Carolyn H. Hargrave Faculty Leadership Award recognizes an LSU Libraries faculty member who has demonstrated exceptional leadership through job responsibilities, research, and service.  The award is named in honor of Dr. Carolyn H. Hargrave, whose outstanding academic leadership in higher education provided a statewide network cooperative for resource sharing among Louisiana academic libraries.

Hans Rasmussen, the 2022 Carolyn H. Hargrave Faculty Leadership Award recipient, has served as the Head of Special Collections Technical Services since 2013. His department conducts the acquisition, arrangement, description, cataloging, processing, and conservation of special collections materials.  Rasmussen also serves as the Louisiana Newspapers Librarian and the libraries’ representative with the Louisiana Public Documents Depository Program.

Rasmussen received an MA in history from LSU and an MLIS degree in archives and records enterprise from the University of Texas at Austin. He worked as an archivist and catalog librarian at the University of Southern Mississippi until 2006 when he joined LSU Libraries as a Special Collections Cataloger. Hans has served as a member of the Rare Books & Manuscripts section of the Association of College & Research Libraries and is a member of the Catholic Library Association.

Babin, Hawk, and Rasmussen were nominated by their colleagues and chosen via a selection committee composed of the following library employees.

• Jacob Fontenot, Chair and Head of Interlibrary Loan
• Germain Bienvenu, Public Services Librarian
• John Miles, Curator of Books & Head of Instruction
• Elissa Plank, Head of Circulation
• Winnie Schwaid-Linder, Digital Preservation Librarian

Congratulations to these outstanding employees!