Infinite Mile Awards, 2004

Individual | Team

Innovation and Creativity: Craig Thomas
Communication and Collaboration: Peter Cohn
Results, Outcomes, and Productivity: Greg Raposa
Community: Joe Hankins

Individual award winners
From left to right:
Peter Cohn, Joe Hankins, Ann Wolpert, Greg Raposa, Craig Thomas

Innovation and Creativity: Craig Thomas

Creative. Innovative. Collaborative. Able to make the complex simple. These are a few of the characteristics that have made this award recipient so successful in the MIT Libraries. This year this individual accepted the challenges associated with a critical, system-wide project and did so, as one nominator said, "with great enthusiasm, responsiveness and intelligence, as well as an undaunted spirit in the face of many challenges."

Another nominator commented, this staff member's "innate commitment to excellent service, ability to pay close attention to detail, and awesome communication skills were essential ingredients to moving this project forward." He quickly became the "pivotal person in this project," "earning the trust and admiration of colleagues throughout the system."

Yet another nominator said, this individual's hard work resulted in "comprehensive use data on a scale we have never had in the past, and at a particularly critical time when we may need [this] data to plan and justify spending reductions." Others agreed that this is an example of a project "where a single person made the difference."

In addition, while engaged in this project, this award recipient continued to provide "seamless service" with enthusiasm, and all the while "contributing to the fun working atmosphere" of the Barker Library.

For designing the database that was an indispensable tool used in the Libraries' recent Journal Use Study, and for "performance under pressure [which] was full of grace," the Libraries' 2004 Infinite Mile Award in the category of Innovation and Creativity goes to Craig Thomas.

Communication and Collaboration: Peter Cohn

This award recipient wears many hats and wears them with grace, care, and a spirit of fun. This year this individual brought these qualities to the challenging project of ensuring seamless delivery of public services while helping staff implement new service initiatives, including the Central Help Service, expanded instructional programming, and integration of new staff members into the service unit. How does one manage all this? This individual draws on an impressive array of communication skills and a real commitment to collaborative action. One colleague summarized this individual's approach this way: "He pitches in. He encourages. He shows us. He is fair and wise and inclusive of all the staff."

This staff member brings the same energetic and collaborative approach to his work with students and faculty, whether in transactions to help solve a reference question or in carefully tailored instruction sessions--all of which have brought students back months later to express their thanks and appreciation.

His energy, generosity, and talent are called upon yet again at the system level, where through his committee work he actively links three major public service groups. Members of PSMG, the Reference Committee, and the Instruction Committee continually draw on his wit, clear thinking, and astute editorial eye. Many colleagues routinely seek the advice of this master wordsmith, whose gentle suggestions have redeemed and improved more documents, memos, Power Point slides, and web pages than we can count.

To lead by inspiring, as this librarian does, is truly the key to effective collaboration. That he does so with clarity of expression, warmth, and an unflagging sense of enthusiasm is why the Libraries' 2004 Infinite Mile Award, in the category of Communication and Collaboration goes to Peter Cohn.

Results, Outcome and Productivity: Greg Raposa

There are projects and problems that fall outside most librarians' areas of expertise; this nominated individual is the person frequently called upon to facilitate the realization of such projects, and to correct such problems. To do so with "calm effectiveness," "a positive, approachable, and pleasant attitude," achieving "superior results for a very modest budget," has impressed upon colleagues what an invaluable resource this person has become to the MIT Libraries.

Whether acting as a liaison between the Libraries and contractors or Institute staff, or making helpful suggestions in the furtherance of a project that might not have been considered otherwise, or advocating strongly for the Libraries on construction projects, with a real understanding of the issues large and small, or even getting down on the floor himself and marking a line for drilling concrete, this person "simply get[s] the job done" and he conveys the confidence that it will be done right.

Ernest Hemingway articulated, in another context, the phrase "grace under pressure" as a rare and commendable virtue in human beings. For not only personifying such grace under pressure, but also communicating that grace, that calmness and unflappability and good humor, to colleagues, for getting the job done effectively and with speed, for being a stand-up, follow-through guy, the Libraries' 2004 Infinite Mile Award, in the category of Results, Outcome, and Productivity, goes to Greg Raposa.

Community: Joe Hankins

Working with devotion to users' needs and welfare, with zeal and energy and in friendly partnership with part-time librarians and support staff, the recipient of the individual award for Community played a major role in sustaining consistently high quality service to patrons during a period of transition which included a substantial storage project.

One faculty member said that this individual, "makes a huge difference in the lives of me and my research group... Many visitors to my lab... have remarked to me how lucky we are to have someone with [this person's] dedication." A staff member in the department noted that this individual "goes out of [the] way to help me with requests for obscure articles and journals that are requested from the professors I work for. I receive the documents in a timely manner. Most of the requests I ask for are 'last minute' and [this person] has never let me down."

This award recipient has also received the praise of fellow library staff:

"I believe that the positive atmosphere in this library and the respect [this individual] has is a direct result of his excellent and personal service."

"I am really amazed that he has accomplished so much in his service on the Circulation Committee, MIT Working Group on Support Staff Issues, and Simmons Alumni Committee all during a transitional stage in Lindgren leadership."

For maintaining excellent community relations and service, and serving as the primary point-of-contact during a long transitional period, the Libraries' 2004 Infinite Mile Award in the category of Community goes to Joe Hankins.