Class of 2008, is the recipient of the Young Alumni Award for 2022 | Nicholas Gardner
Class of 2008, is the recipient of the Young Alumni Award for 2022 | Nicholas Gardner
Nicholas Gardner, Class of 2008, is the recipient of the Young Alumni Award for 2022 and will be recognized during the upcoming Alumni Association’s Achievement Awards Banquet during homecoming on Saturday, Oct. 15, at West Virginia University Potomac State College.
Gardner began his employment with the College in 2015 as a temporary employee and served in several different positions, while working his way up to his current position as director of the Mary F. Shipper Library.
In addition to earning an associate degree in geology in 2008 at PSC, Gardner earned a bachelor’s degree in biology with an emphasis in ecology and evolutionary biology from Marshall University in 2015 and a master’s degree in library science from Clarion University of Pennsylvania in 2019.
Gardner consults with students one-on-one related to their information literacy needs, but also visits classrooms to teach workshops on a variety of related topics, including how to use the library and its resources; how to search and evaluate information online; research and data management; copyright and intellectual property; ethics of information and technology; and navigating other complexities of our modern digital world.
Gardner finds working with students to be the most rewarding part of his job and feels strongly that the library exists as a service unit to help students meet their academic or personal development goals. He also supports the idea that the library should be a gathering place for students, having helped organize both serious guest lectures on contemporary issues and fun activities for students such as karaoke and trivia nights.
Local history is important to Gardner who has handled the logistics of the West Virginia Newspapers Portal since its inception. The Portal provides free access to historic WV newspapers, primarily of the Potomac Highlands, though Gardner works each year to grow and expand the collection’s coverage.
Additionally, Gardner is a published natural history researcher, whose papers have appeared in Anatomical Record, Mammal Review, Marine and Fishery Sciences, Palaeontologia Electronica, and PLOS ONE. Gardner has presented posters and talks at the annual meetings of state and regional library associations and natural history conferences and in national meetings of the Special Libraries Association and the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology.
Gardner is involved in community outreach as well, having given presentations on natural history and information literacy for K-12 groups through the public libraries, 4-H, and the Mineral County STEM Festival. Gardner has also been a guest speaker for the Natural History Society of Maryland, the Raymond M. Alf Museum’s Fossil Friday Chats, regional public libraries, and local service clubs in Mineral County.
The annual Alumni Achievement Awards Banquet will be held in the Davis Conference Center. Doors open at 5:15 p.m., dinner will be served at 6 p.m., followed by the awards ceremony at 7 p.m.
Please visit https://tinyurl.com/PSC-Alumni-Banquet to see the list of alumni activities and make your reservation for the Alumni Achievement Awards Banquet. You must reserve your spot by Oct. 5, as no reservations will be accepted after that time. Contact psc-alumni@mail.wvu.edu or call 304-788-6840 if you need assistance.
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