CAUL Awards 2024

Nominees

The 2024 CAUL Awards nominees are a testament to the outstanding leadership, innovation, and achievement of CAUL Member institution staff in Australia and Aotearoa. The CAUL Board, CAUL National Office and Council congratulate all nominees.

The Awards will be presented at the CAUL Council meeting in Auckland on Thursday 21 November 2024. 

Indigenous Leader Award | Emerging Leader Award | Outstanding Library Team Award | Distinguished Service Award

Indigenous Leader Award

The Indigenous Leader Award recognises Indigenous Australians and New Zealanders' contributions to academic libraries and CAUL's work.

This award is open to Australian or Aotearoa New Zealand Indigenous community members. 

Nominations must demonstrate evidence of leadership impact or advocacy in service provision, innovation or people leadership.

Abigail McClutchie
Kaiārahi
Te Tumu Herenga | The University of Auckland

Abigail McClutchie is a transformational leader whose work and studies have at their heart the goal of progressing and empowering Māori students and staff, and people, to realise tino rangatiratanga (Māori self-determination, independence, sovereignty).

Of Te Rarawa and Ngāti Porou descent, Abigail is the inaugural Kaiārahi (senior Māori leader) of Te Tumu Herenga | Libraries and Learning Services at Waipapa Taumata Rau | The University of Auckland. Over the past 5 years Abigail has had wide-reaching and deep impact as she has led the service division in its indigenisation work and inspired the wider community. She is a true innovator, designing and delivering strategic programmes for staff and students, and taking risks to progress our commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi. Abigail is rangatira (leader) of tremendous vision - a powerhouse of ideas, energy and drive and she has inspired so many to become part of this shared endeavour. In all of this she has lived the Māori principles of kaitiakitanga (guardianship), whakawhanautanga (shared experiences and connection) and manaakitanga (kindness, support, respect and care) and is seen as a role model for many across our university community and wider CONZUL community.

Tui Raven
Senior Manager, Indigenous Programs
Deakin University

Tui Raven is a distinguished leader and prominent advocate for the inclusion of Indigenous knowledge within libraries and cultural institutions.

Her leadership clearly shines through in the development of the "Guidelines for First Nations Collection Description," - a groundbreaking contribution to the LIS profession. As a cornerstone document, the Guidelines are transforming professional practice through the development of culturally respectful cataloguing practices. These guidelines emphasise Indigenous cultural safety, enabling libraries to manage collections in a way that respects Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property (ICIP) rights. Tui remains is a central guiding force for their interpretation and implementation.

As the Senior Manager of Indigenous Programs at Deakin Library, Tui has also been instrumental in transforming library practices to honour cultural protocols and create inclusive spaces for Indigenous voices. However, Tui's impact extends far beyond her work at Deakin Library; she is an active thought leader in both the library and information and higher education sectors. Tui is consistently sought out to contribute to professional fora. In 2024 alone, Tui delivered a range of keynote speeches, including at Kummargi Yulendji 2024, where she shared insights on embedding Indigenous knowledge into university systems. Additionally, she has contributed to critical discussions at conferences like VALA 2024, AIATSIS Summit 2024, ALIA Conference 2024, and the World Health Summit, advocating for the representation and protection of Indigenous knowledge.

Further evidence of her important national leadership role is Tui's involvement in a range of national advisory groups, including ALIA's Expert Advisory Group and the Attorney General's Copyright and AI Reference Group. Through these engagements, Tui is a powerful advocate for Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property (ICIP) rights, digital sovereignty, and reparative practices, and ensures that Indigenous rights are prioritised in policy development and emerging technologies.

Her visionary leadership continues to shape and inspire the sector.

Emerging Leader Award

The Emerging Leader Award recognises a leader in the first ten years of their career who models exemplary leadership behaviours and demonstrates significant achievements that contribute to realising the institution's goals or the advancement of the profession more generally.

Nominations must demonstrate evidence of one or more of the following:

  • Innovation, initiative or demonstration of leadership of people or projects
  • Service and contribution to the profession 
  • Research that advances university library practice.

Sara Altman
Senior Librarian (Collection Strategy)
Flinders University

Sara Altman's strong leadership potential was noticed immediately by the Flinders Library management team and her peers when she joined us in 2021 as a Library Officer. She demonstrates a commitment to take on new challenges and uses an open growth mindset to deal with ambiguity that resulted in very quick promotions from HEO5 to HEO7.

Sara enthusiastically embraced the challenge of leading the development of our newly evolved online content service and it is now one of our most popular services. This service has a direct impact on student success by using pedagogically sound frameworks to support Flinders teaching academics to use high quality learning resources in their topics. This work has also resulted in supporting equitable access to resources by reducing the use of textbooks and saving our students significant out of pocket expenses.

Sara is currently employed in our content strategy team and is using this knowledge of the online content service to reimagine how we deliver readings through Canvas. The Flinders leadership team are confident that Sara is one of our future leaders who has the attitude and capacity to lead our Library and the whole Library profession in the future. 

Emma Mckindley
Copyright Specialist
University of New England

Emma Mckindley is a highly accomplished professional with a robust background in library and information services, specialising in copyright management. Emma’s career began at the University of Southern Queensland Library in 2019, where she quickly advanced from a student assistant to Digital Content and Rights Officer. Currently, Emma serves as the Copyright Specialist at the University of New England, managing copyright matters across all areas of the university. Her academic credentials include a Bachelor of Science (Psychology) from Central Queensland University and a Juris Doctor from the University of Southern Queensland.

As a leader, Emma exemplifies resilience, dedication and innovation. Through balancing her career, education and family commitments, she has demonstrated remarkable strength and commitment. Emma’s leadership style is characterised by a values-based approach, emphasising the balance between the commercialisation of knowledge and equitable access to it. Whilst relatively new to the University of New England, Emma has already made substantial contributions to the library leadership team, developing initiatives to reduce costs and improve services in alignment with the organisation’s strategic priorities. Her ability to foster an environment of innovation and advancement, coupled with her strategic thinking and empathetic leadership, makes Emma Mckindley a highly respected and effective leader.

Flic French
Outreach Librarian
University of Queensland

Flic is an enthusiastic and passionate librarian, who has been successful in several diverse roles at UQ, including roles that are student facing, work with special collections and partner with academic colleagues. Flic is nominated as an emerging leader for both her demonstration of leadership in her Library roles and for the leadership she demonstrates across the University to support the LGBTQIA+ community and Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Justice (EDIJ) more broadly. Flic has influenced change at UQ through her dedication to EDIJ initiatives, which have positively impacted the LGBTQIA+ community.

Through all her work, Flic demonstrates that good leaders do not need to be forceful or dogmatic. Her approach is always respectful, empathetic and inclusive, but also consistent, persistent and highly effective. Flic’s achievements over the last two years are all the more impressive given that she undertook a period of parental leave in 2023-24 and juggles working part time with being a mum.

Raelee Lancaster
Principal Advisor, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Services and Collections
University of Queensland

Raelee Lancaster is a Wiradjuri writer and library professional and a descendant of the Biripi Peoples, born and raised on Awabakal and Worimi Country in Newcastle. Raelee is Principal Advisor, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Services and Collections at the University of Queensland Library (UQL) where she works to make Indigenous knowledges more findable and accessible for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

Raelee began her career at Griffith University Library in 2019 and will complete her Master of Information Science degree with Curtin University in 2024. In August 2022, Raelee commenced at UQL as Library Officer, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Services and Collections. In her role Raelee went beyond expectations and established policies and practices and quickly progressed to higher level work. Raelee has established herself as a change agent working on a range of initiatives including UQ research projects and the University-wide Indigenising the Curriculum project. Raelee has quickly developed her library skills and experience and demonstrated her ability to transfer skills from prior work, volunteer and lived experience.

Outstanding Library Team Award

The Outstanding Library Team Award recognises a library team or specific project group that has demonstrated excellent leadership in delivering significant service improvement or cultural change aligned with organisational priorities.

Nominations must demonstrate evidence of

  • either a significant service improvement or positive organisational or cultural change
  • collegial work – including supporting colleagues in the achievement of goals or outcomes
  • sustainability and scalability of the initiative.

'Your Library on Campus'
Auckland University of Technology

  • Kate Absolum, Senior Manager
  • Quentin Allan, Learning Advisor
  • Susanne Schildbach, Team lead, Information Literacy
  • Andre Breedt, Learning Advisor
  • Camilo Amaya Lara, Information Literacy Librarian
  • Craig Wattam, Learning Advisor
  • Emma McFadgen, Information Literacy Librarian
  • Geraldine Hay, Information Literacy Librarian
  • I'u Tuagalu, Learning Advisor
  • Jenny Mendieta, Learning Advisor
  • Josta Heyligers, Learning Advisor
  • Lucy Macnaught, Learning Advisor
  • Rachael Harding, Learning Advisor
  • Steph Clout, Learning Advisor
  • Sushilla Parmanadam, Information Literacy Librarian
  • Vanessa van der ham, Learning Advisor

Te Mātāpuna Library & Learning Services’ ‘Your Library on Canvas’ site provides co-designed, discipline-specific, assessment-focussed, asynchronous Information and Academic Literacy resources that have been accessed by AUT students more than 1,500,000 times this year alone. Te Reo Māori (Māori language) has been seamlessly integrated into the course and demonstrates our commitment to indigenising our resources and upholding Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

This Canvas site marks a significant improvement over the previous resources offered by Te Mātāpuna. The earlier Information and Academic Literacy guidance on the library website had several limitations: the content was hard to find and static, updates to the content were difficult to make quickly or autonomously, and the space lacked the flexibility to organize content by school, discipline, or assessment focus. Moreover, the users had to leave one eco-system, where all the assessment information is (Canvas) and go to another (the library website) to access support. Finally, because this site was open to anyone, we had no ability to evaluate who was accessing it.

This nomination is for the Learning and Academic Engagement (LAE) team and the extraordinarily hard work they have put in in creating this outstanding resource. 

Digital Dexterity Community of Practice 

  • Nica Tsamakis, Australian Catholic University
  • Ruth Cameron, University of Newcastle
  • Sara Davidsson, CAVAL

The Convenors of the Digital Dexterity Champions Community of Practice (CoP) Coordinate regular meetings (schedule, agenda, recordings, minutes), related admin and all documentation, engage and welcome new champions, organise annual events, invite special guests, deliver conference papers and presentations, write reports, facilitate workshops, monitor email list, address and escalate any issues, thank outgoing members, acknowledge contributions, support CoP projects.

The purpose of the Digital Dexterity CoP is to provide a forum for CAUL Member institution staff to engage in collegial professional learning and information sharing related to Digital Dexterity. Digital Dexterity encompasses a range of capabilities such as digital and information literacy, media and data literacy, and digital identity. The Digital Dexterity CoP provides a regular forum for sharing and exchanging case studies, tools, and approaches related to all aspects of digital dexterity. 

The group is currently undergoing a review after five productive and harmonious years of collaboration across nearly all the university libraries in Australia and New Zealand. The energy and ideas that the group continues to bring has ensure that it has endured and created ongoing close relationships amongst the CAUL Digital Dexterity CoP members even as members have changed roles or institutions. The convenors of the group have demonstrated a level of engagement and collegiality that it has become the hallmark of this community to stay in touch across the membership and maintain the enthusiasm for learning and sharing knowledge and resources across institutional boundaries in a time of great change in the profession. 

Education Engagement Team
Flinders University

  • Gillian Yeend
  • Tim Ormsby
  • Kayla Murray
  • Amy Kosandiak
  • Heidi Savilla
  • Mary Clare O’Brien
  • Emily Andersen
  • Towsif Ahmed

The Flinders University Library’s Education Engagement Team is committed to enhancing teaching and learning experiences in alignment with the University’s 2025 Agenda. Their mission is to Foster teaching and learning Success through proactive engagement with students, colleges and student support services.

In doing so, they prioritise the empowerment of both students and teaching staff by ensuring access to relevant resources, skill development in information and digital literacy, and promotion of educational quality through effective communication of library resources and services.

In line with their commitment to inclusivity and diversity, the Education Engagement Team has recently introduced a new service focused on embedding Indigenous knowledge into the curriculum. This initiative aims to enrich educational content by incorporating the perspectives, histories, and cultures of Indigenous communities in support of the University’s Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) to Increase understanding, value and recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, histories, knowledge, and rights through cultural learning and the Library RAP goal to Offer support to academics to aid in embedding cultural learning in degrees.

The Online Content (Indigenous Knowledge) service is designed to support integrating Indigenous perspectives in the curriculum and, in its first year, has been enthusiastically embraced by Topic Coordinators.

Griffith Library Service Management Project Team
Griffith University Library

  • Alexandra Cooney
  • Catherine Hoey
  • Catie Hodges
  • Jessica Randle
  • Jessie Ristuccia-Best
  • Nathan Merry
  • Matthew Taylor
  • Pauline Fraser
  • Ronna Wang

The Library Service Management Project (SMP) team at Griffith University Library played a pivotal role in transforming the delivery of library services through the implementation of ServiceNow. As the first department at Griffith University to be onboarded onto this platform, the team collaborated closely with the Transformation Office and library leadership to co-design and reshape service delivery for students and staff.

The team focused on streamlining access to services including realigning Tier 1 and Tier 2 enquiry processes, ensuring that students and staff could easily find the support they needed. A key driver was to improve response times (including for enquiries received on the weekend) and service efficiency.

The team’s work not only enhanced the student experience through prompt and helpful responses but also fostered a transparent and supportive environment for library staff. By actively engaging in system development, knowledge management, and continuous improvement, the Library SMP team has set a sustainable and scalable model for service excellence within the university with lessons learned and approach taken being used as best practice for onboarding other business areas.

JCU Open Education Program 
James Cook University

  • Alice Luetchford, Open Education Librarian
  • Sharon Bryan, Digital Literacies and Learning Librarian
  • Deborah King, Liaison Librarian
  • Claire Ovaska, Open Education Project Specialist
  • Sara Boyle, Open Education Content Librarian
  • Christia Heath, Liaison Librarian
  • Liz Frazer, Collection Development Librarian
  • Amber Swayn, Library Operations Coordinator

James Cook University Library has endeavoured to make lasting changes to the culture of the university by advocating for reduced textbook costs for students. This year JCU Library efforts are included in the dynamic action plans of the university - Develop and implement a Textbook Affordability Project beginning with first year cohorts (including Open textbooks), to reduce financial impact of university resource costs increasing equity amongst students, with a future target of 'zed cred' or zero up front cost courses.

The Open Education (OE) Team has been at the forefront of this advocacy and has achieved significant headway within a relatively brief period of time. Over the course of the past four years, the JCU Library team has grown from advocating for Open Educational Resources (OERs) to providing a platform for adapting and creating open eTextbooks (the highly successful JCU Open eBooks – launched in 2021) and initiating the Textbook Affordability Project (TAP), 2024-2025, directly targeting first year core subjects in order to encourage academic stakeholders to aim for no-student-cost or low-student-cost alternatives for prescribed textbooks.

The OE Team has shown great initiative, leadership and adaptability in their roles and have earned the respect of their peers and colleagues throughout the institution

New Approach to Referencing Project
Macquarie University

  • Digital Literacies Program Team:

    • Vanessa Todd
    • Betty Chan
    • Ray A’Court
    • Maria Carollo
    • Caroline Dumapit
  • Teaching & Research Services Team:
    • Kirsten McDermid
    • Jane Van Balen
    • Mary Simons
    • Jeremy Cullis
    • John Elias
    • Medwenna Buckland
    • Susan Fripp
    • Sean Bullock
    • Anne Cleary
    • Lisa Fittock
    • Alana Hadfield
    • Jing Li
    • Heather Cooper
  • Library Communications Team:
    • Brendan Krige
    • Shruthi Sridhara

This nomination highlights the work of the Library’s Digital Literacy Programs (DLP) and Teaching & Research Services (TRS) teams, who work in partnership with educators to foster students’ development of information and digital literacies. Specifically, it refers to a Library led University-wide project tasked with reviewing referencing practices at Macquarie University (MQ), which resulted in a new institutional approach, a set of MQ endorsed referencing styles and a corresponding suite of new MQ referencing guides.

By reducing confusion and complexity through institutionally endorsed guidance, MQ students are now able to focus on the academic integrity aspects of attribution and acknowledgment within assessment activities. This understanding is more critical than ever as AI technologies present concerns regarding authenticity of learning and assessment. The project directly aligns with the University’s Education strategies of Academic Excellence and Authentic Assessment through improved support for the application of academic integrity in practice. It also contributes to the wellbeing of students by reducing the complexity of referencing requirements, and as a result reduces the associated anxiety and confusion that they reported experiencing.

Scholarship of Learning and Teaching (SoLT) Framework and Cross Connect
Southern Cross University

  • Margie Pembroke, Team Leader, Library Systems
  • Maureen Bezanson, Systems Librarian
  • Kayleen Wardell and Jackie Wolstenholme, Team Leaders, Teaching and Research Services

In 2023, Southern Cross University (SCU) leadership identified the need to implement processes to capture, store and report on Scholarship of Learning and Teaching (SoLT) activities. Partially driven by SCU’s re-registration requirements, ad hoc and sporadic reporting of SoLT activities indicated a lack of maturity in the university’s academic culture. To raise awareness of the value and volume of SoLT engagement, Library Services and the Centre for Teaching and Learning collaborated to develop a Scholarship of Learning and Teaching Framework along with a process to capture, store, showcase and report SoLT activities at the institutional, faculty and individual level.

SCU’s institutional repository, Cross Connect, managed by Library Services, was selected to capture, store and report on SoLT activities. Margie Pembroke (Team Leader, Library Systems) and Maureen Bezanson (Systems Librarian) conducted the bulk of the development of the project at the Library level.

Kayleen Wardell and Jackie Wolstenholme (Team Leaders, Teaching and Research Services) are now leading advocacy and liaison with academics, Deans of Education and the Centre for Teaching and Learning (CTL).

Open Access Toolkit for Aotearoa New Zealand Researchers Rōpū (group)

  • Project Leads:

    • Berit Anderson, Te Tumu Herenga | University of Auckland
    • Rachel Chidlow, Te Tumu Herenga | University of Auckland
  • Critical Friends:
    • Ammon Apiata, Te Iho o Te Manawataki Library | University of Waikato
    • Deborah Fitchett, Te Whare Wānaka o Aoraki | Lincoln University
    • Donna Coventry, Te Mātāpuna Library & Learning Services | Auckland University of Technology
    • Koichi Inoue, Te Pātaka Kōrero – The Library| Victoria University of Wellington
    • Lisa Chisholm, Te Pātaka Mātauraka o Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka | University of Otago
    • Lyndall Holstein, Te Putanga ki te Ao Mātauranga | Massey University
    • Marissa Cassin, Te Iho o Te Manawataki Library | University of Waikato
    • Rachel Doherty, Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha | University of Canterbury

The Open Access Toolkit for Aotearoa New Zealand Researchers Rōpū developed an outstanding open access (OA) toolkit specifically designed to help researchers in Aotearoa New Zealand enhance their skills and knowledge of open access within a local context. Led by Berit Anderson and Rachel Chidlow from Te Tumu Herenga, the project team created an open-source toolkit featuring customizable and accessible templates, along with step-by-step instructions for implementation across research institutions in Aotearoa. The toolkit is available through Open Access Australasia and has been adopted by all eight universities in the region. To date, it has been downloaded 338 times* and is the second most viewed page on the Open Access Australasia website.

The team, consisting of library staff from all eight universities in Aotearoa, successfully collaborated to create a toolkit that supports Universities New Zealand’s goal of increasing open access across the country to 70% by 2025. The project was backed by the Universities New Zealand (UNZ) Open Access Steering Group, CONZUL, and funded by Waipapa Taumata Rau (University of Auckland). The toolkit was launched to an enthusiastic and appreciative research community in February 2024 by the University of Auckland’s Director of Research Delivery and Strategy.

*As of September 2024.

Collections on Country Project Working Group
University of Queensland

  • Lesley Acres
  • Sam Searle
  • Mia Strasek-Barker
  • Rob Bowen
  • Dulcie Stewart
  • Raelee Lancaster
  • Talitha Carter
  • Sarah-May Ryan
  • Linda Justo
  • Christina Steinke
  • Caitlin Murphy
  • David De Groot
  • Anna Lagos
  • Amberyn Thomas

UQ Library’s Indigenous-led Collections on Country project represents a significant milestone in UQ Library’s journey to build positive relationships and collaborate with Queensland’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

Over the past two years, the Collections on Country project working group has created a sustainable solution to provide access to collections in remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, and to co-design ways to view and provide feedback on collections. This culminated in an on-site visit to Mapoon in June 2024 to work directly with community.

This project provides an exemplar for how the Library will work in future with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in ways that respect Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property rights.

Distinguished Service Award

The Distinguished Service Award recognises an individual who has made an outstanding local, regional or national contribution to university libraries or the profession that has benefitted the CAUL community.

Nominations must demonstrate evidence of a significant or strategic contribution in more than one of the following areas:

  • CAUL's operations
  • Advancing CAUL's strategic programs
  • Raising CAUL's profile
  • Raising the profile of professional issues of importance to CAUL Members
  • Professional leadership at a national or international level through advocacy, representation or other professional contributions
  • Innovation and achievement at the local, regional or national level.

The nomination will also be assessed for evidence that the nominee is recognised as an influential senior leader and mentor.

Stephanie Bradbury
Manager, Scholarly Communications
Queensland University of Technology

Stephanie Bradbury is a distinguished library and scholarly communications leader, with an exceptional career spanning 28 years at Queensland University of Technology (QUT). As the Manager of QUT Library Scholarly Communications Services, Stephanie has played a pivotal role in shaping the library research support landscape, both locally at QUT and nationally. QUT’s Open Access (OA) policy, the first of its kind in Australia, was, under Stephanie’s leadership, revised to include Creative Commons licensing and author rights retention. Stephanie’s commitment to open access has solidified QUT’s position as a leader in open access.

Stephanie's influence extends beyond QUT. As the Convenor of the QULOC Research Support Practitioner Group, she has been a guiding force for research support professionals. She is also a key organiser for ResBaz and actively contributes to the Research Support Community Day as a committee member. Stephanie’s reputation as an authority in her field has earned her invitations to speak nationally and internationally. In addition to her leadership roles, Stephanie was the first Research Support Librarian at QUT and a founding member of the Research Support Team, which later evolved into the Office for Scholarly Communication. Her leadership of the Open Education Resource and program Advanced Information Research Skills (AIRS) and the newly established QUT Open Press, highlight her enduring commitment to advancing research support services.

Stephanie has developed enduring and fruitful relationships with stakeholders and colleagues locally, nationally and internationally. Under her guidance, QUT Library has worked with colleagues across the institution, from research ethics to higher degree research student support to develop and deliver innovative researcher skills training programs covering the gamut of scholarly communication and other topics such as research ethics.

Bronwen Thomas
Manager, Content and Discovery
University of Newcastle

Bronwen is a highly experienced and motivated librarian with over 31 years of library expertise. Commencing her career in technical services, she has moved through various roles involving scholarly information resource management, financial management, collection development, metadata management, resource sharing and scholarly publishing. Now a senior manager, Bronwen has a proven track record of building and managing high-performing teams, leading successful major projects, delivering strategic and operational priorities, and fostering a culture of continuous improvement, collaboration and positive engagement.

As a leader, Bronwen is known for her ability to inspire people through her willingness to share knowledge and support others in their professional development and career trajectory. She is dedicated to the continued development of talented library professionals as shown by her repeated contributions as a mentor in the CAVAL mentoring program and continued willingness to host library placement students year-on-year.

Bronwen would be best described as a servant-leader focusing on the needs of her team, demonstrating consistency, fairness and transparency. This has enabled her to build immense trust and team cohesion. As an experienced change manager, Bronwen is also dedicated to grass-roots consultation. One of her most impactful co-led projects involved the development of an all-of-staff Standards of Behaviour in 2018 for which the entire University of Newcastle Library assumed ownership and took pride in implementing in 2019.

Bronwen’s career trajectory showcases her dedication to professional growth and excellence. She has held various senior librarian roles at the University of Newcastle, where she developed expertise in library system management, policy development, and leadership. Her key achievements include exquisite management of content acquisition within the university’s allocated scholarly resources budget for the last eight consecutive years, implementing a new Library Services Platform, and advocating for the university at a national level through her involvement with CAUL. Her extensive experience, strategic vision, and collaborative approach make her a respected and influential leader in the library and information management field.

Philip Kent
University Librarian
University of Sydney

Philip Kent is an accomplished and visionary leader whose career in academic and research library services spans over four decades, marked by transformative contributions to some of the world's most prestigious universities and research institutions. Throughout his tenure as University Librarian at leading institutions, including the University of Sydney, the University of Melbourne, Victoria University and the University of Bristol, Philip has demonstrated exceptional leadership, strategic vision, and an unwavering commitment to advancing library services, scholarly communication, and the preservation of cultural heritage.

Philip's career trajectory reflects his ability to navigate the complexities of modern academic libraries, from leading large-scale infrastructure and digital transformation projects to fostering collaborative partnerships on both national and international levels. His expertise in library management, innovative technology implementation, and heritage collections (e.g. acquisition of Germaine Greer archive) has set new standards for academic libraries in Australia and abroad. Known for his inclusive and forward thinking leadership, Philip has consistently championed initiatives that align library services with the evolving needs of students, researchers, and the academic community.

His career is distinguished not only by his accomplishments in individual institutions but also by his broader influence across the library profession. Through his work with the Council of Australian University Librarians (CAUL), the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA), and international organizations such as the International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA), and arXiv (Cornell University), Philip has played a pivotal role in shaping the future of library services globally. His legacy is one of innovation, collaboration, enabling professional development and a deep commitment to enriching the academic experience through the power of libraries.

Margie Jantti
Director, Library Services
University of Wollongong

Margie Jantti is an inspiring and exceptional leader, mentor, and advocate who has made an outstanding contribution to libraries in Australia and internationally. With over 20 years of sustained contribution to the Council of Australian University Librarians (CAUL), Margie has been instrumental in shaping the future of academic libraries and is a highly deserving CAUL Distinguished Service Award recipient. As CAUL President/Chair from 2015 to 2019, she led significant transformation, including the adoption of Strategic Programs and a renewed focus on board governance, positioning CAUL for continued success. Margie has been the Director Library Services at the University of Wollongong (UOW) since 2010 and was the inaugural recipient of the CAUL Achievement Award (2002).

Margie's leadership at the UOW, and her work within CAUL, demonstrate her commitment to achievement, continuous learning, and best practice. Throughout her career, Margie has been a strong advocate for the library profession and has constantly raised CAUL’s profile. Her leadership and willingness to share her expertise has strategically furthered dialogue on key issues such as open access, learning spaces, digital transformation, and copyright. She has extensively mentored others, and her reputation for innovation and achievement has resulted in her reviewing many academic libraries across Australia and New Zealand.

A leader in library assessment, Margie has developed frameworks that demonstrate the impact of academic libraries on student outcomes and research outputs, elevating the role of libraries in higher education institutions. Margie’s passion for leadership development has seen her play a pivotal role in initiatives such as the CAUL and CAUDIT Leadership Institutes and mentoring emerging leaders through the Aurora Institute. Her efforts have had a lasting impact on the development of hundreds of future library and IT leaders.

Margie Jantti’s dedication, vision, and strategic contributions cement her legacy as one of the leading figures in the academic library sector.

Tui Raven
Senior Manager, Indigenous Programs
Deakin University

See nomination under Indigenous Leader Award.

Panel

The 2024 adjudication panel for the Emerging Leader, Outstanding Library Team and Distinguished Service Awards comprised:

  • Nicole Clark, Executive Director, Student Services and Wellbeing, Queensland University of Technology, and Board Chair, CAUL
  • Jane Angel, CEO, CAUL
  • Clare Thorpe, Director Library Services, Southern Cross University
  • Sue Roberts, University Librarian, The University of Auckland
  • Greg Sawyer, CEO, CAUDIT

The 2024 adjudication panel for the Indigenous Leader Award comprised:

  • Nicole Clark, Executive Director, Student Services and Wellbeing, Queensland University of Technology, and Board Chair, CAUL
  • Jane Angel, CEO, CAUL
  • Clare Thorpe, Director Library Services, Southern Cross University
  • Michelle Blake, University Librarian, University of Waikato
  • Lesley Acres, Manager, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Collections, The University of Queensland
  • Yanti Ropeyarn, Senior Specialist, Indigenous Initiatives, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Data Archives (ATSIDA), University of Technology Sydney
Author Kate Davis
Last modified 21 November 2024