Neva Pontoriero and Nicole Stevens Named Recipients of the 2009
Library Research Awards, Congratulations!

Information literacy and developing students’ critical thinking skills are a high priority at Monmouth University. Last year, the Monmouth University Library established Library Research Awards to recognize students who demonstrate skill and creativity in the application of library and information resources to research papers completed in fulfillment of a course requirement.

Graduate student Neva Pontoriero and undergraduate student Nicole Stevens have been selected to receive the 2009 awards. Both award winners made extensive use of library resources and services, demonstrated the ability to select, evaluate and synthesize the information collected, and showed personal learning and development of research skills.

Neva’s research paper, Connecting University Image and Public Perceptions, was written for her fall 2008 Professional Communication class. The project was nominated for the award by Communication faculty member Sheila McAllister-Spooner. The research paper explores the connection between image formation, identity management, and public perceptions of service organizations, specifically in the university setting. In her supporting essay, Neva described her interdisciplinary approach in conducting research on university image building, incorporating sources from the fields of business, communication, and education.

Nicole’s project titled The Catholic Church and the Road to Anti-Semitism: A Controversial History from the Crusades to the Holocaust, was completed for her European History Thesis and nominated by professors Fred McKitrick and Susan Douglass. Nicole’s paper focused on the controversial history between the Roman Catholic Church and anti-Semitism. In gathering her research materials, she utilized both primary sources, such as personal interviews and eye-witness accounts, as well as secondary sources, including books and articles on the topic to support her thesis.

The $250 awards, sponsored by the Monmouth University Library Association, were presented at the April 26, 2009 Student Award Ceremony.

Past winners of the award include Alison Dooley (2008) Eunice Rivers: The Economic and Social Factors that Influenced her Involvement in the Tuskegee Syphilis Study was prepared for a Senior Seminar class and Katelyn Orr (2008) The Compromised Life of a Female Slave was completed for her Civil War Literature class.

2010 Library Research Award Details:

  • Deadline: Monday, March 1, 2010
  • Papers written during the spring, summer or fall 2009 semesters.
  • One undergraduate and one graduate award. $250.
  • Funded by the Monmouth University Library Association.
  • 500-750 word essay describing research conducted for an 8-20 page research paper.
  • Instructor support required.

Additional criteria and application form.