Nancy O’Brien, Education Librarian and Head of the Social Sciences, Health, and Education Library, has been named a recipient of the 2025 VIP Award from the Department of Education Policy, Organization, and Leadership (EPOL) in the College of Education. This award honors individuals who have demonstrated outstanding service and commitment to supporting students and faculty at the University of Illinois.

O’Brien is recognized for her many years of dedicated support to the EPOL community, providing expert research assistance, instructional guidance, and resource development to help advance scholarship and teaching. Her work has spanned both in-person and virtual settings, ensuring broad and equitable access to library services.

“I am deeply honored to receive this award in recognition of my work with students and faculty in the Department of Education Policy, Organization and Leadership in the College of Education,” said O’Brien. “Whether providing online or in-person assistance to scholars in the program, I have been privileged to work with current and emerging leaders who will have a profound impact on education in the U.S. and globally.”

Congratulations to O’Brien on this well-deserved recognition of her lasting contributions to the University of Illinois academic community!

Jennifer Hain Teper, John E. “Bud” Velde Professor, Preservation and Conservation Librarian, has received the Campus Excellence in Faculty Mentoring Award, which recognizes Illinois faculty who demonstrate an outstanding commitment to the academic community through mentorship and fostering the intellectual, creative, scholarly, and professional growth of pre-tenure and mid-career faculty.

Teper has mentored countless graduate assistants, practicum students, and early career professionals through her roles as head of Preservation Services and adjunct faculty at the iSchool. Her mentoring style integrates real-world experiences through projects and hands-on learning across a broad range of areas, including valuable benchwork, conservation, and leadership skills. Numerous current and past mentees credit Teper with not only helping them find their footing and achieve important academic and professional milestones, but also inspiring them to pursue careers in conservation, preservation, archives, and related fields at Illinois and institutions around the country (a University of Illinois 150 Years & Beyond alumni article provides a first-hand perspective from one of Teper’s former mentees). Teper has also contributed nationally through her work with the American Institute for Conservation, where she focused on broadening and diversifying preservation librarianship and cultural heritage conservation. Her leadership and many contributions here at the Library, including her service on the Faculty Review Committee and Promotion and Tenure Committee, have expanded career and support pathways for both tenure-track and specialized Library faculty.

More information about Teper’s award and work to support mentoring is available as part of the Faculty members honored with 2025 Campus Awards for Excellence in Faculty Leadership announcement. Congratulations to Teper on this well-deserved distinction!

Mary Ton, Assistant Professor and Digital Humanities Librarian, is a recipient of the 2025 Library Journal “Movers and Shakers” Award for Educators. This award is given by Library Journal to up-and-coming individuals from around the world who are innovative, creative, and helping to improve their library and community.

Ton is recognized for her work teaching researchers and students about the benefits and limitations of AI in research and the arts, drawing on her background in machine learning. Her contributions include designing a popular workshop series about AI and developing a Canvas module to help instructors set rules around AI use in the classroom. Ton is also working alongside Bethany Anderson and Kristen Wilson to amplify the contributions of women in STEM through the Library’s domestic science collection, in a project titled “No Longer at the Margins.”

Commenting on this achievement, Ton shares, “I’m deeply honored to receive this award and grateful to be one among many in our library who are engaging with AI. Special thanks are due to Ayla Stein Kenfield, Jen-chien Yu, and everyone who contributed to the nomination.” Congratulations to Ton on this well-deserved recognition!

Nine University Library Instructors were named in the University of Illinois List of Teachers Ranked as Excellent by Their Students for Fall 2024. This list is released each semester, and results are based on the ratings from the Instructor and Course Evaluation System (ICES) maintained by Measurement and Evaluation in the Center for Innovation in Teaching and Learning. Only those instructors who gave out ICES forms during the semester and who released their data for publication are included in the list.

The Library is central to the University of Illinois’ mission of teaching, research, and public service. It is one campus unit that serves all academic disciplines. Therefore, Library faculty and staff serve as instructors across a wide variety of departments.

Faculty and instructors ranked on this list include:

• Merinda Hensley*
• Lisa Janick Hinchliffe
• Pia Hunter
• Travis McDade
• Cat Segota
• Yoo-Seong Song*
• Jennifer Teper
• Nolan Vallier

*Hensley and Song were recognized as “outstanding.”