The photographs, texts, recordings, and additional items that fill the University Archives paint a full picture of the 人妻少妇专区鈥檚 165-year history. 聽Few know this history better鈥�or are more familiar with these materials鈥�than Melissa Mead, the John M. & Barbara Keil University Archivist and Rochester Collections Librarian. Mead鈥檚 leadership, creativity, and dedication to keeping 聽the University鈥檚 history alive and accessible have earned her the 2015 Messinger Libraries Recognition Award. The annual award, created and funded by life trustee Martin E. Messinger 鈥�49, includes a $5,000 prize.
鈥淢elissa鈥檚 commitment and devotion to the River 人妻少妇专区 Libraries and the 人妻少妇专区 are outstanding and an inspiration to her peers,鈥� said Mary Ann Mavrinac, vice provost and Andrew H. and Janet Dayton Neilly Dean of River 人妻少妇专区 Libraries. 鈥淪he goes above and beyond to respond to questions accurately, comprehensively, and in a timely manner, exceeding the expectations of the administrators, faculty, staff, and students who request information from our archives and beyond. This award is our way of thanking Melissa for her cumulative contributions that, no doubt, will continue to accumulate.鈥�
Throughout her 20-year career at the River 人妻少妇专区 Libraries, a large part of Mead鈥檚 job has been collaborative: in addition to working with faculty, staff, and students from every division of the University, she provides assistance to offsite scholars and researchers in search of primary sources about University history. She supplies University Communications, University Advancement, and the Office of the President with hundreds of digital images every year selected from the special collections and University Archives. She also provides images for the University鈥檚 homepage, for local and national media, and most recently, for , the University鈥檚 new history book by Janice Bullard Pieterse. Mead鈥檚 work on this project earned her and her fellow contributors a 2015 Meliora Award.
In 2014, Rochester Review launched a new, regular column鈥�鈥淎sk the Archivist鈥�鈥�in which Mead answers readers鈥� questions and shares interesting stories about the University鈥檚 history. She also edits and acts as coordinator for the , the University鈥檚 digital collection of oral history interviews. Mead also frequently curates exhibitions of materials from the archives for display in Rush Rhees and Carlson Libraries.
鈥淢elissa Mead has been tireless in her conscientious, creative, and enthusiastic support for our University Archives and their increased use,鈥� said Jim Kuhn, Joseph N. Lambert and Harold B. Schleifer Director聽of the Department of Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation. 鈥淗er efforts have helped to unlock and to share this rich history with students, faculty, and scholarly researchers.鈥�
Mead joined the River 人妻少妇专区 Libraries in 1994 as a special projects coordinator in the Preservation Department. In 1998, she became a librarian in Rare Books and Special Collections, where she managed the department鈥檚 digital projects and website. From 1998 to 2000, she managed library renovation projects, including the Messinger Periodical Reading Room, the Plutzik Library, the Gamble Room, the Welles-Brown Room, and the Friedlander Lobby. In 2010, she became director of the Digital Projects Research Center, and in 2012 was named the John M. and Barbara Keil University Archivist and Rochester Collections Librarian. She is the recipient of two Meliora Awards: one in 2010 and the second, a team award, in 2015 for her contributions to Our Work Is But Begun. She has been a member of the teaching team at Rare Book School (University of Virginia) since 2001.
鈥淚t is an honor to have my name added to the roster of previous winners, my colleagues in the library,鈥� Mead said. 鈥淭hat the award was created by Martin Messinger鈥搘hose generosity restored some of our most beautiful and historic spaces鈥搃s a great joy for me.鈥�
The annual Messinger Award honors contributions that advance the educational mission of the library or the library profession. Previous Messinger awardees include Kathy Metz, head of Patron Services (2014); Nora Dimmock, assistant dean for information technology, research, and digital scholarship聽(2013); and Nancy Fried Foster, former director of anthropological research for the River 人妻少妇专区 Libraries (2012).
A longtime supporter of the libraries, Martin E. Messinger provided support for the 1998 restoration of the Periodical Reading Room and the creation of two graduate student study rooms in 2010. The Messinger family is a generous supporter of the Center for Jewish Studies, the Debate Union, and the Eastman School of Music, where Messinger and his wife, Joan, endowed the deanship. They also funded the building that houses the Eastman Community Music School, which is dedicated in memory of Anne Waltuck Messinger.
