Congratulations Mikel!

Mikel Bates, Health Sciences Library (HSL) Senior Program Coordinator, received the 2023 Medical Library Group of Southern California & Arizona Library Staff Excellence Award. Mikel was recognized for her outstanding contributions to HSL. 

Her nominators wrote:

"Throughout her tenure at HSL, Mikel has consistently demonstrated exceptional dedication and competence in her role, which is extensive and diverse. She has made invaluable contributions to the success of our library.

One of the key areas where Mikel has excelled is managing our external grants. Her expertise and meticulous attention to the submission process, compliance with deadlines, and budget oversight has greatly supported our grant principal investigators (PI). In effectively managing various grants, she has significantly enhanced our library's mission-driven programs and services. She has also used the opportunity to teach new PIs the grant process to build their capacity for oversight and management.

Mikel has consistently shown her knowledge around library operations and building management. Her thoughtful analysis of library culture has contributed enormously to strategic planning and resource allocation, ensuring that our library operates efficiently and effectively. Her ability to balance the needs of library users while aligning them with the library's mission has been commendable. She is a member of the library leadership team and brings invaluable perspective.

She is a systematic thinker and excels at problem-solving. During the COVID-19 pandemic, and upon the retirement of a long-time employee, Mikel stepped up to lead the Library Services Team. She used the university's human resources learning management system - EDGE Learning - for professional development. We were impressed with how quickly she broadened her supervisory skills. She also consulted with colleagues throughout the library system to gain knowledge about workflows to support and manage this area of public services. She did an excellent job working and supporting the team throughout the phased pandemic re-opening process.

The Health Sciences Library administrates a library consortium called the Arizona Health Information Network (AZHIN). During an extended period when AZHIN faced the resignation of its librarian, Mikel, who primarily held the role of coordinating and managing the business end of the consortium, went above and beyond her usual responsibilities. Recognizing the importance of ensuring the smooth operation of AZHIN, Mikel willingly assisted with resources acquisition and management, even though it was beyond her regular scope of work. She would humbly say, "I'm not comfortable making these decisions, I'm not trained in this area." Without her contributions, AZHIN would have faced some difficult times as an organization.

In conclusion, Mikel is an exceptional library staff member who has made significant contributions to our Health Sciences Library. Her expertise in managing grants, involvement in high-level decision-making, commitment to AZHIN stewardship, strong connections with stakeholders, and self-driven professional growth makes her highly deserving of the MLGSCA Library Staff Excellence Award. We wholeheartedly recommend Mikel for this prestigious recognition."