Freda Otchere Staff Recognition Award

About the award

The Freda Otchere Staff Recognition Award is established to encourage and reward staff currently working for the Concordia Library whose commitment and professionalism reflect the values exemplified by Freda Otchere.

This award is made possible through the generous gift of Dr. Dan Otchere, Associate Professor of Economics at Concordia University, who created the Freda Otchere Endowment Fund in 2010 in honour of his wife. From 1970 to 2004, Freda Otchere served the Concordia University Library as cataloguer and Head of Database Maintenance. Her exemplary service to the Concordia community is warmly remembered, and provides the model by which nominees are identified.

The award, which carries with it a single lump sum payment, is made annually by the University Librarian on the recommendation of the Staff Recognition Award Committee. It is made to any current employee (full-time or part-time, permanent or temporary) who, in the course of the previous year, performed an outstanding service that bears witness to individual honesty, courage, perseverance and integrity.

The Staff Recognition Award Committee is established to set guidelines for the award process as necessary, to solicit nominations for the award, and to recommend recipients to the University Librarian, with all determinations on the basis of consensus. Members of the Committee are the Manager, Office of the University Librarian, as chairperson (ex officio), along with a representative from the University’s Human Resources, a representative from Advancement and Alumni Relations, and two Library staff members at large. Current members of the Committee are Lina Guerra, Anna Michetti, Sandra Biron, Frank Rizzo and Jennifer Gold.

Anyone may nominate a library employee for this award. The call for nominations for the 2024 award is expected to be issued in November 2024

Committee

The composition of the Committee shall be:

Manager, Office of the University Librarian
Director of Employment and Organizational Effectiveness (or delegate)
Development Officer, Advancement and Alumni Relations (or delegate)
2 Library staff members at large as appointed by the Manager, Office of the University Librarian (2 year term)

There is no limit placed on the number of terms that any one individual may serve.

Guidelines

All guidelines are in respect of the Freda Otchere Endowment agreement.

The Award is given each year to a Concordia University Library employee (full-time or part-time, permanent or temporary) who performs an outstanding service reflecting the values exemplified by Freda Otchere. The recipient of the award must have performed the outstanding service during the corresponding award year. The outstanding service must be in respect of the employment at Concordia University.

Each year, the Committee seeks nominations for the Award. The scope of eligible nominators is intended to be inclusive in recognition of the fact that Library employees serve a wide range of clientele (students, faculty, other university staff, representatives of external organizations, members of the general public), and any such clients may be aware of an employee’s outstanding service. A nomination must be signed by a minimum of two nominators. The nominators do not solicit the nominee’s acceptance.

The nomination of an active Committee member is not accepted, nor may a Committee member make a nomination. A Committee member willing to be nominated in any given year must withdraw from the Committee by the time that the Call for Nominations is issued. That individual resumes membership on the Committee in the following year if eligible. Another Committee member is appointed as a temporary replacement in the interim.

The Committee selects the potential Award recipient, and forwards the name, along with the reasons for the selection, to the University Librarian for approval. The Committee bases its selection on information provided in the nominations, and does not gather information directly from nominees. In assessing outstanding service, the Committee takes into consideration:

the values exemplified by Freda Otchere, including honesty, courage, perseverance and integrity;
the accepted values of Concordia University, including for example representativeness, responsiveness, fairness, equity, efficiency and effectiveness; and
the nominees’ opportunities for achievement.

As the Award is intended to encourage outstanding service among all employees, celebration of each year’s award is essential. The Award will be presented each year at a ceremony. Granting of the Award is conditional upon the nominee’s consent to be publicly named.

Award process

Note that dates shown below are intended as targets. The Committee will choose actual dates for each year’s calendar which can most effectively address the tasks while closely respecting these targets.

The Committee issues the Call for Nominations on November 14, with a nomination deadline of December 12. The Call for Nominations is distributed widely.
The Committee makes a recommendation to the University Librarian by end of December.
The Committee subsequently contacts the nominee to ensure that the nominee is prepared to be publicly named.
The Award Ceremony is held at a time, in the following year, when a majority of staff and other interested parties are expected to be able to attend. The Committee keeps in mind the date of January 22 (birthday of Freda Otchere).

Recipients

2023 - Ms. Nadia Pecora, Senior Budget & Facilities Assistant

2022 - Ms. Sandra Biron, Senior Library Personnel Assistant

2021 - Ms. Ellen Gressling, Senior Archival Assistant

2020 - Ms. Barbara Kordas, Senior Acquisitions & Cataloguing Assistant

2019 - Ms. Clara Fewster-Litinas, Stacks Clerk

2018 - Mr. Christopher James, Senior Public Services Assistant

2017 – Mr. George Brunetti, Computer Technician

2016 – Ms. Wendy Knechtel, Reference & Special Collections Services Supervisor

2015 - Ms. Martine Langevin, Reference Assistant

2014 - Ms. Linda Quartz, Media and Document Delivery Assistant, Vanier Library

2013 - Ms. Karen Mullett, Assistant to the Director, Webster Library

2012 - Ms. Margaret Robertson, Media & Document Delivery Supervisor
Article in Concordia Now

2011 - Ms. Faye Corbin, Library Assistant, Government Information Services
Article in Concordia Now