Jeremy Barney, who is assistant librarian for metadata and digital collections with the Van Wylen Library at Hope College, has been named the 2022 Academic Librarian of the Year by the Michigan Academic Library Association (MiALA).
The award recognizes the outstanding accomplishments of an MiALA member and their contributions to their institution and academic libraries within the 2021-22 academic year. Barney received the recognition on Wednesday, Oct. 19, during the 2022 Annual Conference of the Michigan Library Association, held in Port Huron.
A member of the Hope staff since 2016, Barney was nominated by colleagues Brian Yost and Sarah Baar.
“Jeremy’s work in making print and digital collections accessible to users, mentoring of students and interns, and serving the greater profession is exceptional,” said Yost, who as the library’s head of technical services and systems supervises Barney.
“He is an extremely talented cataloger who works with both print materials and digital collections, and collaborates with other librarians and archivists to make many of our digital and archival collections accessible to researchers around the globe,” Yost said. “He gives freely of his time to meet with students who are interested in library and information science careers, and has also mentored several interns. This past year, he was part of the Hope team that developed an interface to help all libraries that use the Alma library management system to better integrate with other systems, and he is an active member of the MiALA.”
Baar, in turn, reflected on Barney as her supervisor and co-worker, in addition to his service to the college, students and the wider library profession.
“Jeremy has been my supervisor since September of 2021, and has become the best mentor to me,” said Baar, who is a metadata associate at Hope. “He models what it means to be a servant leader. Jeremy patiently shows me the ins and outs of librarianship, works alongside others to fulfill the mission of the library, and produces quality resources that impact so many. And he does it all with humor and grace.”
In addition to his other work with the Van Wylen Library’s collections and students, Barney assists with digital collection projects for academic courses spanning the curriculum. Beyond campus, he currently serves on MiALA’s Board of Directors and with Hope library colleague Jenifer Holman co-chairs MiALA’s Conference Committee, and he has made a variety of presentations for professional groups.
Prior to coming to Hope, he held positions with libraries at Ball State University, Trinity College and the University of Michigan. He graduated from The College of Wooster in 2001 with majors in archaeology and art history; and holds a Master of Science in Information degree, completed in 2008 with an emphasis on archives and records management, from the University of Michigan’s School of Information.
The Michigan Academic Library Association provides opportunities for professional development, leadership, and committee service for all librarians, library staff, and library students working in higher education. MiALA promotes the value and contribution of academic libraries through collaboration with state and national associations, and is a chapter of the Association of College & Research Libraries.
Criteria for the Academic Librarian of the Year Award include having provided innovative service to their institution and/or community, which has enhanced the value and visibility of the library; having promoted collaboration among libraries, librarians, and other key stakeholders; having demonstrated leadership in professional activities; having initiated leading edge ideas that can be replicated in other libraries; having mentored and/or empowered other colleagues or staff to achieve significant professional growth; and having been a catalyst in special areas such as instruction, library innovation, outreach, and/or equity, diversity and inclusion.