Carnegie Mellon University recognized two University Libraries team members at the 32nd annual Andy Awards ceremony Oct. 14 in the Rangos Ballroom at the Cohon University Center. Community Collections Archivist Crystal Johnson won the award for Commitment to Vibrant Community, and Web & Applications Developer Jonathan Kiritharan was recognized with the award for Innovative and Creative Contributions.
Named for Andrew Carnegie and Andrew Mellon, the Andy Awards recognize the legacy forged by CMU staff members through their hard work. This year’s nominees consisted of 53 individuals and 19 teams representing an array of departments, functions and responsibilities across the university.
In addition to Johnson and Kiritharan, several other Libraries staff members were nominated for awards in recognition of their work. Stacks Manager Gloria Henning and Technical Services Specialist Terrence Chiusano were nominated for a Special Project team award for their contributions as the Hunt Library Collection Improvement Team. Henning was also recognized for 30 years of service to the university.
Executive Assistant Anne Kramer, Associate Dean of Marketing and Communications Shannon Riffe, Organizational Development Manager Kelly Woessner, RIMS Systems Support Analyst Yingxue Li and IDeATe Academic Coordinator Ryan McKelvey were nominated for their work on the AI-Fluent Workforce Task Force. McKelvey received an additional nomination for Commitment to Vibrant Community.
For a full list of this year’s Andy Award winners, view the full story on the CMU News page.
Commitment to Vibrant Community
Crystal Johnson
Community collections archivist
Crystal Johnson has transformed the University Archives from a traditional research space into a vibrant center for connection, belonging and discovery. Through innovative programming, collaborative partnerships and a commitment to inclusion, she ensures that CMU's history is preserved and actively used to strengthen the university community.
"She is always asking how the archives can serve the broader community rather than how the community can serve the archives," said Julia Corrin, the Michael and Lonna Smith University Archivist and associate dean for distinctive collections.
That philosophy shapes every aspect of Johnson’s work, from classroom instruction and student mentorship to campus-wide events that invite participants to see themselves as part of CMU’s ongoing story.
"These programs do more than celebrate the past," said Sarah Bender, CMU Libraries senior communications coordinator. "They create new memories and traditions that strengthen the fabric of the Carnegie Mellon community." During the 2025-26 academic year, Johnson organized 16 classes and 7 events that engaged nearly 900 students, faculty and staff members. These experiences introduced participants to archival research and fostered meaningful connections to one another and to the institution.
Students describe Johnson’s programs as transformative. One participant called an archives visit "the most meaningful class session I have had at CMU in my first semester here," while another noted that seeing “students who look like me in our history means a lot."
Johnson’s creativity and vision are evident in programs such as the Hands-On event series, which brings people together through making, learning and shared experiences. For Hands-On: Pizza & Pennant Making, held in conjunction with the University Archives' 125th anniversary exhibit, more than 125 students gathered in the IDeATe studio to create banners inspired by historic CMU pennants. "Students who may never have wandered into the archives left that evening knowing each other, knowing the institution's history and knowing Crystal," Corrin said.
Johnson also helped launch the Student Advisory Council’s Archives Ambassadors program, which gave students opportunities to engage with archival collections and contribute to institutional storytelling. She works closely with faculty, diversity centers, student organizations and colleagues across campus. "Crystal serves as a bridge between generations of the Carnegie Mellon community," Bender said. "Her work preserves the stories, achievements and experiences of students, faculty, staff and alumni while making those stories accessible and relevant to contemporary audiences. She ensures that CMU’s history remains a living resource that inspires engagement, reflection and pride."
Innovative & Creative Contributions
Jonathan Kiritharan
Library systems and applications developer
Colleagues describe Jonathan Kiritharan as a thoughtful problem solver and skilled communicator. He has a knack for understanding what faculty and staff need and turning those insights into tools that help showcase Carnegie Mellon's research to a broader audience.
"The best description of how he works is also one of the rarest qualities in a technical colleague," said Nicky Agate, University Libraries associate dean for academic engagement. "He listens carefully to what user-facing staff and faculty are trying to achieve, then finds ways to make it happen."
Kiritharan’s work supporting open scholarship reflects that approach. Although University Libraries has negotiated 17 open-access agreements with academic publishers, research articles remained scattered across individual journal websites, making it difficult to highlight the full scope of CMU research.
To solve that problem, Kiritharan connected KiltHub, the university’s institutional repository, with OA Switchboard, a nonprofit platform that facilitates information among publishers, institutions and funders. The connection brings research together in one place, making it easier to discover and showcase CMU scholarship.
Working directly with external software developers, Kiritharan created an automated system that imports publisher notifications into KiltHub. The tool automatically generates metadata records linked to full-text articles, eliminating manual entry for authors and library staff.
Since launching in fall 2025, the system has generated more than 520 article records and attracted more than 30,000 views. The project has been so successful that major platform providers plan to make Kiritharan’s integration available to universities worldwide.
Kiritharan brought that same practical, user-focused approach to graduate research infrastructure. To support the university’s unified submission process for the 2025-26 academic year, he built a system that automatically transfers doctoral dissertations from ProQuest into KiltHub. The integration increases the visibility of Ph.D. students’ work by making it available through both commercial and open-access platforms.
"In library technology, there is a constant need to bridge the gap between complex digital systems and everyday users," said Katie Behrman, institutional repository manager. "Jonathan explains technical concepts clearly, anticipates colleagues’ needs and can also speak the specialized language required to collaborate with developers for our external platforms."
By replacing time-consuming manual tasks with automated solutions, Kiritharan continues to modernize campus workflows. His work supports the CMU Strategic Framework and demonstrates how collaboration, innovation and technical expertise can expand CMU’s reach within the global academic community.