Award nominees – 2026

Tess Hobbis

Team Leader, User Experience
University of Technology, Sydney

Tess Hobbis is an emerging leader whose work is shaping the future of library practice through her unwavering commitment to student experience, inclusive design, and evidence-based service innovation. As Team Leader, User Experience at UTS Library, Tess leads with a strengths-based approach grounded in empathy, positivity, and a deep belief in the potential of others. She consistently cultivates high-performing, collaborative teams and brings out the best in colleagues, creating environments where people feel supported, seen, and empowered.
Tess combines this relational leadership with strong strategic capability. She can translate complex user insights into tangible improvements across digital and physical services and has delivered high-impact, institution-shaping projects including the Academic Journey research initiative, service redesign for Reading Lists and cross-unit collaboration on the Student Wellbeing Space. Across all work, she demonstrates mature judgment and innovation, ensuring strategic alignment and stakeholder engagement.
With a natural talent for communication, deep emotional intelligence, and the courage to lead thoughtfully through ambiguity, Tess exemplifies the next generation of library leaders: authentic, strategic, compassionate, and driven to make a meaningful difference. Her leadership has produced scalable outcomes that exemplify collaboration, and her people leadership creates psychologically safe, high-performing teams where people feel valued, supported, and motivated.

Lara Keys

Manager, Teaching & Research Services
Macquarie University

Lara Keys joined Macquarie University Library in April 2024 as Manager, Teaching & Research Services; her first formal people-leadership role leading a team supporting the Faculty of Arts and Macquarie Business School. Building on a strong foundation as a faculty librarian and experience coordinating education and research support at Western Sydney University, Lara has quickly established herself as an emerging leader who translates strategy into innovative and sustainable service improvements. Lara’s leadership is characterised by curiosity, thoughtful collaboration, and respectful dialogue with colleagues and clients. She is particularly effective in leading projects that transform client experiences and bringing people with her through change: she creates clarity of purpose, builds capability across teams, and models reflective practice. This is especially evident in work that calls for cultural care and strong partnerships. Through this mix of project leadership, service innovation and people-centred delivery, Lara has strengthened the Library’s capacity to respond to evolving student and faculty needs, and built momentum with future-focussed practice across the organisation.

Jackson Mann

Manager, Library Exhibitions and Public Programs
Deakin University

Jackson Mann is the Manager of the Library Exhibition and Public Programs at Deakin University Library. He is a library leader, curator and place-maker and combines his entrepreneurial skills with his current experience in academic libraries. Across several leadership positions, Jackson has shown his thirst for knowledge of libraries by taking opportunities to lead a range of library portfolios including front-line services, library spaces, experience design, digital curation, communications, and cultural engagement. In inaugural roles at Deakin, UNSW and UTS libraries, Jackson has established new exhibition programs that bridge research, education and cultural engagement. Jackson has championed the role of academic libraries to be drivers of cultural production in the higher education sector and in 2025 he convened the Australian Academic Libraries Exhibitions Network which facilitates knowledge sharing among library exhibitions teams nationally.

Elizabeth Alvey

Manager, UQ eSpace
The University of Queensland

Elizabeth Alvey is an accomplished and highly respected UQ Library team member whose leadership of our institutional repository, UQ eSpace, has been integral to strengthening the University of Queensland’s scholarly communication ecosystem. With more than a decade of experience relating to digital repositories, special collections, research information management and open scholarship infrastructure, Elizabeth exemplifies impact and maturity as a mid-career leader within the academic library field. She combines deep technical expertise with a strategic, collaborative approach that has positioned UQ eSpace as a trusted, service-oriented, university-wide asset. Elizabeth’s passion for enabling open, enduring and discoverable research outputs has made her an influential voice within the University of Queensland, and the wider institutional repository community and a valued partner for research and publication management excellence.

Nikki Andersen

Senior Manager Digital Library
University of Southern Queensland

Nikki Andersen has recently been appointed as Senior Manager Digital Library at UniSQ. She began her career at
UniSQ Library in 2015 in the metadata and repositories space, and has worked in copyright, open education
practice, and discovery. She has also worked as a tutor in the College for First Nations at UniSQ and been
contracted to work on a project for incarcerated students, as well as to work for UniSQ’s Human Resources
portfolio on diversity and inclusion measures.

Nikki is an award-winning librarian, speaker, writer and diversity and inclusion activist. She is an exemplary library
professional who takes a compassionate, courageous, and curious approach to her work and its possibilities.

Karen Brown

Negotiations, Agreements and Collection Performance Lead
Monash University

Karen Brown, currently Monash University Library Negotiations, Agreements and Collection Performance Lead, is a mid-career professional whose impact to date is distinguished by deep expertise in academic collection acquisitions, strong leadership capability, and a sustained commitment to knowledge sharing and workforce development within the academic library sector. Her specialist knowledge in collection acquisitions is both strategically and operationally significant, particularly in licensing and agreement negotiations, vendor relationship management and advancing transformative agreements in support of open access. Over many years Karen has built a reputation among vendors, CAUL partners and academic library peers and leaders as a highly skilled and principled negotiator, consistently securing outcomes that balance fiscal responsibility with broad access to high-quality scholarly resources for the Monash University community and beyond. Karen’s expertise is widely recognised within Monash University Library where her negotiating capability is considered both a strategic strength and operational asset.

Chingmy Lam

Manager, Metadata Services
The University of Sydney

Chingmy Lam is a highly respected mid‑career library leader whose work has had sustained impact on metadata practice at institutional, national, and international levels. She has served as Manager, Metadata Services at the University of Sydney Library since 2019, leading metadata strategy, policy, and operational practice across one of Australia’s largest research library environments.

Chingmy brings deep expertise in metadata standards, library management systems, and authority control, and is recognised for translating complex technical and standards‑based work into coherent, ethical, and future‑focused metadata services. Her leadership spans innovation, governance, and workforce capability, ensuring metadata practice supports discovery, analytics, and informed decision‑making.

A defining feature of Chingmy’s work is her leadership in reparative and inclusive metadata practice, including alignment with AIATSIS Pathways, Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property (ICIP) principles, and the implementation of Homosaurus to support respectful description of LGBTI+ communities and histories. In parallel, she is a recognised sector leader in the responsible application of artificial intelligence in metadata workflows, contributing to international initiatives through the OCLC Research Library Partnership.

At this stage of her career, Chingmy is shaping how metadata practice can advance equity, trust, and responsible innovation across the academic library sector.

Bruce Munro

Associate Director Library
Queensland University of Technology

Bruce Munro is a highly respected mid-career library leader with almost 15 years’ experience in senior management and leadership roles across Australian academic libraries. His career spans leadership positions at the University of New South Wales, the University of Sydney, Southern Cross University, and Queensland University of Technology (QUT), where he currently serves as Associate Director, Library.

Bruce has consistently demonstrated continuous excellence in leading complex service portfolios, driving organisational change, and aligning library services with institutional strategy. He combines strategic insight with strong relational leadership, building high-performing teams grounded in trust, inclusion, and professional growth.

Bruce exemplifies the intent of the CAUL Mid-Career Award. He is recognised as a professional role model whose values-led leadership, commitment to equity and access, and sustained contribution to both institutional and sector priorities continue to shape contemporary academic library practice.

Anthony O’Brien

Senior Librarian, Copyright and Scholarly Publishing
University of Newcastle

Anthony is an accomplished and dedicated senior librarian and copyright expert whose drive, strategic focus, and leadership have reshaped the University of Newcastle’s approach to copyright, intellectual property, and open knowledge. Well-established and highly regarded in his role as a liaison librarian, Anthony made a significant mid-career pivot when he commenced as Copyright Advisor in 2020. In this role, he re-envisioned and expanded the scope of copyright support across the institution, transforming a previously narrow remit into a dynamic, high-impact portfolio that now underpins key academic, commercial, and policy activities.

Anthony exemplifies the qualities of a mature mid-career library professional: he is analytically driven, highly collaborative, and able to work confidently across complex and evolving legal, ethical, and technological domains. He consistently anticipates organisational and sector needs and has become a trusted advisor not only to senior University leaders but to colleagues across Australia.

Anthony’s growth into a sector-leading copyright specialist reflects both the depth of his expertise and his commitment to lifting the capability of others. His contributions demonstrate a level of influence and innovation that exceed the expectations of his role, marking him as an exceptional professional whose impact expands across the institution and higher education community.

Jaime Royals

Associate Director, Academic Engagement
Adelaide University

Jaime Royals is a highly regarded mid-career library professional who demonstrates continuous excellence, strong leadership capability, and a sustained commitment to professional development and service to others. She is recognised for her ability to deliver complex, high-impact initiatives while fostering an inclusive and supportive environment for colleagues.

Jaime is at a stage in her career where she combines deep operational expertise with strategic leadership and a clear focus on future-facing capability. She has undertaken an extensive program of professional development, particularly in areas such as artificial intelligence, innovation, and leadership, ensuring her practice remains contemporary and responsive to emerging challenges.

During the Adelaide University merger, Jaime has led significant projects while maintaining business-as-usual service delivery and supporting staff through a period of sustained organisational change. Her leadership extends beyond her immediate teams, with a strong reputation for supporting colleagues across the organisation.

Jaime is also a longstanding mentor within a women’s professional development network, reflecting her commitment to developing others and contributing positively to the profession. She is a respected role model whose contribution exemplifies the intent of the CAUL Mid-Career Award.

Griffith Library Mount Gravatt Exit Leadership Team, Griffith University

• Craig Milne
• Michelle Postlewaite
• Hugh Stocks
• Patty Sengjan

Closing a library is no small task. It involves emotional, logistical, and operational challenges. Griffith University will close the Mount Gravatt campus in Meanjin (Brisbane) at the end of 2026, requiring Griffith Library to close the Mount Gravatt Library last year.

Over the course of a year, Griffith Library prepared extensively for this closure, beginning with the establishment of a Griffith Library Mount Gravatt Exit Leadership Team. The team not only met the challenges of a library closure, but they exceeded expectations. They preserved the legacy of Griffith Library, honoured its role in the Griffith community, and ensured its resources continued to be available. Their work exemplifies the spirit of this award category.

Academic Engagement Team, University of New South Wales

• Belinda Sua
• Nada Stanojlovic
• Andrea Zarate
• Anna J. Rutkowska
• Bandana Koirala
• Cheng Siu
• Chris Kordas
• Cindy Christie
• Emma Gerts
• Farhin Alam
• Francoise Rodriguez
• Helen Jones
• Iris Ellis
• Jennifer Whitfield
• Kassie Dmitrieff
• Kim White
• Lachlan Drummond
• Leia Supe
• Liam O’Donoghue
• Nadia Kempfe
• Nicole Robertson
• Patrick McManus
• Ressie Davis
• Saba Maniar
• Samantha Bowen
• Susie Yamaguchi

The UNSW Library Academic Engagement team advances students’ information literacy and academic success through strategic design and delivery of curriculum‑integrated learning. Central to this work has been the creation of the Library’s Digital Information Skills Framework, providing a comprehensive, developmental pathway for students to build capability in information discovery, critical evaluation, ethical use, and digital fluency across their degree. This framework acts as an anchor for the Library’s information services programs, providing a shared pedagogical foundation that connects foundational learning to more advanced, discipline‑specific capabilities. This includes Library Essentials, a core module delivered to all commencing coursework students, which establishes baseline information skills and supports consistent learning outcomes across a large and diverse student cohort.

Working in partnership with academic staff, the team co‑creates curriculum‑aligned learning experiences embedded within courses, assessment and tailored to disciplinary contexts. This shifts information literacy from an ad hoc or supplementary activity to a core component of the student learning journey.

The team proactively responds to sector‑wide challenges, including the rapid emergence of generative AI in learning and assessment. Through integration of the AI L.E.A.R.N. Framework, the team supports students and educators to engage with AI critically, ethically, and responsibly.

In an environment of increasing change, complexity, and digital disruption, the Academic Engagement team has created a scalable framework for academic libraries seeking to strengthen their role as partners in teaching, learning, and student success.

Adelaide University (AU) Library Team, Adelaide University

This nomination recognises the combined teams of the two foundation university libraries who delivered the establishment of the Adelaide University Library, while simultaneously maintaining full business-as-usual operations across both institutions.
Over an 18-month period, the teams undertook one of the most complex library transformations in the Australasian sector, with no established precedent at this scale. This included the design and implementation of a unified operating model, consolidation of collections and licensing, and the delivery of an integrated systems and service environment to support a new, large-scale, multi-campus university.

At the same time, staff continued to deliver uninterrupted services to students and researchers across both legacy institutions, supporting teaching, research, and student success during a period of significant organisational change.
The work required deep collaboration across functional areas and a sustained commitment to staff wellbeing and user experience. The result is a future-focused, scalable library service that is fully aligned to Adelaide University’s strategic ambitions and positioned to support its community from Day 1 and beyond.

Incarcerated Student Support Project Team, Curtin University

• Lydia Dawe
• Julie Clift
• Sally Culver
• Sheela Krnjajic

Curtin University Library’s Incarcerated Student Support Project Team was formed to address a critical and long-overlooked gap in library service delivery: the needs of approximately 100 incarcerated students enrolled at Curtin University who study from correctional facilities across Australia. These students face extraordinary barriers to academic success, including lack of internet access, limited computer time mediated by prison education officers, and financial hardship. As university libraries have shifted to predominantly digital collections, these barriers have intensified.
Led by our Copyright Officer, Lydia Dawe, the team conducted a comprehensive review of library services to this cohort, mapped the student journey in collaboration with key stakeholders, and developed a proactive and sustainable service model. Their work required navigating a complex landscape of Digital Rights Management restrictions, publisher licensing agreements, and copyright legislation. The team’s efforts have directly improved information access for one of Australia’s most marginalised student populations and produced a service framework that is already informing practice at peer institutions.

Food Security Project Team, The University of Sydney

• Sarah Dundon, Manager, Student Experience
• Kathryn Cass, Associate Director, Learning Spaces and Services (Acting)
• Valentina Curcetti, Student Experience Coordinator
• Daniel Healey, Manager, Student Engagement
• Gabrielle Duke, Student Experience Officer (Identified)
• Lixin Li, Student Experience Officer (International)
• Sue Gong, Student Experience Officer
• Andrea Dib Barona, Student Engagement Advisor
• Samantha Beaty, Student Engagement Officer
• GyeYoung Lee, Student Engagement Advisor
• Frances Ratner, Student Engagement Advisor
• Saverio Rizzo, Student Engagement Advisor
• Hailey Duong, Student Engagement Officer
• Lauren Loxton, Student Engagement Advisor
• Laura Kal, Student Engagement Advisor
• Cindy Teo, Student Engagement Advisor
• Ton Timmer, Student Engagement Advisor
• Giselle Zou, Student Engagement Officer
• Nick Tesoriero, Student Experience Advisor
• Emily Liu
• Rebekah Armstrong, Student Engagement Advisor
• Phuong Pham, Student Engagement Advisor
• Emily Lin, Site Services Assistant
• Jacqui Larcombe, Site Services Advisor
• Tyson Ingram, Student Engagement Advisor
• Lydia Dutcher, Head of Student Life
• Adam Hatch, Senior Manager, Student Life

In 2025, the University of Sydney Library partnered with the Office of Student Life at the University of Sydney, to support student food security by ensuring free food was available at all Library-run, student-facing events. This approach removed barriers by allowing students to access food without needing to disclose need, supporting them with dignity. It aligns with the University’s goal of fostering inclusive, culturally grounded experiences that support students’ holistic wellbeing and enable individuals from all backgrounds to thrive (Dundon et al., 2024).
Amid rising living costs, food insecurity among university students has increased, with approximately 42% affected. Food insecurity is linked to poorer physical and mental health, reduced diet quality, and lower academic performance, all of which can impact students’ ability to continue their studies.
The Food Security project team addressed this challenge in a simple yet impactful way by embedding food provision into everyday Library activities. This initiative not only met an immediate need but also reduced stigma around seeking support. By creating welcoming, community-based environments, it encouraged students to engage more openly and access additional support, contributing to improved wellbeing and student retention.

QUT Library Professional Development Series Team, Queensland University of Technology

• Dr Sal Kleine, Acting Scholarly Impact Librarian
• Rosie Glynn, Liaison Librarian, QUT Faculty of Health
• Michael Hawks, Liaison Librarian, QUT Faculty of Business and Law
• Tanya Harden, Acting Manager, Office for Scholarly Communication

The QUT Library Professional Development Series Team is a project team within the QUT Library People and Culture Committee, a cross‑library group responsible for coordinated programs that celebrate staff and strengthen a positive, connected and informed workplace culture. The team developed and delivered a six‑month, staff‑led professional development series in response to sector‑wide change, including the rapid emergence of artificial intelligence, evolving information practices, and increasing complexity in academic library work.

The initiative translated the ALIA Framework of Skills, Knowledge and Ethics for the Library and Information Services Workforce into a practical, locally relevant program that supported capability building across roles and career stages. Following analysis of prior capability mapping and a staff survey on skills gaps and delivery preferences, the team piloted a structured program focused on three Professional Knowledge Domains: Information services; Leadership and management; and Literacies and learning.

Delivered through themed communications and interactive workshops, the program embedded reflective practice into everyday work and showcased expertise from within the library and across the university. Strong engagement and positive feedback led to executive endorsement and continuation of the program into 2026, positioning the Professional Development Series as an ongoing, sustainable element of QUT Library’s people and culture framework.

Mob Sticker Project Team, Queensland University of Technology

• Sandra Fry, Liaison Librarian
• Stephen Booth, Liaison Librarian
• Helen Batchelor, Library Adviser
• Jenny Clouston, Library Adviser
• Clinton Toghill, Collection Access Assistant
• Stephen Grasso, Resource Librarian
• Shanelle Fiaalii, Lecturer, School of Education, QUT (External project partner)

The Mob Sticker Project Team is a cross-functional group within QUT Library that conceived, designed and implemented a pilot initiative to improve how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives are represented and contextualised in the QUT Library’s Curriculum Collection. The collection supports the work of QUT students – especially pre-service teachers – and academic staff. The project directly responds to concerns raised by Shanelle Fiaalii, Lecturer in the School of Education, regarding outdated and potentially harmful representations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in curriculum resources used by pre-service teachers.

Working in sustained partnership with Shanelle and guided by the AIATSIS Guide to evaluating and selecting education resources, the team replaced a one-size-fits-all Aboriginal Flag spine label with a five-category contextual labelling system: by mob, with mob, for mob, about mob, and against mob. This system provides students with immediate, practical guidance when browsing physical collections, supporting more informed, culturally responsible resource selection.

The project was further shaped through consultation with First Nations colleagues across QUT, including staff from the Oodgeroo Unit and the Carumba Institute, and required coordinated effort across liaison, cataloguing, and collection access functions. The resulting pilot represents a thoughtful, evidence-based service improvement that aligns with QUT’s strategic commitments to Indigenous engagement, reconciliation, and culturally safe learning environments.

UQ Library HackAIthon team, The University of Queensland

• Patrick Wade
• Kelly Burrett
• Tingting He
• Jacob Tilse
• Marianne Sato
• Russell Spooner
• Barnaby Casson
• Rob Bowen
• Tamma Sorbello
• Alice Muhling
• Stephane Guillou
• Karen Platz
• Justine Cawley

The UQ Library’s first AI Hackathon (“HackAIthon”), held in March 2026, is one project from our Library Experience Program. The event brought together student teams to tackle real-world challenges through innovative applications of artificial intelligence. Delivered in partnership with the UQ Sustainable Innovators Club (UQSIC), the event invited students to apply their critical thinking skills and create solutions that either harness the potential of AI or help manage its risks.

Across three days, 130 students engaged in critical thinking workshops, mentoring sessions with academics and industry representatives, team-building activities, culminating in presentations to a panel of academic and industry judges. The Library team led the coordination of all aspects of the hackathon, including program design, operational delivery, stakeholder, staff and volunteer logistics, wellbeing services and communications. The team’s leadership created an inclusive, dynamic and professionally run event that fostered creativity, critical thinking, skill development and community connection. The HackAIthon event demonstrated outstanding cross-campus collaboration, innovation and student-centred co-design, as well as showcasing tangible advancement towards strategic goals relating to student success and the critical, ethical and effective use of AI. These achievements make the UQ Library HackAIthon team a strong candidate for the Outstanding Library Team award in 2026.

UQ Library AI Student Hub Team, The University of Queensland

• Marianne Sato
• Thomas Palmer
• Julie Oates
• Tanya Ziebell
• Miranda Newell
• Kia Owens

The AI Student Hub team is a collaborative group of library staff who worked in partnership with colleagues across the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) Portfolio and with students to develop one of UQ’s most significant student-facing resources supporting the use of AI. Responding to the rapidly evolving landscape of artificial intelligence in higher education, the team came together at the end of 2024/start of 2025 to create the AI Student Hub – a central, authoritative resource guiding all UQ coursework students on the responsible and effective use of AI in their studies.

The Hub covers a comprehensive range of topics, including using AI for study and assessment, acknowledging and referencing AI use, ethical considerations, and access to AI tools and training. Developed at pace and under pressure, it was delivered quickly without sacrificing quality or depth.

Crucially, the team’s work did not stop at launch. They have continued to maintain and evolve the Hub, actively engaging students through feedback mechanisms and a Student Staff Partnership (SSP) project to co-design updates and ensure the resource remains relevant, accurate, and genuinely useful. The Hub was most recently reviewed and updated in February 2026, reflecting the team’s sustained commitment to student success in an AI-enabled learning environment.

Flinders University Library – Reconciliation Collective (Education Outcomes), Flinders University

This collective comprises members of the Library Reconciliation Action Plan Working Group and the Education Engagement team, working as an integrated practice to embed reconciliation across library governance, spaces, workforce and curriculum.

The Flinders University Library Reconciliation and Education Engagement Collective delivers sustained institutional change by embedding reconciliation into core Library governance, services and curriculum support. Rather than operating as discrete initiatives, the Library Reconciliation Action Plan Working Group and Education Engagement team align as a unified practice that translates reconciliation commitments into measurable outcomes for students, staff and the academic community. Since 2023, this work has received repeated formal recognition at Vice Chancellor and senior executive level, including Flinders Reconciliation Team and Individual Awards and written acknowledgement from the Senior Deputy Vice Chancellor and Education Quality Committee for its impact on education quality and curriculum practice. The Collective has delivered visible cultural transformation through inclusive Library spaces, Kaurna language integration, Indigenous authored content pathways, and structured curriculum embedded support for academics. Critically, reconciliation is experienced by students within their learning rather than as a parallel initiative.

This integrated model positions the Library as both a cultural steward and an active contributor to education quality, student experience and institutional reconciliation.  

Community Cohesion Project Team, University of Southern Queensland

• Robyn Tweedale
• Stacey Larner
• Nikki Andersen
• Steph Piper
• Sharnie Stephens
• Nayana Kumarapeli
• Jessica Prentice
• Tricia Kelly
• Brenda Atwell

The University of Southern Queensland Library was selected as one of only 10 university libraries nationally to participate in a partnership between the Department of Home Affairs’ Office for Social Cohesion and the Australian Library and Information Association. The project team developed six programs over six months which focused on developing a sense of belonging and cohesion for students from all backgrounds. All of the projects
were delivered in collaboration with colleagues from a variety of areas within the University and some were delivered in partnership with community organisations. The team was made up of people with a range of skills who variously developed proposals, liaised with collaborators, collected evidence, developed communications and advertising, ran the activities, purchased materials and equipment, and reviewed and assessed the programs.

Eytahnyia Scott

Indigenous Learning Advisor
Curtin University

Eytahnyia Scott is a Jaru woman, from the Kimberley’s Halls Creek, adopted by the Yolngu people of Galiwin’ku in Northeast Arnhem Land. She commenced her role as the inaugural Indigenous Learning Advisor at the Curtin University Library in 2023 and has transformed the way the Library engages with and supports the Indigenous students and staff. Eytahnyia has achieved this through purposeful collaboration, quickly building and leveraging relationships across Curtin. She has been brave in calling out our limitations and challenging our ingrained ways of thinking, always encouraging Library staff to learn about and embrace Indigenous ways of working, knowing and being. As the only continuing Indigenous staff member in the team, Eytahnyia empowers other staff to share this vital work of Indigenising library services, with less fear of making mistakes. She shares her own stories openly and courageously, illuminating the challenges and triumphs of an Indigenous woman in colonial spaces (libraries and universities), often with a sense of humour. Through her vulnerability, her generosity and her leadership, Eytahnyia has truly begun a transformation in how the Library interacts with and supports Indigenous students and staff.   

Dr Rangihurihia McDonald

Pou Ārahi
University of Waikato | Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato

Dr Rangihurihia (Hurihia) McDonald is a respected Māori leader in Te Iho o Te Manawataki (the University of Waikato Library), whose kaupapa-centred leadership has measurably strengthened cultural safety, capability, and belonging for staff and communities across the university. As Pou Ārahi within Te Iho o Te Manawataki, Hurihia has designed and delivered an innovative, evidence-informed programme that embeds te ao Māori and Te Tiriti o Waitangi into everyday library practice, including the Library’s Cultural Capability Framework now woven into objectives, induction, and team rhythms.

Hurihia leads with mana-enhancing steadiness and service. She creates inclusive, practical pathways for people to grow confidence in te reo Māori and tikanga through sustained learning opportunities (including waiata and reo practice), and she amplifies Māori voices through initiatives such as the He Kōkonga Ngākau speaker series and Kōrero Corner. Her influence extends beyond the library: she convenes Te Kupenga (Māori and Pacific staff network) and has modelled sector leadership by weaving tikanga and te reo Māori into major professional events, including as co-MC and tikanga leadership for the IATUL conference.

Martin Borchert

University Librarian
University of New South Wales

The nomination for the 2026 CAUL Distinguished Leadership Award recognises Martin Borchert’s longstanding service and leadership, advocacy for equity and commitment to innovation in service delivery in academic libraries. His contributions mark a significant and strategic impact beyond his institution, particularly through advancing CAUL’s strategic priorities and strengthening our collective influence at a national and international level. The nomination highlights the enduring benefits of his commitment to the CAUL community, and to the researchers and students central to our mission within the Australian higher education sector.

Martin’s career trajectory reflects his intellectual curiosity, his ability to adapt to change and his commitment to continual learning. Across four universities – Queensland University of Technology, Griffith University, University of Queensland and UNSW – an undergraduate degree in Marine Science alongside postgraduate qualifications in Librarianship and Business, he has been willing to take opportunities to diversify his skills and experience. This diversification has shaped a career driven to fulfill his sense of shared purpose around equity of access, open knowledge and collective approaches to sector-wide change that align closely to CAUL’s mission.

Through his leadership over the last decade as University Librarian UNSW, Martin has strengthened the role and service offerings of academic libraries within higher education, repositioning UNSW Library as a key partner in student success, societal impact and research excellence. His institutional leadership has translated into significant contributions to the work of CAUL, reinforcing its role as our sector’s peak strategic body and trusted voice to government, and sector partners on matters of equity and access to knowledge.

Hero Macdonald

University Librarian
Deakin University

Hero Macdonald is a highly respected senior higher education leader whose career reflects a sustained commitment to advancing information equity and amplifying the role and impact of academic libraries within the sector.

As a current CAUL Board Director and Chair of CAUL Content Procurement, Hero’s leadership of the recent CAUL major negotiations represents a defining contribution to the Australian and New Zealand research sector aligned with Hero’s values of openness and equity. Hero has demonstrated the ability to articulate a compelling, clear, values-led position for the sector, backed up by a strategic, ambitious and highly effective approach to collective negotiations that have delivered unprecedented benefits to the sector.

Through this work, Hero has been instrumental in positioning CAUL as an influential force within the global scholarly communications landscape. Hero’s leadership reflects a deep understanding of both the systemic challenges facing researchers and universities, and a deep commitment to leveraging libraries’ collective power to shape a more sustainable and equitable future for research.

Bronwen Thomas

Manager, Collections and Scholarly Publishing
University of Newcastle

With over 34 years of dedicated library service, Bronwen Thomas is a truly distinguished library professional and
leader who has consistently advocated for the best interests of CAUL, her team and the wider library community.
Throughout her career, Bronwen has contributed to strategic successes for CAUL and has given her time, with
remarkable generosity, to uplift and support her colleagues across the sector.

Bronwen began her career in libraries in technical services. From here, she progressed through various roles in
resource and metadata management, resource sharing, scholarly publishing and collection development,
acquiring a unique depth and breadth of experience.

Bronwen is now an experienced senior leader, leveraging her skills and expertise to support her teams to deliver
exceptional services in collection development and management, scholarly publishing and copyright support,
resource sharing and collections access. She has led critical, transformative projects to success, including the
implementation of a new library services platform and institutional research repository, while contributing to
external boards, networking groups and CAUL operations. Her meticulously conscientious approach, depth and
wealth of knowledge, and her generosity of time and commitment has set her apart within the library.

Given the stature of her career, Bronwen has created a unique approach to supporting others. She has a
reflective leadership style, sharing her professional knowledge not just with her own team but across the sector,
consistently serving as a mentor in national mentoring programs. She is a leader amongst her colleagues both within the library and across the university, offering immense support to the University Librarian, Associate
Directors, and university senior leaders around best-practice collection management.

In her consistent, genuine dedication to the best interests of the library community over a long and sweeping
career, Bronwen truly exemplifies what it means to give ‘distinguished service’.