Gina Schlesselman-Tarango, creator of the John M. Pfau Library Critical Information Literacy Laboratory for Faculty, has been named Cal State San Bernardino’s Librarian of the Year.
“In the short time that she’s been with us, Gina’s energy, enthusiasm, expertise, and engagement with her profession have been impressive,” said one of her nominating peers.
Schlesselman-Tarango has served as instructional services and initiatives librarian since 2014, when she joined CSUSB. In that brief period, she has contributed significantly to Pfau Library programs, services and instruction, while earning praise and respect from faculty, staff and students across campus for her collegiality, responsiveness and commitment to advancing information literacy.
“I feel incredibly honored to have received this award,” said Schlesselman-Tarango. “I attribute my success at CSUSB thus far to a number of extremely supportive colleagues at the Pfau Library and within the larger campus community. I look forward to continuing to serve this community in the years to come.”
In partnership with Barbara Quarton, coordinator of library instruction, she created the CIL Laboratory for Faculty, which provides instructional videos and classroom materials.
The CIL lab was selected by the Association of College and Research Libraries to promote high-quality resources in aiding librarians to respond to the educational challenges posed by still emerging digital technologies.
“I am not at all surprised that Gina has been honored with the Librarian of the Year Award,” said Cesar Caballero, dean of the Pfau Library. “She is an outstanding librarian, with a great deal of research experience and a number of published works. She has surpassed all expectations, setting a high standard for librarians.”
Selection criteria for the Librarian of the Year Award is rigorous. A librarian is selected to receive the award for exemplary care and effort put into a particular project or responsibility (assigned or assumed), which resulted in an important contribution to the library, the campus community, and/or the profession, or a consistent record of superior performance in assignment.
As part of the award, Schlesselman-Tarango will receive $1,000 in library funds, which may be spent on any work-related purpose, such as travel, books, computer hardware or software, office accessories or hiring a student for a special project.
Schlesselman-Tarango has a bachelor’s in sociology and anthropology from Drake University; a master’s in social science and certificate in Women’s and Gender Studies from the University of Colorado, Denver; and a masters of library and information science from the University of Denver. She currently serves on CSUSB's Faculty Senate, Student Success Initiative Advisory Board and Steering Committee, GE Think Tank, and participates in the New Faculty Learning Community.
For more information on the CIL lab, contact Gina Schlesselman-Tarango at gschlesselman@csusb.edu.
About California State University, San Bernardino: Set in the foothills of the beautiful San Bernardino Mountains, Cal State San Bernardino is a preeminent center of intellectual and cultural activity in inland Southern California. Celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2015-2016, CSUSB serves more than 20,000 students each year and graduates about 4,000 students annually. For more information about Cal State San Bernardino, contact the university’s Office of Strategic Communication at (909) 537-5007 and visit news.csusb.edu.