Rice University’s Fondren Library awarded Joseph Goetz the 2025 Shapiro Staff Innovation Award during a moving ceremony recognizing his inventive contributions to library education and student creative work Sept. 17. The award, named for the late Beth Shapiro, honors staff who have developed innovative library programs or shown exemplary service to the university community.
Goetz, who joined the Fondren Library in 2015 as its first information literacy librarian, has since led the creation and continual improvement of Fondren 101, Rice’s comprehensive introduction to library services and resources. Originally developed as a basic orientation, Fondren 101 has grown under Goetz’s leadership into an immersive learning experience, incorporating student co-designers, video content, an online version with certification and even tours and “shelfies” that encourage exploration. More than 1,100 students have completed the latest iteration of Fondren 101.
In addition, Goetz founded and continues to direct the Fondren Library Awards for Undergraduate Literary Excellence, now in its ninth year. The program celebrates Rice undergraduates in fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry and literary citizenship. Since its inception, it has awarded both cash prizes and public recognition to dozens of students, helping amplify student voices and connect literary work with the broader Rice community.
Colleagues praised Goetz as “amazing resource, terrific subject librarian, tireless colleague, unfailingly helpful, supportive, creative, intellectually curious ... great steward, skilled leader, valued mentor.” One nominator reflected, “Joe has revolutionized Fondren’s information literacy instruction.”
“Mark Twain famously said that it is better to deserve honors and not have them than to have them and not deserve,” said Cindy Pierard, assistant university librarian for research services. “My friends, we do not have that problem today. Our colleague Joe Goetz fully deserves to be honored.”
“It’s terrific to be given this award named for Beth Shapiro and such an honor to be recognized in this way,” Goetz said. “I think the congratulations I’ve gotten from people across campus is a real recognition of the value of this award. As Cindy described, it’s all been very collaborative.”
He also reflected on the anniversary of his time at Rice.
“I ended up here 10 years ago … so it’s been kind of an anniversary,” Goetz said. “Ten years is too short a time to work alongside such excellent and admirable folks.”
