BW librarian earns statewide recognition for leadership and service

One of many places where teaching and learning thrive outside the classroom is in the Ritter Library with the support of expert, mentoring staff.

BW alumna and head of Ritter Library's Access Services, Laura D'Amato '93, is the recipient of two noteworthy awards in Ohio academic librarianship in 2020.

Recognizing library service and leadership

Last month, D'Amato was named the 2020 recipient of the Ohio Private Academic Libraries (OPAL) Service Award. OPAL is a consortium of 25 private college and university libraries in Ohio.

In presenting the award, Tiffany Lipstreu, director of Otterbein University's Courtright Memorial Library, cited D'Amato's impressive work on OPAL's Strategic Planning Committee, as well as her contributions as coordinator of the OPAL Circulation Community of Interest, as playing a key role in the recognition.

In the spring, D'Amato was selected to participate in the 2020 Library Leadership Ohio (LLO) cohort. Spearheaded by the State Library of Ohio and OhioNET, this competitive program honors individuals who display strong leadership skills.

Fostering student growth

D'Amato's support of BW students is perhaps her greatest contribution to BW. Brielle Trussa '20 credited D'Amato's "kind personality and leadership skills" for "fostering [her] growth as a worker and a person."

She went on to say, "Laura found creative ways to incorporate my film degree into my student circulation assistant role, and in doing so, showed how much she cared about my future and helping me succeed."

D'Amato has been part of the Ritter Library staff for the past eight years.