Seventy years ago, a group of research library leaders gathered at the then-new Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami Beach to consider what their institutions might be able to do together. From that meeting, the Association of Southeastern Research Libraries (ASERL) took shape, built on a simple but durable idea: that libraries are stronger when they work across institutional lines.
In 2026, as ASERL marked its 70th anniversary, the association returned to South Florida for its Annual Meeting and Spring Membership Meeting at the University of Miami. The setting made room for both memory and recognition. It was a chance to look back to ASERL’s beginnings while honoring one of the people helping carry its work forward.
During the meeting, ASERL leaders presented Elizabeth “Liz” Gushee, associate dean for Digital Strategies and Scholarly Communication at the University of Miami Libraries, with the inaugural Heart of ASERL Award. Gushee is the first person to receive the award, which is given by ASERL staff to recognize outstanding contributions to the association’s programming and community over many years.
“I would like to thank John Burger, Elaina Norlin, and Rebecca Crist for the Heart of ASERL Award,” Gushee said. “I deeply appreciate their thoughtfulness and I am honored by the recognition.”
For ASERL Executive Director John Burger, the award reflects the kind of long-term engagement that has shaped the association’s work across the region.
“ASERL is in the relationship business. We continually work to cultivate important relationships and conversations among library leaders at all levels across our membership and to offer unique, compelling programming our members cannot get elsewhere,” Burger said. “Liz Gushee has been a leader and active participant in our programs for nearly a decade. Her contributions truly stand out as milestones for ASERL.”
Gushee’s recent work with ASERL includes leading Fostering Inclusive Mentorship: Building a Community of Practice for Mentors & Mentees at the University of Miami and Other ASERL Libraries, a yearlong initiative made possible with grant funding from the University of Miami Office of Faculty Affairs.
Led by the University of Miami Libraries in collaboration with academic librarian peers across the ASERL community, the project brings together librarians who are developing materials, assessment tools, and a workshop to support mentor and mentee programs at participating institutions.
Gushee serves as the project’s principal investigator, with ASERL Program Coordinator Elaina Norlin serving as project liaison. Since August 2025, the cohort has met monthly online. In January, the group gathered at the University of Miami for an in-person planning meeting focused on developing a mentor workshop that could be shared across ASERL institutions.
The cohort includes librarians from Clemson University, East Carolina University, Georgia State University, Georgia Tech, the University of Central Florida, the University of Florida, the University of Kentucky, the University of Louisville, the University of Miami, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and ASERL.
“We were thrilled Liz Gushee and UM Libraries reached out to ASERL to be their partner in this innovative program,” Norlin said. “Liz has innumerable professional connections across the country; she could have partnered with any of them on this. It’s so gratifying that she saw ASERL as being the right community to co-develop this timely, innovative project.”
The mentorship project is one part of Gushee’s larger history with ASERL. She was also an early contributor to the association’s Associate Dean and Associate University Librarian Networking Program, which was developed in 2021 to build professional relationships among people serving on senior leadership teams in research libraries across the region. Gushee served in leadership roles for more than four years and continues to participate in the program’s ongoing activities.
For University of Miami Libraries Dean and University Librarian Charles Eckman, the recognition also speaks to the way regional associations are shaped by individual commitments.
“ASERL’s strength comes from the breadth of its network, but that network is sustained by the individual leaders who contribute their time, insight, expertise, and passion to it,” Eckman said. “Liz’s recognition speaks to the difference one person can make across institutions: shaping programs, mentoring colleagues, and helping turn a regional association into a community of practice.”
The inaugural Heart of ASERL Award carried particular meaning in the association’s anniversary year. As ASERL’s return to South Florida recalled its beginning in Miami Beach, the award, in turn, pointed to the people and relationships that keep that founding spirit active today.
“I’ve so enjoyed working with the ASERL team and many members of ASERL over the years,” Gushee said. “I feel very fortunate to be part of an organization that facilitates and supports learning, creativity, and collaboration within and across research libraries. I’ve learned a lot about leadership from my work with ASERL, and I’ve also had fun along the way.”
