Speech in honor of Sharon delivered May 30 2018:
Hello everyone! Thank you for coming to support Sharon
Britton, the Mildred F. Sawyer Library Director until 5:00pm today when she might
actually retire from Suffolk University and full time academic librarianship
We have all had an opportunity to work with Sharon as she
engaged in events, projects and committees across campus. Sharon has probably attended
every single community event held in this Poetry Center, and her commitment to the
Employees Activity Council (EAC) programming ranges from regular First Friday
SU spirit displays to last-second intensive decoration support for planned
events. Sharon tirelessly advocates for the library’s interests at the Teaching
Innovation Learning and Technology (TILT) Committee, Faculty and Professional
Learning Community (FPLC), and at any “space meeting” she can politely muscle
her way into. As Sharon has set the example for strong campus engagement, I
believe you would agree that you are seeing librarians in more places across campus.
Within the library walls, Sharon has emphasized open
communication, maintaining an open-door policy for staff to engage her in
everything from feisty discussions about professional librarianship to
compassionate (and confidential) personal conversations. Sharon has devoted
much of her attention to increasing collaboration between departments on
library-wide projects and enhancing library services for all users. As library
director, Sharon oversaw the completion of the Sawyer Library Commons which grew
seating and collaborative space for student use within the library. Sharon also
supervised the integration of the former NESAD library’s collection with the
Sawyer library collection, and welcomed the Moakley Archive and Institute as a
new department of Sawyer library.
Sharon has led Sawyer library with sincerity and care for
the past 5 years; please join me as we thank her tremendously for her service.
