Blog Contributor: Lydia Collas
Following her retirement in June 2017, Marcie Jacklin has been awarded the status Librarian Emeritus following her outstanding contribution to the Brock University community over the past 25 years.
Marcie has been a librarian at Brock for 25 years, and has been involved in the Environmental Sustainability Research Centre (ESRC) since its founding in 2011.
Speaking on this honour, Marcie said, “I am honoured to receive the designation of Librarian Emeritus. I am grateful for the support I have received over the past 25 years from my colleagues in the library and the Environmental Sustainability Research Centre.”
The learning experience of so many Brock students has been enhanced by Marcie’s dedication, passion and willingness to help others in their pursuit of knowledge. On this occasion – as on any other – Marcie was full of gratitude to those that have shared this journey, “I’d like to thank the thousands of students who helped me learn how to provide instruction in library research skills. By asking students through evaluation responses what they liked and didn’t like about library instruction, I was able to understand their preference for a collaborative learning environment. It turned my style of instruction and research in an entirely new direction.”
Marcie’s interest in nature – specifically in birds – coupled with her passion to educate others, led to her becoming a member of the ESRC. Alongside Kerrie Pickering, Marcie established the ‘Wetlands of Sunset: Connecting Memories with Nature’ project to evidence the benefits of long-term care facilities being located in areas of natural beauty where nature is in abundance.
Of this work, Marcie said “Becoming a member of ESRC in 2011 added a new dimension to my career. This opportunity fit perfectly with my personal experience as a field ornithologist, but more than that it, was an amazing experience to work in a multidisciplinary academic atmosphere where I was challenged, supported and nurtured. The collaborative nature of ESRC led to a new research area for me, and I am delighted to be able to continue with ESRC in the future.”
Ryan Plummer, the ESRC’s Director, expressed his gratitude for Marcie’s contribution to the Centre. “Marcie Jacklin is the first individual to be awarded the designation of Librarian Emeritus at Brock University. This is a fitting honour and testament to her many successes in the field of library and information science, the high quality of her scholarly activities, and extensive service contributions. Marcie is a gifted person who has the rare ability to combine her personal passion for nature (especially birding) with her professional drive to engage people in meaningful ways with information about science and the environment. She has been integral to the development and functioning of the ESRC as well as environmental sustainability programs at Brock”.
Marcie will be officially presented with this honour at the Convocation Ceremony on the 4th June 2018. Congratulations Marcie!
