President's Medals, Distinguished Service Awards are awarded for outstanding service to the university which may include teaching, research, administrative contributions, or any combination thereof.
Jeffrey Carter, Manager of Libraries Systems, has provided exceptional service to UNB for over twenty years, to the great benefit of our students and researchers. Having Jeff at the helm of Libraries Systems has been key to our success during the pandemic in providing seamless and proactive access to library resources, online research support, and an elegant online booking system for student study space on both campuses. The online integrated library systems that Jeff and his team develop and support are essential to operations, with functionality that is relied upon every day wherever UNB students and researchers find themselves.
Jeff joined the Libraries as a web developer as the digital shift was in full swing. He arrived from Nunavut after serving as Coordinator of Computing Services at Nunavut Arctic College. His IT and teaching experience was complemented by his profound respect for student users of technology. Jeff’s approach to the development and implementation of technology was just what we needed then, and is just what we need now.
Jeff has been tireless in working to improve the experience of student and faculty researchers with electronic resources and the web. He has conducted countless usability tests, interviews and focus groups with students, has implemented findings and shared results from these efforts within UNB Libraries and across Canada. Jeff is widely known as an outspoken advocate for web accessibility, and has often been sought out for his accessibility expertise.
Jeff has been critical to accomplishments of library and faculty colleagues, and has played a key role in the furthering of digital scholarship at UNB. His leadership has been critical in the successful design and development of web sites and databases for multiple SHHRC-funded partnerships between UNB Libraries and faculty across disciplines, including Dr. Edith Snook's Early Modern Maritime Recipes, Dr. Chantal Richard's Vocabularies of Identity, and Dr. Elizabeth Mancke's British North American Legislative Database. Highlighting the Libraries' own collections, Jeff and his team have designed our online NB Historical Newspapers collection, and UNB Archives' "Pomp and Circumstance" database. Jeff has provided key development support for the Passamaquoddy-Maliseet Language Portal, a twenty thousand-entry online dictionary integrated with media archives.
Jeff has led his team in creating innovative online services. An excellent example is UNB Libraries Subject Guides. The Libraries' electronic reserves system, closely integrated with our electronic resources and Copyright Office, was developed by Jeff and the Systems Group, and has been a critical part of the university's response to the evolving copyright landscape and to ensuring continued access to essential library resources for teaching, learning, and research in the midst of the pandemic. Both projects are embedded in every instance of UNB’s courses on D2L.
Jeff’s role in the successful transition to a bi-campus model for UNB Libraries is particularly important. He has long ensured that library systems based in Fredericton supported Saint John campus library operations. A significant precursor to an integrated bi-campus library system was the development of a single and highly functional bi-campus web presence. Jeff’s “can do” attitude as technical lead the way to a well-executed and well-received outcome.
Jeff is an excellent example of what dedicated service to our students and researchers is all about. He inspires his team and all of us within the libraries us to think in expansive terms of how to build on our strengths to further our collective goals of enhancing learning and research at UNB.