Student Success & Instruction Librarian Virginia Desouky
Virginia Desouky, student success & instruction librarian at West Virginia University Libraries’ Student Success & Instruction (SSI) Department, retired Dec. 31, 2024, after 30 years of service as a librarian to WVU Libraries.
Virginia Desouky, Student Success & Instruction Librarian, SSI, WVU Libraries.
From the start of her career, Desouky was a librarian. From Ohio to Oklahoma to Montana, Desouky held numerous positions at various libraries, providing reference and information services, supervising and training staff and more. In 1994, she settled in Morgantown and began her time at WVU Libraries in a temporary position at the Health Sciences Library.
Expanding her role to countless aspects of collection development and teaching, Desouky worked her way up to reference librarian, education coordinator, information services librarian, scholarly engagement librarian and now student success & instruction librarian.
“Virginia was a wonderful colleague to everyone in the Health Sciences Library and beyond for many years. As the longtime liaison to first the School of Nursing and then the School of Public Health, she taught hundreds of information literacy sessions and answered countless reference questions, leaving a lasting impact on numerous health sciences students,” said WVU Libraries’ Health Sciences Library Director Anna Crawford. “Her willingness to share her knowledge and lend a helping hand on any project has made her an invaluable colleague. We certainly miss her, but we are excited for her as she enters retirement.”
Over her career, she dedicated herself to dozens of committees, leadership roles, associations and local chapters of national library organizations.
“I am grateful for Virginia’s nearly 30 years serving the Health Sciences Center community through workshops, classroom instruction and reference services.” Dean of WVU Libraries Karen Diaz said. “While I am sorry we lost her deep institutional knowledge, I wish her all the best in her retirement!”
Access Services Director Hilary Fredette
Hilary Fredette, director of WVU Libraries’ Access Services Department, retired Jan. 2, 2025, after 26 years of service as a librarian to WVU Libraries.
Hilary Fredette, Director, Access Services, WVU Libraries.
Fredette started with WVU Libraries as the government documents librarian in 1999 and has held several roles since, including interlibrary loan coordinator, distance education coordinator, operations and resource sharing director and finally director of Access Services.
Throughout her service, Fredette has been central and integral to many parts the Libraries we now take for granted, such as circulation and resource sharing services, new student orientation, services for distance education students and faculty, online room reservations and more. From adopting various service platforms essential to the day-to-day work and impact of our librarians, to transitioning that work to more modern library management systems, Fredette’s leadership and vision continues to ripple through library research support and access services across the WVU system.
“Hilary has been an excellent leader at the WVU Libraries, not only in leadership of Access Services, but also within our Library Faculty Assembly,” Dean of WVU Libraries Karen Diaz said. “We miss her capable and steady leadership of the people, the technology and the relationships that guide our ability to provide excellent and efficient delivery of materials to our campus. She made daily operations of our Downtown Library facility seamless. She is missed not only by us, but by countless colleagues nationally with whom she interacted on a regular basis through our major consortia.”
Her leadership shined even as much of the world and WVU campus shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Fredette led infrastructure adjustments to ensure WVU Libraries circulation and resource sharing services continued despite challenges from the pandemic. She was also an expert in copyright and was the go-to librarian for reserves and resources in this area for both students and faculty.
Recognized by her peers for her leadership and dedication, Fredette was awarded the WVU Libraries Outstanding Librarian Award in 2013 and the Mountaineer Value Coin for Service in 2021.
Fredette retired from WVU as university librarian, emerita.
Rare Books Curator Stewart Plein
Stewart Plein, curator of rare books and printed resources at WVU Libraries’ West Virginia & Regional History Center (WVRHC), retired Aug. 30, 2024, after 13 years of service as a librarian to WVU Libraries.
Stewart Plein, Curator, Rare Books and Printed Resources, WVRHC, WVU Libraries.
Plein began her passionate work with books and printed materials in the local books trade in 1995. In 2004, she joined WVU Libraries as a volunteer in the Rare Book Room. This experience changed her life’s direction, inspiring her to earn her Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) degree. She began her professional career as a special collections librarian in 2011 at the WVU Law Library and was a member of the faculty at the WVRHC since 2014.
As curator, colleague and instructor, Plein’s infectious passion for books and historic West Virginia newspapers was unmistakable. Throughout her career, she inspired students, library patrons, colleagues and collection donors.
Plein greatly advanced the stewardship and development of the West Virginia Books and Serials Collection, the Appalachian Collection and the Rare Book Collection at the WVRHC. Plein also built and maintained donor relationships, some of whom provided resources to support the Rare Book Collection. In this role she added collections such as the Presgraves Appalachian collection, the Ebersole gardening and cookbook collections and the Lowell and Susan Thing Margaret Armstrong Collection.
Plein served as principal investigator and managing director for five of six West Virginia National Digital Newspaper Project (NDNP) grants. Supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities in partnership with the Library of Congress, this work resulted in the digitization of approximately 150 historic West Virginia newspapers from WVU’s collection and their addition to the Library of Congress’ Chronicling America website, allowing for free online access worldwide. In addition, her research on Black newspapers in West Virginia uncovered more than 50 newspapers and their publication history.
Plein’s scholarship includes articles, book chapters, blog posts and essays and annual updates to the West Virginia History Journal’s West Virginia History Bibliography, as well as research and production of multiple exhibitions. Over her career, she received multiple awards, honors and scholarships.
Plein retired from WVU as university librarian, emerita.
Access Services Associate Director Martha Yancey
Martha Yancey, associate director of WVU Libraries’ Access Services Department, retired January 2, 2025, after 28 years of service as a librarian to WVU Libraries.
During her career at WVU Libraries, Yancey held various roles, from reference librarian and interlibrary loan coordinator to access services coordinator and user services and resources sharing librarian. In her leadership roles, she was interim and then full director of the Evansdale Library and finally associate director over all WVU Libraries’ Access Services.
To students, Yancey was a devoted teacher, taking on countless sessions of Introduction to Library Research courses and other instructional sessions, including several courses for the WVU Information Literacy Course Enhancement Program. To colleagues, she was a steadfast mentor, active in her service to not only WVU, but national and regional professional organizations as well.
Yancey regularly attended the National Access Services Conference, where she served as a member of the sponsorship and program committee. The American Library Association (ALA) conferences and the West Virginia Library Association conferences are just a few examples of the professional development opportunities, in addition to webinars, seminars and workshops she led presentations for and attended. She always returned with cutting-edge library services, technology and more.
She was also instrumental as a member (2007-2011) and chair (2011-2012) of the awards committee for ALA’s Sharing and Transforming Access to Resources (STARs), granting Yancey the opportunity to work with other resource sharing librarians, contribute nationally and identify outstanding librarians to recognize.
Diligent in moving the Evansdale Library toward the future, Yancey led the transformation of several manual operations to electronic formats to better accommodate students and faculty, bring in new services and increase efficiencies.
“I am thankful for the strong heart and hospitality with which Martha has led the Evansdale Library. She has passionately advocated for employees of the Evansdale Library and cares deeply about serving the community on that campus,” Dean of WVU Libraries Karen Diaz said. “She has mentored numerous professionals in our midst, including residents of our Diversity Residency Program and international visiting librarians.”
Over her career, Yancey wrote several published works, including a co-written book chapter on fostering librarians from underrepresented groups, specifically regarding her experience in the WVU Libraries Residency Program. She also received the WVU Mountaineer Value Coin Award in 2020 and the WVU Faculty Justice Network’s Distinguished Service Award in 2022.
Yancey retired from WVU as university librarian, emerita.