Tom Gavin, lead adjunct faculty member for the Applied Technology in Education degree program, has been honored with the Delaware Association of School Librarians 2022 Outstanding Administrator Award for Excellence. Gavin earned the award for creating a strong partnership between the Colonial School District and Delaware public libraries.

Colonial was brought into the Delaware Library Consortium in 2016 as a pilot project, to provide proof of concept for large public school systems joining the statewide shared network. Currently, the DLC includes 33 public libraries, six academic libraries, 16 school, and 15 special libraries.

Gavin led the district librarians through the migration process and continues to provide regular professional development training for them. He also has worked to restore library services to students and librarians after disruptions and closures caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. His most recent efforts include purchasing new collections for students and analyzing monthly library data for principals. As a result, Colonial has become a model for other school districts to emulate.