At the end of each spring semester our Library awards two annual $1,000 prizes, presented to an undergraduate and graduate student winner or team, recognizing exemplary scholarship through effective research strategies and demonstrated use of the DiMenna-Nyselius Library’s resources, services, and staff expertise. This year an honorable mention was also awarded with a $500 prize. Winners were honored at a reception in the Library auditorium on May 1st, attended by librarians, library staff, faculty, administrators, and family. The winners of the 2025 Library Research Prize are...
GRADUATE TEAM WINNERS: Alexa Greco, Emily Sgritta, & Alexandra Giuffra
Alexa Greco, Clinical Mental Health Counseling, graduating Winter ‘25; Emily Sgritta, School Counseling, graduating Spring ‘26; Alexandra Giuffra, Clinical Mental Health Counseling, graduating Winter ‘25
“The Impact of Types of Parental Involvement on the Treatment of Anxiety Symptoms in Children Eight to 12 Years Old”. COUN 6568: Research Methodology, Spring 2025, Dr. Jocelyn Novella, Assistant Professor of Counselor Education
In their essay submission, the team demonstrated how they conducted a literature review to identity a gap- how "parental involvement" is defined- and propose a research question and framework for a study. They determined that "parental involvement" could be broken down to attendance at counseling sessions vs. psychoeducation provided at a distance and used quantitative and qualitative research articles to provide the most valuable data, methodology, and statistical support for backing their research proposal. Dr. Novella, who invited librarian Vic Johnson to lead a research class each semester, said she feels that "the iterative process of presenting each research step to peers in the class (literature review, developing a research question, choosing a qualitative or quantitative method) developed in these students a thorough understanding of this level of inquiry."
UNDERGRADUATE WINNER
Max Limric, Class of 2025, Majors: English and Spanish. Minors: Educational Studies and Latinx, Latin American, & Caribbean Studies
“Linguistic justice: The evolution of translation theory in a 19th and 20th-century translation of Cabeza De Vaca’s exploration narrative”. ENGL 2031: Early American Literature, Fall 2024, Dr. Elizabeth Petrino, Professor of English
In praise of Max's work, Professor Petrino stated: "He is an avid researcher and writer who used the library resources available to him to write a dual-language essay that draws from a variety of sources, employs library services in its preparation, and demonstrates his excellence in research." Max shared in his submission essay: "I utilized the library’s online resources to find many translated versions of Cabeza de Vaca’s “Reclación”, his exploration narrative; but because of his identity as a Spanish explorer, his relation is written in Spanish and I needed to find the original copy. After finding it, I needed to analyze it through a translation theory lens and note biased translations in contemporary translations of de Vaca, which library journals provided." Max incorporated sources spanning a variety of disciplines such as social history, journalism, indigenous studies, and translation. He started with texts on "Course Reserves" at the Library and drew on other secondary sources from two literary and language traditions, and other media such as films from the Library's Kanopy database, and requested a book of interviews through InterLibrary Loan, to give a fully rounded and rich understanding of Cabeza De Vaca’s cultural history and relevance, both in early America and in the contemporary world.
UNDERGRADUATE HONORABLE MENTION
Samantha Gulachenski, Class of 2025, Major: International Studies and Politics, Minor: Philosophy
“Breaking Barriers from the Top: The Role of Government Initiative in Rwanda's Gender Equality Transformation” INTL 4999: Senior Capstone Seminar, Fall 2024, Dr. Alfred Babo, Associate Professor of Sociology & Anthropology.
Samantha's paper explores "the unique gender development trajectory of post-genocide Rwanda and analyzes the successes and setbacks of the state-led approach." Her research methods combined a theoretical framework with anthropological analysis, statistical data, interview testimony, and case studies. She mentioned a library instruction session and utilizing the advanced search and filters which helped hone her research strategy to ultimately review over sixty sources. "Fairfield has taught me that the strongest research is built on reputable, peer-reviewed scholarship, and strengthened by prioritizing current material (especially when addressing an ongoing gap in the literature.)...As my focus shifted from feminist analysis to government-led gender policy, my searches evolved as well—from broad inquiries like “Is Rwanda feminist?”, which yielded few relevant sources, to more precise questions such
as “How does the Rwandan government implement and enforce women’s rights policies?”, which created the necessary evolution to my thesis."
We would like to thank the 2025 LRP judging committee, which was comprised on librarians and faculty from the Faculty Library Committee: Carolina Añón Suárez, PhD, Assistant Professor of Spanish, Department of Modern Languages and Literatures; Tiara Arnold, MLIS, Research Services Coordinator, DiMenna-Nyselius Library; Brendan Aucoin, MA, MSIS, Head of Systems, DiMenna-Nyselius Library; Vic Johnson, MLS, Assessment Librarian, DiMenna-Nyselius Library; Regina Kim, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Managment; Jennifer Mottolese, MLIS, Research & Outreach Librarian, DiMenna-Nyselius Library, Jennifer Schindler-Ruwisch, DrPh, Associate Professor of Public Health & Chair of the Faculty Library Committee.
To learn more about the Library Research Prize criteria, or view the judging rubric, visit fairfield.edu/libprize
