Doug Daniels and Matthew Vest named UCLA's 2026 Librarians of the Year

Emerging technologies librarian Doug Daniels and music inquiry and research librarian Matthew Vest have been honored with UCLA's 2026 Librarian of the Year Award, given by the Librarians Association of the University of California, Los Angeles (LAUC-LA). Daniels and Vest were honored at a June 4 ceremony, where they each received a plaque and $500 in professional development funds.

Established in 1994, the Librarian of the Year Award recognizes excellence in librarianship in one or more areas, including creativity, innovation, courage, leadership and inclusivity.

"We received 15 very strong nominations this year, making it an especially challenging selection process," said Patrick Lavey, chair of the 2026 LAUC-LA Librarian of the Year Award Committee. "After careful consideration, Doug Daniels and Matthew Vest stood out for the lasting impact of their work within UCLA Library and beyond."

Daniels joined UCLA Library in 2014 after earning a bachelor's degree in history from UCLA. He later completed a Master of Library and Information Science at UCLA in 2020. During his tenure, he has expanded UCLA Library's emerging technology services and developed campus partnerships that support research and teaching across disciplines, including archaeology, digital humanities, medical sciences, materials science and Egyptology.

Among his contributions, Daniels co-organized Little Saigon @ UCLA: International Digital Archaeology Day with UCLA classics professor Kelly Nguyen, bringing together more than 50 high school students and 30 community members to share stories and digitally preserve cultural artifacts from the Vietnamese diaspora. The event was part of the Refugee Material Culture Initiative, a collaboration between UCLA and the Vietnamese Heritage Museum in Garden Grove.

"Daniels' work has strengthened partnerships across campus and throughout the greater Los Angeles community while helping students succeed with their individual research projects," Lavey said.

Daniels has supported student research by conducting drone surveys of Iceland's Mosfell Valley in collaboration with a doctoral student from UCLA's Cotsen Institute of Archaeology and developing a surgical probe holder with an undergraduate student that is now used at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center.

"This award means a lot coming from my peers," Daniels said. "Navigating emerging technologies can be challenging, so being recognized for my work is a validation that my efforts to innovate and push the boundaries of digital librarianship have made a real, tangible impact. It's especially rewarding to know that my work in drone mapping and imaging has supported student research at UCLA."

Vest is being recognized for expanding access to contemporary music scholarship through innovative collections and initiatives. In 2020, he founded the Contemporary Music Scores Collection, an open-access repository that now includes more than 5,700 music scores. Over the past year, the collection received more than 500 additional score submissions from composers in 59 countries. In fall 2025, Vest received a UCLA Global Research Award to broaden the collection's reach through the Resonate program.

Vest also administers the Hugo and Christine Davise Fund for Contemporary Music, which provides grants that support projects across the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music community. This year's funded projects include a Center for Musical Humanities program examining the 2025 Los Angeles fires and a symposium co-hosted by UCLA and the Black Opera Research Network.

"Vest's stewardship of the Hugo and Christine Davise Fund has been nothing short of transformative, creating opportunities for creative development, collections building and collaboration," Lavey said. "His contributions to campus and the national and international music library community will continue to have an impact for years to come."

In addition, Vest collaborated with the Arnold Schönberg Center in Vienna to develop the exhibit Arnold Schoenberg: 150 Years, commemorating the 150th anniversary of the influential composer and former UCLA faculty member.

"I am honored to receive this award from my colleagues at UCLA and grateful to have been nominated by colleagues and students here as well as from institutions around the world," Vest said. "Working alongside the faculty and students at the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music inspires me every day. I look forward to continuing to expand open-access initiatives, including the Contemporary Music Scores Collection, and supporting music research and creative activities through the Hugo and Christine Davise Fund for Contemporary Music."

The award committee also commended all eligible 2026 nominees for their outstanding contributions to UCLA Library and the campus community, including Salma Abumeeiz, Elizabeth Edwards, Molly Hemphill, Joy Holland, Caitlin Hunter, Robert Johnson, Katherine Kapsidelis, Sherry Leysen, Ming Lu, Ashley Peterson, Brian Raphael, Gissel Rios and Maggie Tarmey.

Founded in 1967 and formally recognized as an official unit of the University of California in 1975, the Librarians Association of the University of California, Los Angeles advises on professional and governance matters, makes recommendations concerning UCLA librarians' rights, privileges and obligations, and promotes the full utilization of UCLA librarians' professional abilities.