Upstate New York Chapter Merit Award 2019
Natalie LoRusso was presented with the 2019 Upstate New York SLA (UNYSLA) Chapter Merit Award at the Spring Business meeting on April 11, 2019.
Natalie is the Reference and User Experience Librarian at the Bird Library at Syracuse University. She holds a BA in English Language and Literature Summa Cum Laude from SUNY Potsdam, here in New York and a Masters in Library and Information Science from Syracuse University. Prior to her current
position she was a Learning Commons Librarian, a Graduate Assistant at the Veterans Career Transition Program through the Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF) managing the Skillsoft Learning management system. Prior to
this she worked at the Upstate Medical University as a Library Clerk and also an Intern. When she was at SUNY Potsdam, she worked at the Technology Helpdesk.
Natalie has been active with Upstate New York SLA Chapter since 2016, quickly getting involved as a student shadow in Fall 2016 at our UNYSLA event “Staying Relevant, Keeping Connected,” held at the Onondaga Central Public Library. She joined the board as our excellent Webmaster in November 2016.
Her colleagues praise her for the extraordinary work she has done with our website. You may know that the SLA website was recently hacked. She worked with SLA headquarters to keep our former site active. Then all the websites needed to transition to a new platform. Our website looks better than ever because of her skill and diligence. She quietly worked with each of the board members to quickly transfer and update content. Several features, like registration, didn't work well out of the box, so she pivoted to new and better solutions. Alison Perry says "I have truly enjoyed getting to know her as her enthusiasm is contagious! Thank you
Natalie for keeping this Chapter live on the Internet!"
Congratulations, Natalie!
Upstate New York Chapter Member Merit Award
The Upstate New York Chapter Member Merit Award is awarded annually and was created to
- recognize individuals for outstanding achievement and service to SLA and the Chapter
- honor chapter members with a record of distinguished service in the organization and the association.
Nominees must
- be a current member in good standing the in the association currently OR
- hold membership for at least two consecutive years prior to the award date.
Recent retirees or former members who have left the Chapter due to geographic relocation, job change, etc., must have maintained a membership in good standing for a minimum of two years prior to departure.
Any member of the Chapter may make a nomination, including self-nomination.
Nominations for the 2020 Chapter Member Merit Award will be due by May 1st, 2020 and the Award will be given at the Spring Meeting on May 15th.
Past winners of the Chapter Award:
2017: Stephanie McReynolds
2016: Elaine Lasda Bergman
2015: Allison Perry
2014: Ben Wagner
2012: Linda Galloway
2011: Jill Hurst-Wahl
2006: Lisa S. Carbone
2005: Angela Horne
2004: Renee Bush
2003: Boodie McGinnis
2002: Karen Kreizman Reczek
2001: Jeannette Smithee
2000: David Fulton
1997: Barbara Beverley
1995: Jeannette Smithee (UNYSLA’s 50th anniversary year)