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WKU Library Awards & Recognitions


Every year, the WKU Libraries commend their employees and student assistants for their outstanding performance with the Margie Helm Award and periodically confer the Sara Tyler Award to a member of the faculty for outstanding dedicated service in the field of librarianship.

Libraries' faculty and staff often receive awards from the college, the University, and professional associations they are affiliated with and institutions they make contributions to in the region and the country.

The WKU Libraries has also established The Evelyn Thurman Young Readers Book Award for books written/illustrated by Kentucky authors or with Kentucky themes.

As the result of the collaborative effort between WKU Libraries and University Experience, a Best Career Essay Award and a Best Annotated Bibliography Award have recently been established for undergraduate students.



2018: Vacant

2017: Carol Watwood

2016: Nancy Richey

2015: Laura DeLancey

2014: John Gottfried

2013: Lisa K. Miller

2012: Amanda Drost

2011: Katherine Pennavaria

2010: Christy Spurlock

2009: Sandy Staebell

2008: Charles Smith

2007: Sean Kinder

2006: Dan Forrest

2005: Roxanne Spencer

2004: Jack Montgomery

2003: Rosemary Meszaros

2002: Peggy Wright

2001: Therese Baker

2000: Haiwang Yuan

1999: Nelda Sims

1998: Nancy Baird

1997: Elaine Moore

1996: Rose Davis 

1995: Fina Simpson

1994: Jean Almand

1993: Sally Ann Strickler

1992: Jonathan Jeffrey

 


2018: Vacant

2017: Sara Volpi

2016: Kenneth Foushee

2015: Daniel Peach

2014: Amanda Hardin

2013: Crystal Bowling

2012: Alan Logsdon

2011: Ann Brown

2010: Eric Fisher

2009: Jennifer Wilson

2008: Jan Renusch

2007: Lynn Niedermeier

2006: Matthew Bogard

2005: Ellen Micheletti

2004: Nancy Marshall

2003: Michael Franklin

2002: Sue Lynn Stone

2001: Paula Owens

2000: Doug Wiles

1999: Robin Hanks

1998: David Runner

1997: Betty Yambrek

1996: Debby Gabbard

1995: Donna Phillips

1994: Mary Groves

1993Debbie LaMastus

1992: Sheila Hause


2017: Savannah Fox

2017: Miranda Power 

2017: Kaitlyn Kennon  

2017: Kantapop (Pom) Tintukasiri 

2015: Jessica Abigail Zibart 

2015: Sophia Liu

2015: Kayla Carrico

2015: Sidney Hirsch

2015: Patric Peters

2014: Sarah Zibart 

2014: Katherine DeCoursey

2014: Lyndsey Pender

2014: Kelli Storm

2013: Simon Cherry

2013: Krystin Avakian

2013: Kayla Moore

2013: Micah Farmer

2013: Samantha Tichenor

2012: Kelsey Edwards

2012: William N. Hollowell 

2012: Brook Armstrong

2012: Carley Ferguson

2011: Allison Rahman

2011: Christopher McConnell

2011: Brittany Crowley

2010: Cassandra Matthews

2010: Arthur Petersen

2010: Courtney Hatley

2010: Tea Lacic

2009: Kelly Lafferty

2009: Daniel Peach

2009: Megan Derr

2009: Jennifer Erheart

2009: Matthew Mattingly

2008: Candace Rogers

2008: Josh Mosby

2008: Josten Wilson

2008: Geoffrey McMahon

2008: Evan McMahon

2008: Blake Mattingly

2007: Candace Rogers

2007: Becky Hawkins

2007: Ashley Jackson

2007: Sarah Beth Salmon

2006: Nancy Heathman

2006: Crystal Bowling

2006: Brandon Peters

2006: Elisa McCabe


2015: Social Media Committee  (Shaden Melky, Crystal Bowling, Amanda Hardin, Deana Groves, Jennefer Wilson, Haiwang Yuan, Susan Broady, Suellyn Lathrop, and Katie King)

2014: Faraway Flix (Shaden Melky, Uma Doraiswamy, Lisa Miller, Jack Montgomery, Tony Paganelli, Jennifer Wilson)

2013: "We've Been Everywhere" Series (Ken Foushee, Glenda White, Dean Jones, Amanda Hardin)

2012: "The Night Patrollers"  (Kathy Foushee, Angelica M. Harvey, Austin R. Williams, Xun Hong, Meng Meng Ding, Jessica L. Puckett, Lan Xu, Kelsi D. Campbell, Laura M. Bickett, Micheal W. Polston, and William N. Hollowell.)

2011: "Where in the World Is Big Red" Committee  (Crystal Bowling, Tracy Bryant, Eric Fisher, Brent Fisk, Dan Forrest, Kenneth Foushee, Amanda Hardin, Christopher McConnell, and Jennifer Wilson)

2011: ERC Moving Team  (Eric Fisher, Alan Logsdon, Sue Lynn McDaniel, Ellen Micheletti, Josh Mosby, Arthur Petersen, Roxanne Spencer, Sandy Staebell, and Robbie VanValin)

2010: Far Away Places and Kentucky Live  (Peggy Wright, Brian Coutts, Haiwang Yuan, Bryan Carson, Daniel Peach, and Jason Hatman)

2009: Java City Entertainment Committee  (Jack Montgomery, Dan Forrest, Michael Franklin, Jeannie Butler, Glenda White, Jennifer Wison, Mike Binder)

2008: A Star in Each Flag  (Sandy Staebell, Timothy Mullin, Donna Parker, Christy Spurlock, Jonathan Jeffrey, Sue Lynn McDaniel and Nancy Baird)

2008: The MARCIVE Retrospective Conversion Project  (Rosemary Meszaros, Nada Durham, Debbie Lamastus, Dewayne Stovall, Rose Davis, Nelda Sims and Linda Davis)

2008: Planning the Visual & Performing Arts Library  (Therese Baker, Brent Fisk, Michael Franklin, Brian Coutts, Dan Forrest, Matt Bogard, Doug Wiles, David Runner and Nancy Steen)

Daniel Pulliam

2018 Student Research Recipient

Daniel Pulliam

Pulliam’s thesis "Effect of Student Classroom Cell Phone Usage on Teachers" was completed in fulfillment of requirements for a Specialist in Education degree in Department of Psychology in the Spring of 2017. It has been downloaded over 50,000 times since it was posted to TopSCHOLAR®.   He is from Crestwood, Kentucky and currently serves as a school psychologist in the Perry Township School District in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Dr. Mary Bennett

2017 Faculty Research/Innovation Recipient

Dr. Mary Bennett

Mary Bennett is Director of the WKU School of Nursing. Dr. Bennett has 18 items in TopSCHOLAR® and Selected Works® which have been downloaded more than 31,000 from 131 different countries.  “The Effect of Mirthful Laughter on Stress and Natural Killer Cell Activity,” is her most downloaded article with 17,444 downloads since 2009. She is currently serving as a member on the Kentucky Board of Nursing and belongs to numerous other local and regional professional organizations.

Dr.  Bennett holds a Doctor of Nursing Science (DNSc) from Rush University in Chicago, and MSN, BSN and ASN from Indiana State University School of Nursing. Her research interests are the effects of various complementary and alternative therapies on stress and natural killer (NK) cell activity, decision making in end of life care, and workforce development and socialization of health care professionals.

Dr. Aaron Hughey

2016 Faculty Research/Innovation Recipient

Dr. Aaron Hughey

Dr. Hughey is a professor of Counseling and Student Affairs, and consults on management, team dynamics, and process controls. He has published more than 50 journal articles and book chapters, and his works on TopSCHOLAR® have been downloaded more than 27,000 times from 143 different countries. His most requested article, "Leadership in Higher Education – Its Evolution and Potential: A Unique Role Facing Critical Challenges," has been downloaded nearly 5,000 times since 2007.

Dr. Hughey completed his EdD in Educational Administration from Northern Illinois University in 1988 and joined the faculty of WKU in 1988.

Cortney Basham

2016 Student Research Recipient

Cortney Basham

Thesis: “Hal Lindsey’s The Late Great Planet Earth and the Rise of Popular Premillennialism in the 1970s

Advisors Dr. Anthony Harkins, Dr. Patricia Minter, & Dr. Lawrence Snyder

Cortney Basham teaches in WKU’s Interdisciplinary Studies program. His thesis, on popular American “end times” theology and the social climate of the 1970s, was completed in fulfillment for a Master of Arts in History in 2012. It was the most downloaded thesis on TopSCHOLAR® in 2015, and has been downloaded more than 9,000 times since 2012.

Dr. Scott Lyons

2015 Faculty Research/Innovation Recipient

Dr. Scott Lyons

Current director of the WKU School of Kinesiology, Recreation & Sport, Dr. Scott Lyons has exemplified the spirit of Open Access through his founding and editorship of the International Journal of Exercise Science which debuted on TopSCHOLAR® in 2007. This quarterly journal is dedicated to the dissemination of undergraduate and graduate student research in the areas of Exercise Science, Exercise Physiology, Human Performance, Kinesiology and related disciplines. It benefits not only WKU student researchers by providing a peer reviewed journal for their work, but all students in these fields who may submit their work for consideration. It is delivered for free to all users through the TopSCHOLAR® platform.


The International Journal of Exercise Science is now in its 8th volume. It is truly the invention of the necessity to provide a niche for researchers in these fields and additionally provides students the opportunity to learn while reviewing and assessing the work of their peers.


Dr. Lyons completed his Ph.D. in Exercise Physiology from the University of Alabama in 2003 and joined the faculty of WKU in 2004.

Ann Epperson

2016 Student Research Recipient

Ann Epperson

"Internet GIS as a Historic Place-Making Tool for Mammoth Cave National Park"

Advisors: Dr. Katie Algeo, Dr. Jun Yan, Dr. Fred Siewers & Dr. Kevin Cary

This project laid the groundwork for an Internet-delivered Public Participation Geographic Information System to facilitate exploration and discovery of the past communities of the Mammoth Cave Park area. The emergence of Internet Web 2.0 design along with distributed GIS services allows for anyone to interact with and add to the information found on central Internet sites.


Epperson’s thesis was completed in fulfillment of requirements for a Master of Science degree in Geography / Geology in December 2010. It has been downloaded nearly 15,000 times since it was posted to TopSCHOLAR®.


Questions or comments: Please contact Todd Seguin, Scholarly Communication Specialist or Deana Groves, Open Access Committee Chair

What is Open Access?

2018: Vacant

2017: Jennifer Bradbury for The River Runs Deep

2016: Amanda Driscoll for Duncan the Story Dragon

2015: Alecia Whitaker for Wildflower

2014: Christa Carpenter for Jilli, That's Silly! --A Story About Being a Girl

2013: Silas House and Neela Vaswani for Same Sun Here

2012:  George Ella Lyon for The Pirate of Kindergarden

2011:  Katie Packard Fawcett for To Come and Go Like Magic

2010:  Crystal Hubbard for The Last Black King of the Kentucky Derby: The Story of Jimmy Winkfield

2009:  Loren Long and Phil Bilder for Sluggers #2: Horsin' Around

2008 (Oct):  John Adams for The Dragonfly Door

2008 (Feb):  Albert A. Bell Jr. for The Secret of the Lonley Grave

Fall 2018: Vacant

Spring 2018:  Alex Huntzman and Aqilah AlSadiq

Fall 2017:  Amanda Poole, Meghan Rice, and Tradesha Chatman

Spring 2016:  Benjamin Paul Watson and Hannah Garrett

Fall 2015:  Daulton Cowan, Maggie Flanagan, and Jefferson Sanders

Spring 2015:  Logan Secrest and Wesley Osborne

Fall 2014: Elizabeth Howard, Chris Riehl, and Currey McCullough

Spring 2014:  Yazeed Alharbi and Rosa Crisantos De La Rosa

Fall 2013:  Brooke Cooper, Payton Roberts, and Saeed Aldawsari

Spring 2013:  Jordan Dobbs and Tyler Sigman

Fall 2012:  Polly Cowan, Steven Fioretti, and Chelsea Pitts

Spring 2012:  Christina Costa and Dominique Dillard

Fall 2011:  Kelcie Smith, Jessica Holland and Andrew Cato

Spring 2011:  Andrew Alvey and Megan Stohner

2019: Vacant

2018: Vacant

2017: Vacant

2016: Warren East Middle School (Bowling Green, KY)

2015: College Street Campus of Barren County (Glasgow, KY)

2014: Glasgow High School Library (Glasgow, KY)


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 Last Modified 9/24/19