UM-Flint's Svoboda named Michigan Academic Librarian of the Year

Picture this: Midterm exams are coming up and you've been putting in long study sessions to ace your tests before fall break. It's hard work, but thankfully, the Frances Willson Thompson Library is hosting the Mid-Michigan Therapy Dog Association. Rubbing a friendly pooch's belly during "Paws for Stress Relief" gives you a momentary escape from the rigor of your coursework and renews your efforts in front of the textbooks. 

Fast forward a few weeks and, even though midterms feel like they just happened yesterday, final exams are looming large in your mind. Again, the library is there to help you through the most stressful moments of the semester. At "Late Night in the Library," you study with other students willing to go the extra hours for their grades, taking breaks with games, snacks and prize raffles. Suddenly, preparing for the most critical moment of the academic year doesn't seem so daunting. 

Positioned in one of the library's purpose-built study rooms, you type away at your research paper, confident in your ability to find and cite the necessary supporting research, thanks to an informational webinar hosted by Liz Svoboda, senior associate librarian for instruction and outreach at the Thompson Library. She is the driving force behind all of these resources and more, helping students get the most out of their library and their education.

Svoboda's efforts have garnered attention not just at the University of Michigan-Flint but throughout the state. Thanks to her trailblazing work as a librarian, educator and collaborator, she was recently named Academic Librarian of the Year by the Michigan Academic Library Association. During an Oct. 29 ceremony at the Lansing Center, Svoboda was presented with a statuette and cash award in recognition of her contributions.

The Academic Librarian of the Year Award recognizes the outstanding accomplishments of a MiALA member and their contributions to their institution and to academic libraries within the 2024-25 academic year. Criteria for the award include:

• Innovative service to their institution and/or community, which has enhanced the value and visibility of the library.
• Promoting collaboration among libraries, librarians and other key stakeholders.
• Demonstrating leadership in professional activities.
• Initiating leading-edge ideas that can be replicated in other libraries.
• Serving as a mentor and/or empowering other colleagues or staff to achieve significant professional growth.
• Serving as a catalyst in special areas such as instruction, library innovation, outreach, and/or equity, diversity and inclusion.

"I think one of the reasons I was nominated for this award is that my work is very visible," Svoboda said. "A lot of people reach out to me with library questions because they know my name, even though all of the library's faculty and staff work together to ensure we are meeting student needs. I work to make the library and its services accessible – something that I believe is incredibly important in today's world. How can we make this a more welcoming, more understanding space for our community?"

Events like "Late Night in the Library" and "Paws for Stress Relief" have become fixtures for the UM-Flint campus thanks to their longevity – the library has been working with the Mid-Michigan Therapy Dog Association for more than a decade, and Late Night in the Library is a hit with students thanks in no small part to Student Government's support of the event. Sustaining such programming depends on creating durable, lasting relationships, something Svoboda is uniquely suited to, according to Thompson Library Director Jennifer Dean, who nominated Svoboda for the award. 

"Liz has spent her 12 years as a UM-Flint librarian developing meaningful connections that lead to amazing outcomes and programming. She complements her skills as a librarian with a people-first mentality and a healthy dose of creativity," said Dean. "Her work with our social media and monthly newsletters further connect our campus and community with the depth and breadth of her contributions."

Svoboda needed to draw on that creativity during the COVID-19 pandemic, when she was chair of MiALA's Access Services Interest Group. Access services librarians and library staff work directly with the public. Svoboda's work with this interest group "was a lifeline as library colleagues used their collective experience and knowledge of their students, faculty and staff to navigate the many changes and considerations necessary to keep a library safely open and available at a difficult time," Dean said.

Looking forward, Svoboda will continue to blend tangible skill-building with fostering connection. In partnership with Katie Emery, a senior computer science major from Clay, Svoboda is hosting a Fiction+ Book Club on the third Thursday of each month. The club's next meeting is slated for Nov. 20. Svoboda is also looking to expand her partnerships with faculty to integrate her educational programming into courses. 

"I think many professors are starting to see that their students need extra support in understanding academic research. My goal is to support professors in whatever modality they teach – online, in-person or hybrid. I believe we excel at meeting instructors and students where they are, and also in collaborating with them as much as possible," said Svoboda. 

And while Svoboda is focused on continuing the work that earned her this recognition, she said the award has encouraged her to continue trying new things to better serve students.

"It really is an honor, not only for being recognized by my boss, but also by my colleagues both in the UM-Flint library, as well as in the wider state system. It's not something I was expecting, but it's definitely something that I am very, very honored to have received."

Learn more about the Thompson Library's programming on its website.