Dennis Daily accepting the award at the NMLA conference banquet in Albuquerque on October 26, 2023.
A committed and tireless advocate for preserving historical material in the New Mexico State University Library recently received recognition for his outstanding library service in the community.
Dennis Daily, department head of NMSU Library’s Archives and Special Collections, recently earned the 2023 New Mexico Community Achievement Award from the New Mexico Library Association. He was nominated for his commitment to state history and connecting the NMSU Library to the local community in his role as department head.
“In the work we do here in the NMSU Library Archives and Special Collections, our relationship with the community is paramount,” Daily said. “Our collections of historical family papers, photographs, and records of southern New Mexico businesses and organizations come from the community, are here for the community to use, and are preserved as a record of the community. I’m happy this award recognizes the important work we do in the community, particularly in the area of preserving and promulgating the history and cultural heritage of our region and our state.”
“Professor Daily is certainly deserving of this award. As head of the NMSU Library Archives and Special Collections department, he has worked diligently to build collections that preserve and document the history and culture of the southern New Mexico region,” said Kevin Comerford, dean of NMSU Library. “His efforts to engage the research community, provide outreach programming, and ensure our collections are accessible to researchers, faculty and students have been tremendously impressive.”
Daily’s career started at NMSU in 1997, working on a long-term project to microfilm several archives in Durango, Mexico. He then earned his master's degree in library and information science and went on to work for a large public library district in Colorado for 10 years.
“Whether in a public or an academic library, the thing that makes me most proud in my work, that gives me the most satisfaction, is being able to help someone track down the information they are seeking,” he said. “The more obscure the information, the greater the satisfaction!”
Daily shared that he’s passionate about his role as department head and enjoys connecting the community with archival resources that tell countless stories about the community’s history.
“Serving as Archives department head for the NMSU Library allows me to work with some amazing colleagues who share my passion for community service,” he said. “With them, we work on outreach, exhibitions and programming to the community to help generate interest and awareness of our regional history. I particularly enjoy working with donors to our collections, who entrust us with the long-term care of their treasured family papers. These are the primary source materials from which history is written.”
___________
Article written by Tatiana Favela, NMSU Communications Specialist, and reproduced from the NMSU Newsroom.
0 Comments.