classified staff advisory council

September Star Award Recipient

Stuemke is September
Star Award recipient

Selfless volunteering can be a key to winning the Star Award, and that’s clearly what September’s Star Award winner, Roberta Stuemke, does as the stacks manager at Polk Library.

Stuemke enthusiastically volunteered in the library’s book sales the last two years during National Library Week. She also organized, created tally sheets and totaled the proceeds, and she donated many of her own books and videos to the sales.  “As busy as Roberta is, she still volunteered immediately upon hearing the library would hold its first and second book sales,” said Jeanne Foley, head of library access services.  Stuemke said she volunteered because she “is very proud of what Polk Library contributes to the university and to the community as a whole.”

She also volunteers in the library’s annual ‘Murder in the Stacks’ event, during the first week of school, and on behalf of Polk Library at the art show and auction at MediaWestCon in Lansing, Mich.

Stuemke has been Polk Library stacks manager since 1987. She has worked in Polk Library since 1977.  Her accomplishments, according to Foley, include quality work and quality training, for quality rewards.  She has developed one of the country’s best stacks management Web pages. She has given presentations at Wisconsin library conferences and become a consultant to others in her field.

Stuemke keeps the library’s collections of more than 2.5 million items in almost perfect order. Part of the reason is the quality training she provides her student employee team.  She rewards her students’ quality work with chocolate and gold and silver ‘Star Shelver’ honorable mentions.

“I feel very grateful to Jeanne Foley for nominating me, to my co-workers for their support and their own contributions … and to my student employees for performing their tasks with diligence, enthusiasm and pride,” she said.

The Star Award recognizes performance above and beyond expectations. It includes a framed certificate, a reserved parking space for a month and a gift from University Books and More. The award is presented each month to employees who have worked at least six months at UW-Oshkosh.