University Libraries Scholars
University Libraries Scholars are selected each year in the spring. Awardees are recognized for their scholarly achievements at UNC's Distinguished Scholars Ceremony, held each spring in the University Center.
Current University Libraries Scholar
Stephanie Ward has been named the 2025 University Libraries Scholar for her commitment to responsible, ethical, and quality scholarship; her dedication to long-term student support and success; and her expertise concerning artificial intelligence in higher education, which she willingly shares in both formal and informal settings throughout UNC. In addition, she is author or co-author of a research article and two book chapters that will be submitted for publication in 2025.
Past University Library Scholars
2024
Maggie Shawcross was named the 2024 University Libraries Scholar for the extensive, timely, and relevant research she completed in 2023. Maggie published on a national survey and presented at four national and one regional conferences. The selection committee noted that "her scholarship is directed towards a variety of audiences that reach further than traditional academic librarians and embrace BIPOC populations, health and medical librarians, and information science graduate students."
2023
Stephanie Wiegand was named the 2023 University Libraries Scholar. The selection committee recognized Associate Professor Wiegand for a research article on faculty perceptions of predatory publishing and for a national presentation on an online dissertation preparation program. Stephanie was awarded two grants totaling $73,356 to support the advancement of open educational resources (OER) on our campus.
2022
Darren Ilett was recognized as the 2022 University Libraries Scholar for his research article on the role of libraries in the academic lives of first-generation students. Darren also gave multiple national presentations on topics including support for underrepresented students, reflective teaching, and library outreach approaches.
2021
Jen Mayer was recognized for her work as a researcher, publishing an article in College & Research Libraries, as well as securing two grants, totaling over $60,000, to forward UNC’s open educational resources (OER) work.
2020
Laura Uglean Jackson was recognized for her edited volume, Reappraisal and Deaccessioning in Archives and Special Collections, which represents a significant contribution to the archives field. It is the first monograph dedicated to the subject of reappraisal and deaccessioning and addresses an important topic that is often overlooked or underappreciated in archives literature.
