Nicholson Library Staff Honored for Collaborative Library Work

Nic Don Stanton-Roark and Graeme States recognized for contributions to shared library systems and open-source initiatives

Nicholson Library staff members have received awards from the Samvera Community and the Private Academic Library Network of Indiana (PALNI) for their work creating and improving systems that benefit Anderson University and other consortium institutions.

Nic Don Stanton-Roark, AU’s University Archivist and PALNI Digital Repository and Archives Manager, received the 2026 Julie Allinson Award from the Samvera Community. The Samvera Community of global technologists creates and maintains institutional repository software, including Hyku. Stanton-Roark oversees the operations of Hyku Commons, PALNI’s shared open-source repository service. He also provides archives consulting and training for PALNI-supported libraries.

Kirsten Leonard, PALNI executive director, nominated Stanton-Roark, along with Eleni Castro, Amanda Hurford, and Jill Morris.

Leonard nominated Stanton-Roark for his “poise under pressure” and commitment to gathering community input. “Rather than making prioritization calls unilaterally, he built and ran the Hyku Priority Poll to surface development priorities directly from adopting institutions. … This consistent, broad consultation across many people and institutions, rather than a small circle, shows creativity applied to a challenging community coordination problem: how to run a shared open-source product without a single owning institution.”

Graeme States was recognized for his Fulfillment Task Force role in PALNI’s Open Systems Initiative. This initiative transitioned PALNI, a nonprofit consortium serving 23 private academic libraries in Indiana, to a shared, open-source integrated library system.

“During the migration, I served on the fulfillment task force, where we worked on trying to preserve PalShare in our new system,” States said. “We tested circulation policies, hold policies, and item transfers to ensure everything worked smoothly. In addition, we explored real-time availability integration into our new system.”

PALNI’s August 7 biennial all-staff meeting recognized task force members for their outstanding work. Work occurred through cataloging, acquisitions, ebooks, shared settings, workflows, and fulfillment. Their contributions helped make the consortium-wide effort a success.

“PALNI has always thrived because of its people, and this year’s honorees are proof of that,” said Noah Brubaker, PALNI associate director. “The work of our task forces and award recipients shows what deep collaboration looks like in practice.”

James Bell, professor of library science and director of libraries at AU, said, “Nic and Graeme are both exceptionally skilled in their respective areas. Equally important, they are great collaborators. These recognitions highlight the fact that they have contributed to disciplinary projects across the state and country. The disciplines of librarianship and archives, the PALNI consortium, and Anderson University are better for it.”

About Anderson University

Anderson University educates students for lives of faith and service, offering more than 50 undergraduate majors, 30 three-year degrees, 18 NCAA Division III intercollegiate sports, alongside adult, graduate, and online programs. The private, liberal arts institution is fully accredited and recognized for excellence in business, computer science, cybersecurity, engineering, music, nursing, psychology, social work, and teacher education programs. Established in 1917 in Anderson, Indiana, by the Church of God, the university remains committed to its Christ-centered mission.