General
Alexandria McLemore
Volunteer Coordinator for Dallas Public Library (8/2022)
Gina has a heart for serving others and is extremely dedicated to fostering equity, diversity and inclusion. She’s experienced in project management by way of organizing several community programs, crafting team-building strategies as a member of the Employee Advisory Council, and she’s managed scores of volunteers at her library location. Gina’s working style is people-centered with the cultural awareness necessary to truly serve all people. She’s an invaluable member of the Dallas Public Library, and I have no doubt that she’d be an asset anywhere she’s employed.
Matthew Butler
Library Associate for Dallas Public Library (8/2022)
Gina was a very helpful co-worker with a customer service mentality. She is a self-starter and self-motivated, always willing to help and learn more.
Patty Ramirez
Library Branch Manager for Dallas Public Library (8/2022)
I have worked with Gina for a short time on a special project and found her to be computer savvy. She is pleasant to work with and provided insight on the needs of the group we were a part of. Gina is friendly and her willingness to assist in any capacity is needed when deadlines are set.
Gina has experience working in a public library and has developed her skills beyond those of a Customer Service Specialist. She has a knowledge using the Polaris Leap system and excellent skills in Excel.
S. Elisa Crassweller
Circulation Specialist at Dallas Public Library (8/2022)
Gina is amazing at analyzing and organizing information quickly. Her excellent research skills enable her to help library patrons find what they are looking for with ease. Gina also excels at optimizing procedures and created several training/reference documents, when we worked together, that quickly became go-to resources. She is a team-player and happy to share her knowledge with coworkers and patrons alike. Gina would be an excellent asset to anyone looking to hire her or work with her.
Michel Osornio Miranda
Library Branch Manager at Dallas Public Library (08/2022)
After working with Gina Murphy for several years and seeing her dedication and impeccable work ethic I have invited her to be part of several projects that I supervise. These projects include the Library Employees Advisory Council, Soapbox, and Art29+. It has always been a pleasure to work with her and she is and will be a great asset to any organization.
Gabriela Montantes
Library Branch Manager at Dallas Public Library (08/2022)
As a Circulation Specialist, Gina Murphy showcased great work ethic and team work. She met all duties and expectations consistently. Furthermore, she also assisted on projects and programs that were out of her direct job description, and committed to providing great work and programs for the library branch, and library system. Such projects she assisted and excelled in included creating and producing flyers and promotional graphic designs, instructive technological programs, creating and editing systems and online forms for sensitive library information. Gina often also taught and instructed library supervisors and administrators in using systems and online informational forums for use. Gina requires little to no supervision once given a task, and is excellent on checking-in, making sure the task given is being done how it is expected. She is very quick thinking, highly adaptable, and can bloom in either team or independent oriented projects and setting. She is an excellent addition to any team, company and organization .
Projects
Michel Osornio Miranda
Library Branch Manager at Dallas Public Library (09/2022) On a Project called S.O.A.P. Box
Last year at the Dallas Public Library we initiated an automated employee suggestion submission system called DPL Soapbox, a solution designed by Ms. Gina Murphy. The system has proven to be an incredible success in identifying and effectively resolving several challenging issues within the library. The success shows the tenacity, creativity, and hard work of Ms. Murphy, as well as the collective endeavor of our administrative team. Administration has actively encouraged staff members to submit their suggestions, thereby fostering open discussions and implementations of innovative ideas. It has generated a new level of interaction and communication among team members, equipping us with valuable insights to improve our services. As a result, improvements in workflow, customer service, and general operations have been evident.
With DPL SoapBox in place, our staff members feel heard and empowered, demonstrating an overall increase in job satisfaction and workplace morale. The system and its immense success have truly breathed new life into our operational efficiency. Ms. Murphy deserves immense credit for her creativity and dedication to making our library a better workplace and service provider for the public.
Jeremy Thomas
Circulation Specialist at Dallas Public Library (09/2022) On a Project called S.O.A.P. Box
Gina Murphy's contribution was in no uncertain terms crucial to the creation of S.O.A.P.box in March of 2022. S.O.A.P.box was absolutely beneficial to employee morale, as it was and still is a forum where questions from any staff member in our organization could be answered/addressed by those in the highest level of administration in an anonymous environment without fear of reprisal. This 100% led to an increase in trust and communication in the system. To accomplish this Gina worked incredibly hard to create a question and answer forum that was both transparent and fair. She also fielded the questions and obtained answers for them from the appropriate sources WHILE completing her regular workplace duties. It was a considerable amount of work which she performed not just with pride, but also with the passion a project this important required.
It wasn't easy and at times the questions and responses were messy, but a year and a half later S.O.A.P.box has evolved into what I believe to be the most important creation of the last decade for the internal team of the Dallas Public Library.
Kerri Whitmer
Library Branch Manager at Dallas Public Library (09/2022) On a Project called S.O.A.P. Box
Before she left the Dallas Public Library in 2022, Gina helped to launch a project called “The Soapbox,” where staff members could submit questions, comments, and suggestions to Library administration without fear of retaliation or embarrassment, due to the anonymous nature of the platform. The Soapbox was implemented through Microsoft Teams, and staff submissions came to platform moderators through anonymous Microsoft Forms surveys not attached to work email accounts.
The Soapbox not only allowed staff to make suggestions for improvements to Library policies and procedures, but also gave them the opportunity to hear the reasoning behind certain policies and procedures when Library administration responded to questions and concerns. This increased the feeling of transparency between administration and branch and unit staff and helped improve staff buy in on possibly unpopular decisions or initiatives. In the same vein, staff were able to impress upon administrators when there were processes or procedures that just were not working or were placing a large burden on staff or collections, and administration responded positively to this feedback, listened to staff concerns, and in some cases, changed course when it made sense to do so.
David Garza
Library Associate at Dallas Public Library (09/2022) On a Project called S.O.A.P. Box
S.O.A.P.Box (Suggestions, Opinions, Answers, and People) is an anonymous question aggregator where staff from any level of the Dallas Public Library system can post their questions, suggestions, grievances, and praise and have members of administration respond. Gina Murphy designed and implemented SOAPBox in the spring of 2022 and helped facilitate its smooth operation through the remainder of her tenure with the library system. She accomplished this as part of the library’s Employee Advocacy Committee's Communications team, and SOAPBox has served as a vital avenue for communication between library staff and administration. It has allowed questions on procedure and operations to lead to policy change that wouldn’t have been likely to occur otherwise, and allowed staff members to be recognized by their peers for the impact they have.
