Mike Cinker, stores supervisor at the Library, has worked at the UI for more than 23 years. He started as a storekeeper in Stores and Receiving at Central Stores in 1986, and worked there for a little more than a year and a half before moving to the Library.
With the exception of three years in the San Francisco Bay Area as a child, Cinker has lived in Champaign-Urbana his entire life. Born on what used to be Chanute Air Force Base in Rantoul, he graduated from Urbana High School and attended Parkland College.
Cinker has two children: Grant, a sophomore at Illinois State University, and Molly, a senior at St. Joseph-Ogden High School.
TELL ME ABOUT YOUR JOB.
I oversee the daily mail and distribution operation at the Library, as well as the storeroom. Mail sorting, distribution and shipping are the main duties we perform. That means that everything the Library receives – U.S. mail, FedEx, UPS, new books, magazines, media, departmental library supplies – comes through our unit first. Also, any item that’s shipped out of the Library comes to our unit before leaving.
If a book is checked out from the Biology Library and is returned at the main Library, we have someone who will pick it up and return it to the owning library. All books that get dropped off at the main Library are sorted and then returned to their home library.
WHAT’S THE MOST CHALLENGING ASPECT OF YOUR JOB?
One of the biggest challenges is that from day to day, there is no way to predict how much mail will be delivered to the Library. The only certainty is that each and every day, there will be mail.
One of the U.S. letter carriers who delivered our mail said that the University Library receives the most mail of anyone in Champaign-Urbana. I didn’t realize that, but I do know, first-hand, that we get a substantial amount – anywhere from five to 30 tubs of mail daily.
My personal work style consists of tackling whatever the job may require immediately. I don’t like to put things off, especially since no day is ever the same. This makes advance planning somewhat difficult.
WHAT’S THE MOST ENJOYABLE ASPECT OF YOUR JOB?
That’s easy. The people I work with are a good group. I like interaction with other people, and we’ve got a great community here at the Library. It feels like family.
WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO DO OFF THE JOB?
There are two things that are most special to me off the job: Being involved in my children’s lives and running marathons. I’m very proud of my children and how well they’re doing.
HOW MANY MARATHONS HAVE YOU RUN?
I’ve run 13 marathons, including Boston, New York City, Chicago, Columbus (Ohio), and the Illinois Marathon this past April.
I usually try to run a fall and a spring marathon, provided my body holds up. This fall, I plan to run Columbus again. I’m also planning on going back to Boston next year. The Illinois Marathon was a special one for me.
WHAT WAS YOUR TIME?
Two hours, 57 minutes, and 10 seconds – my personal best by about a minute and a half. I put a great deal of training in on that one. I’ve always been competitive when it comes to running.
WHICH WAS THE MORE DIFFICULT COURSE, NEW YORK OR BOSTON?
For me, New York was tougher, even though I had a better time in New York than I did in Boston. It’s electrifying when everyone is there competing, and you have all these people cheering you on. They’re both very tough courses though.
HOW DID THE CHAMPAIGN COURSE COMPARE?
The Champaign course was great. The weather was perfect that day, too. I was also impressed by how well it was put on and how smoothly it went.
It was a nice course, flat and fast, which means it’s a good qualifier for a Boston or a New York marathon. I predict that it’s going to become an annual event.
HOW DO YOU FIT YOUR TRAINING SCHEDULE INTO THE OTHER PARTS OF YOUR LIFE?
I’m normally an early morning runner. So, today, for instance, I woke up at 5 a.m. and ran 9 miles. I’m pretty much a six-day-a-week runner. Running clears my head, keeps me in shape, and lets me eat whatever I want.
