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Infinite Mile Awards, 2005Individual | Team
Innovation and Creativity: Service Desk Task Force
This trail-blazing team was “asked to tread where none had gone before.” They began by recreating their charge, and then launched boldly into the unknown, armed only with their wits and Excel spreadsheets. “Resilient and flexible,” “thoughtful yet practical,” this group “balanced invention and focus” to achieve a “thorough, ingenious, timely, and well-vetted result” that will benefit all the MIT Libraries. “In a few short months of intensive work, consultation, and analysis,” this group “solicited widespread staff involvement” and fostered “participation and collegial discussion” throughout the system. “Just as impressive” one nominator wrote, “was the ample evidence that they listened to everyone they met with; and made substantive changes in their recommendations as they gathered more input and ideas.” “By creating a process that was inclusive and transparent,” this team has earned both understanding and broad support for its work. In the eloquent words of one nominator, the members of this task force have “established the groundwork for ensuring consistent, confident, and well-informed service at all our public service desks. They have completely met the daunting challenges they faced — to identify core competencies in a broad range of service areas. They have … shared a vision of a high level of independent information services. They [have] also provided the analysis and tools to empower every member of any service desk staff, in any of our libraries, to know what is expected of them, and to work with their colleagues and supervisors to acquire and share their skills. … Their call for a ‘culture of training’ and learning is exactly right: and with enthusiasm, trust in each other, and respect for their colleagues’ opinions and experience, they have managed to encourage us all to set our sights higher.” The Libraries’ 2005 Infinite Mile Team Award in the category of Innovation and Creativity goes to the Service Desk Task Force — Michael Leininger, Jennifer Harter, Amanda Powers, Andrew Shea, and Kevin Sheehan. Communication and Collaboration: Staff of the RetroSpective Collection
In some MIT circles, your organizational value is measured by the KBA test. What would happen to your unit — how would your coworkers manage — if you were suddenly “kidnapped by aliens”? If this team is ever KBA’d, the MIT Libraries will be in big trouble. Though they maintain a low profile, they work directly with almost every unit in the Libraries. They collaborate with Cataloging, Gifts, Preservation, and subject specialists in Collection Services on a daily basis. Yet, just as frequently, they work with Public Services units like Circulation and Processing. Without this team, Document Services, Delivery Services, and even the “defacto library unit of Stimpson and Sons” would hardly know what to do. And, lest we forget, this team also manages a steady, daily stream of public patrons and requests — both in person and via phone and email. One nominator rightly calls them the ultimate Libraries “middlemen,” since they serve as the nexus linking so many different groups and processes. How fruitful is their collaboration? The sheer volume of work performed by this team is breathtaking. They manage a constantly evolving collection of nearly 400,000 volumes and, in one way or another, they processed or provided access to almost 100,000 volumes last year alone. They are the caretakers to some of the most valuable segments of our collections. But what really distinguishes this team is their “dedication and good cheer” in the face of challenges before which mere mortals would quail. This band of sisters and brothers operates in a location that seems closer to California than campus, forced to communicate with us almost entirely by email or phone. They endure heat and meat-locker cold, red rot and yellow snow, bugs and critters, dimly-lit stacks, and a famously cranky freight elevator — in short, all the imaginable hardships presented by an aging facility. And they do it all for us and the patrons. Though much of their work
slips modestly under our radar, it is high time
for us to “let a little light … shine
on our friends” in Central Square. The Libraries’ 2005
Infinite Mile Team Award for Communication and Collaboration
goes to the Staff of the RetroSpective Collection — Moses
Carr, Arly Cassidy, Melissa Feiden, Cassandra Fox,
and Liz Philips. Results, Outcomes, and Productivity: Hayden Circulation Staff
Working in one of the most challenging environments in the Libraries, members of this team went far beyond their traditional duties. Not only did they fulfill their regular responsibilities in fine style, they stretched themselves to participate in a series of demanding special projects. This team’s participation in four major projects both exceeded initial expectations and led to significant improvements in user access to a vast amount of material. Can you guess how long it would take to integrate 500 boxes of journals and monographs into a larger collection? Apparently far less than the four weeks expected by planners. This team accomplished the task in just two days — at barely a quarter of the estimated cost! Can you imagine the improvement in user access if every volume of a large journal collection were suddenly barcoded? Due to this team’s diligent efforts, more than 3000 linear feet of journals became available for self-checkout. As a result, serial circulation increased by a factor of five, from 5% to 25% of all transactions. Can you estimate the sheer weight of 10,000 cubic feet of journals and books? That’s how much "stuff" this team lifted and toted in a major shifting effort that freed overflowing shelves, released space for integrating another library's materials, and made ample room for new acquisitions. And, as if that weren’t enough, this hard-working team also volunteered to participate in a major storage project. Again, they far exceeded expectations. Their monthly processing rate of 1400 items nearly doubled the initial target of 800. For their collaborative spirit, sheer perseverance, and astounding productivity, and for tangible results that will benefit all library users, the Libraries’ 2005 Infinite Mile Team Award in the Category of Results, Outcomes, and Productivity goes to the Hayden Circulation Staff — Dan Holland, Harolyn Hylton, Georgiana McReynolds, Denise O’Malley, Gregory Padilla, Pat Page, Alan Rostoff, Kevin Sheehan, and Matt Van Sleet. Community: The Committee Without A Name
“Imagine,” in the words of one nominator, “you live in a big house with lots of other people. Now, imagine that you see these people several times a day, but that you don’t know their names. You might even have a conversation every now and then — but you don’t know what they do for work, what they do for fun, or what they do at all. They seem like perfectly nice people, people you’d like to know, but somehow it just isn’t happening. You’re cordial but you just can’t seem to connect.” These days, many folks in a certain “big house” know a lot more about one another. Who brought about such a radical change? (Since this is the MIT Libraries, you probably won’t be surprised to hear that it involves a committee.) This enthusiastic team organizes events that are unique, innovative, and just plain fun. The events are planned for different times and different days so people on all shifts can participate. Benefits from this team’s efforts are long lasting. When the Libraries opened during an official Institute closing, this committee surprised its public services staff with coffee and doughnuts (as well as an early morning debate on the advantages and disadvantages of decaf.) This is no ordinary committee. In fact, this committee doesn’t even have a name! “What it does have is a legacy” … some hats … and some baby pictures. “Hat Day” celebrated baseball playoffs with crackerjacks and sports hats. “Secret Snowman” encouraged staff to learn about one another’s interests. The "Baby Picture Contest" proved that some folks haven’t changed a bit! The “Who’s Who” display invited participants to match staff with their personal interests. And "Trick or Treat" was a yummy way to learn where people worked. (Some people even discovered that there are offices on the Science mezzanine!) This
committee cleverly brings together folks from
Humanities, Science, Hayden Circulation, Lewis
Music, Lindgren, and, at the time, ILB. In recognition
of its ongoing success in creative community-building
in the Hayden Library, the 2005 Infinite Mile
Team Award in the category of Community goes
to the Committee Without A Name — Jim
Eggleston and Jennifer Harter. |
