On Thursday, March 12, 2015, Dean Michael Smith honored 34 individuals and 4 teams from the Faculty of Arts and Science with the Dean’s Distinction award. A lively reception was held at University Hall to recognize their outstanding contributions to FAS. The Ernst Mayr Library’s Ronnie Broadfoot was selected this year for exemplary service to library users and his efforts on behalf of the Library.
Ronnie’s commendation states:
“Ronnie Broadfoot works well with staff members within the Ernst Mayr Library, the Museum of Comparative Zoology, and across FAS. He strives to provide the best and most appropriate services for a given situation, excelling particularly in providing course reserves and reference assistance. Ronnie works “outside the box” and offers services without being asked. We receive unsolicited comments from faculty and students attesting to Ronnie’s service ethic and helpfulness navigating the Harvard Library and Museum complex. Ronnie tracks relevant courses in the Museum complex, identifies print materials that might be required and contacts professors before the beginning of each semester, to ensure that items are available to the students in the expected place at the right time. When approached with a student’s reference question, Ronnie probes for the “question behind the question,” helping clarify the information that would be most helpful. In 2014, several projects affected the library collection simultaneously, necessitating the sudden move of thousands of volumes. Ronnie worked out the details of where volumes would fit and kept everyone abreast of the shifting locations. Because of Ronnie’s swift actions and communication, the library remained fully functional and responsive to campus needs, even in the midst of change.”
Also honored were local colleagues Megan McHugh from the Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology and Tristan Rocher of the Harvard Museums of Science and Culture.
See also: Staff Achievements
