And UD is benefiting from the work of Dawes and the staff he leads: The Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) recently named Dawes its Academic/Research Librarian of the Year and has given the UD Libraries, Museums and Press its Excellence in Academic Libraries Award. 

“As a welcoming hub of scholarship and intellectual freedom, UD’s Library, Museums and Press brings our mission to life every day,” said President Laura Carlson. “The team infuses creativity, collaboration and deep expertise into everything they do — from showcasing our exceptional primary sources and special collections to expanding digital resources, open educational materials and more. I’m delighted that their work is being recognized with such prestigious — and deserved — awards.”

Interim Provost Bill Farquhar said everyone at the Library, Museums and Press has a transformative impact across the University.

“As just one example, their leadership in AI literacy addressed its pedagogical and ethical dimensions, ensuring that faculty and students engage with it critically and effectively,” Farquhar said. “Thanks to their work, our graduates are better prepared for leadership in an increasingly complex world. Congratulations to all.”

Dawes’ award recognizes an outstanding member of the library profession who has made a significant national or international contribution to academic or research librarianship and library development.   

“I am deeply humbled by this recognition and grateful to those who took the time to nominate me and support my candidacy,” Dawes said. “ACRL’s confidence in my work means more than I can express. This honor belongs equally to my extraordinary colleagues at the University of Delaware Library, Museums and Press, whose creativity, resilience, dedication, and commitment to our communities make meaningful work possible every day.”

The award for the Libraries, Museum and Press highlights academic librarians and staff who work together as a team to develop academic libraries that are outstanding in furthering the educational missions of their institutions.  

“This award affirms that the Library, Museums and Press is not only supporting the mission of the University of Delaware, but that we are actively advancing it,” said Annie Johnson, associate librarian for research, teaching and technology at the Library, Museums and Press.

“For our students, it highlights the value of the library as a place where they can build research skills, engage with emerging areas like AI and data analysis and access resources that strengthen their academic success,” Johnson said. “For the University, the award brings national recognition to the innovative, collaborative work being done by our talented staff. I’m very proud to be part of this team.”

The ACRL is the largest division of the American Library Association. It develops programs, products and services to help those working in academic and research libraries learn, innovate, and lead within the academic community.

Anyone who has partnered or been impacted by the Library, Museums and Press, and is interested in celebrating them, should contact Maisha Carey at maisha@udel.edu for information about joining the private celebration for these prestigious awards.

Academic/Research Librarian of the Year

Early in his career, Dawes saw how few minority males held positions in libraries. Dawes, a Jamaican-born American, said the data about the librarian profession being 86% White and 84% female confirmed his desire to diversify the profession.

One way he has done this is through mentorship. Dawes said that he is fulfilled by paying it forward as a mentor to others.  

“It is important that I am a mentor because I have benefited greatly from being mentored,” he said. “Formally, for more than a decade, I have served as a mentor in the Association of Research Libraries’ Kaleidoscope Program and its Leadership and Career Development Program. I’ve also accepted informal mentorship requests from others.”

Nearly a decade into his career, Dawes describes his leadership style as participatory, empowering his staff to bring new ideas and systems that not only support the broader UD community, but also impact the world through research. The inclusive and collaborative relationship of the library and museums also began under Dawes’ leadership. 

In the past year, Dawes and his staff revised their strategic direction to include open scholarship, experiential learning and research support. 

“The ways in which we support the campus community has changed,” he said. “There’s a greater emphasis on research now. For example, we have a librarian who also has a faculty appointment in the English department to strengthen the connection between the library and the research mission of that department.”

Students may be surprised to learn that Dawes’ off-campus work and professional affiliations contribute to their on-campus experiences. 

“You never know where a good idea will come from,” he said. “I was at a conference when the VP of enrollment management at Georgia State was presenting on their use of a chatbot to improve retention and graduation rates. I came back to campus insisting that the library needed a chatbot for students, especially after hours.”

Colleen Estes, the assistant head of Library IT, said that the bot averages a 94% accuracy rate with continued staff review and retraining, and it is accessible to students at all times, including late at night when the live librarian chat is not staffed.

Dawes is looking forward to working with UD’s Division of Student Life to expand connections with students. Recently, providing inclusive community-building solutions has been one of the ways that he has worked directly with students.

“Our goal is to make sure that all of our spaces in the library are inclusive,” he said. “Recently, members of the Muslim Student Association shared that they would like to have a prayer room. After meeting with them, a council of student leadership and Shelly McCoy, the associate director at the Library, Museums and Press, we created the Reflection Room, a designated space where all students can pray.”

Similar requests for dedicated spaces have been fulfilled for lactating students and an open space for all to gather as requested by the Queer Graduate Caucus. 

“I appreciate when students express concerns so that we have an opportunity to meet with them and address it,” Dawes said. “If you don’t talk about it, then we don’t know that there’s an obstacle in the way of belonging and learning.”

Dawes said that he never pursued the librarian field for recognition. But it is affirming to be seen and valued by peers and colleagues across the profession as a reminder of why the connections he’s built matter so much.

Excellence in Academic Libraries Award recipient

Teresa Anderson, the ACRL’s executive director, said UD’s Library, Museums and Press and all award recipients “exemplify strong commitment to innovation, scholarship, collaboration, and community.”

In their award application, staff of the UD Library, Museums and Press described how they  cultivate learning, develop knowledge, and foster the free exchange of ideas through innovative programs that directly advance strategic priorities as a major research university committed to outstanding undergraduate education and societal impact. 

“The University of Delaware Library has impressive initiatives underway, including with AI, intensive data analysis, first-year students and undergraduate research initiatives, intellectual freedom programming and partnerships with creative communities, demonstrating sustained excellence and always connected to the university mission,” said Beth McNeil, chair of the ACRL Excellence in Academic Libraries committee.

Dawes said the award comes during a demanding time for higher education and libraries. 

“This award is a testament to the resilience and dedication of my colleagues who, despite the pressures we face, continue to advance teaching, learning, and research, deepening our commitments to open scholarship, experiential learning, and research support, while showing up for our campus and broader community in ways that are genuinely meaningful,” Dawes said. “I couldn’t be more proud of what we’ve built together.”  

Jessica Dai, a senior assistant librarian at the Library, Museums and Press, said she is constantly impressed when she learns about how engaged and people-centered her colleagues are. 

“Whether they are piloting ways to teach principles such as information literacy or AI literacy, providing graduate students with experiential learning opportunities, supporting faculty with their data needs, or building learning spaces to engage our larger community, I am always proud of how my colleagues center our shared professional values of access, equity, intellectual freedom and privacy, public good, and sustainability from the American Library Association that are evident throughout our various initiatives and services,” Dai said.