NMRT Notes

Read the responses given by candidates to the election questions from NMRT!

NMRT Vice President Candidate: Mary Kamela

1. What do you hope to accomplish as part of NMRT’s leadership?

During the three-year term of Vice President, President, and Past President, I hope to serve NMRT as an organized and communicative leader. NMRT is uniquely poised to reach members new to ALA and/or the profession, and this begins with effective leadership. I plan to support our existing successful initiative, such as the Resume Review Service, Endnotes, and NMRT Notes, while also investigating ways to expand their reach and streamline their procedures. I hope to improve NMRT’s communication with the general membership by evaluating our social media policies and channels and working with the Executive Board to adjust, if necessary. Finally, I look forward to working with future Emerging Leaders to develop and support dynamic projects that make NMRT a more welcoming, accessible place for members.

2. What do you enjoy most about your current position?

As the current NMRT secretary, I have enjoyed learning more about the inner workings of the round table during Executive Board meetings. There are so many dedicated volunteers who make NMRT run smoothly, and as secretary I get a front row seat to see how everything comes together. I have also enjoyed serving as a liaison to the Information and Content committee and working to archive important NMRT materials. I also enjoy sharing NRMT news and updates to a wide audience on our social media Channels.

3. What skills and/or experience would you bring to your position that would benefit NMRT and the profession overall?

Over the last three years, I have been involved with NMRT at all levels. I started as a Communications committee member, then served as committee chair, and finally was elected secretary last year. This experience has allowed me to experience NMRT from many different perspectives, providing me with a deeper understanding of the structure and work of the round table. Additionally, in my current professional role of Student Support and Engagement librarian, I am used to wearing many hats and balancing concurrent projects. I would utilize these skills to effectively manage the duties of NMRT Vice President, as well as President and Past President.

4. How would you support the NMRT’s mission in the role you are running for?

NMRT’s mission is to support new members (of less than ten years) in becoming more involved in the organization and the profession. To further this mission as Vice President, I would work to ensure that the committee appointment process runs smoothly, from soliciting volunteers in a timely manner to ensuring that committees have sufficient rosters and a designated chair for the upcoming term once appointments are underway. NMRT provides an excellent opportunity for those newer to the profession to gain national service through its committees, and NMRT was the first place I found a home within ALA. Serving as Vice President and assisting with appointments would be an exciting and fulfilling full circle moment for me.

Furthermore, I would collaborate closely with the President to build a strong working relationship and develop a thorough understanding of the role, expectations, and duties that I would assume as President. I am eager to have the chance to represent and advocate for NMRT in other ALA spaces and become more involved with NRMT events, services, and programming.

5. What changes, if any, would you like to make for NMRT for next year?

I would like to propose a review of NMRT’s social media accounts, policies, and procedures in the coming year. Currently NMRT uses their blog, NMRT Notes, Facebook, and Twitter/X to communicate with members. In an ever-changing social media landscape, I think it is important to revisit and re-evaluate social media practices in order to optimize reach to round table members. This review may include a survey of NMRT members on communication preferences and/or the development of policies and procedures for NMRT accounts on new platforms.

NMRT Member Services Director Candidate – Sylvie Dauber San-Juan

1. What do you hope to accomplish as part of NMRT’s leadership?

It is my goal to increase engagement of NMRT members in ALA forums, both online and in person and through volunteerism on committees. Additionally, I hope to work on the retention of members in NMRT and promote ways to continue participation in other ALA organizations once NMRT members feel established in the profession. As a major source of advocacy for our profession, being involved in a professional organization is a way to stay current on new developments and continue to make librarianship relevant in a changing information landscape.

2. What do you enjoy most about your current position?

I enjoy working with students and guiding them through the research process. Additionally, I love developing LibGuides for the various needs of my department including complementing research projects designed in collaboration with faculty and making library services more accessible.

3. What skills and/or experience would you bring to your position that would benefit NMRT and the profession overall?

I have served on the NMRT Online Programs Committee first as a member and now as chair. Through this position, I have learned about the amount of work that goes into engaging members and the behind the scenes effort involved with promoting involvement. This year, I have also had the opportunity to serve on the NMRT Membership Promotion, Diversity, & Recruitment committee, which also plans outreach to new NMRT members. Professionally, I have planned dozens of programs in my previous roles as a Gallery Director and Learning Resources Librarian. Program planning and marketing go hand in hand in increasing visibility of the offerings of an organization.

4. How would you support the NMRT’s mission in the role you are running for?

If chosen to serve as NMRT Member Services Director, I would reach out to current members, either through our discussion board and/or through a poll to determine how NMRT can better serve our constituents. Additionally, I would make it a point to quickly answer all inquiries and be open to suggestions for engagement and retention.

5. What changes, if any, would you like to make for NMRT for next year?

Through my committee service the last couple of years, I have found the NMRT to be well organized, so I would strive to maintain that in my role through setting deadlines and being transparent with communication. Ideally, I would love to see new committees begin work shortly after the ALA Conference in order to maximize the time given to meet and exceed goals.

NMRT Member Services Director – Natalie Ornat Bitting

1. What do you hope to accomplish as part of NMRT’s leadership?

As I’ve transitioned to becoming a mid-career librarian, I’ve felt the support of ALA and NMRT at every professional step along the way. Starting from the resources provided to my ALA student chapter, the online programs and resume review service benefiting my job search, to the community developed with other early career librarians, NMRT has provided me with a welcoming professional home. I would like to join NMRT’s leadership, specifically as the Member Services Director, to contribute to this professional community that I myself have benefited from and offer my own fitting skills and enthusiasm to the four committees I would coordinate.

As Member Services Director, I want to enhance the marketing and outreach done for the Endnotes, Communications, Mentoring, and Resume Review Service Committees, strengthen partnerships with committees such as the Student and Student Chapter Outreach Committee and the Online Programs Committee, and work closely with committee chairs to ensure members feel supported and empowered in their work. Ultimately, I want for our members to see and experience the value these four committees bring as part of their membership.

2. What do you enjoy most about your current position?

I currently serve as the Humanities Librarian at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. In this role I serve as the liaison librarian to several departments, provide library instruction, develop our collections, and provide reference support to our campus community. One of the highlights of my job is working one-on-one with students as they progress through their research. Taking a dive into the scholarship on random topics and seeing students gain more confidence in their own information literacy skills is a really fun part of the job! I’ve also enjoyed the variety of service roles I’ve been able to fulfill in my library. I’m particularly proud of the work I’ve done to initiate the development of two committees to fill crucial gaps in our library’s ability to address student engagement and workplace climate and serve as the inaugural co-chair for each. 

3. What skills and/or experience would you bring to your position that would benefit NMRT and the profession overall?

This role requires someone who is present, organized, and encouraging. I believe I have shown myself to have all of these qualities within my work. I have served in some capacity within ALA committees every year since becoming a professional librarian in 2018 and pride myself in being an active member in this work. I am extremely organized and believe in the importance of backwards planning. For example, when I knew I would be leaving for maternity leave near the end of my time as Chair of NMRT’s Resume Review Service Committee, I led the development of a comprehensive planning document for our in-person review at ALA Annual that began 6 months prior to the conference. I believe I have also shown myself to be a thoughtful and encouraging leader. I would work to facilitate the success of each committee through productive check-ins, serving as an advocate on behalf of committee chairs to the executive board, and collaboratively seeking answers and solutions to issues committees face.   

Besides my experience chairing committees both in NMRT and my own library, my work as the President of my library’s faculty body and as an ALA Emerging Leader has given me experience navigating the structure of a large organization. These experiences have helped me form my own leadership style, one that prioritizes authentic relationships, consistent and transparent communication, and consensus building to drive progress in our goals.

4. How would you support the NMRT’s mission in the role you are running for?

As Member Services Director and member of the Board, I would hold the best interest of our general membership top of mind in my work and votes. By serving as a responsive, supportive, and organized coordinator to committee chairs, my hope is each committee feels empowered and prepared to take on their charge. I am also interested in collaborating with the Outreach and Networking Directors to find ways we can promote the value the Endnotes, Communications, Resume Review Service, and Mentoring Committees provide to members and how these can, in turn, support their work in informing, recruiting, and maintaining members. 

5. What changes, if any, would you like to make for NMRT for next year?

In my transition from member to Chair of the Resume Review Service Committee, I had the advantage of bringing along committee knowledge, document templates, and workflow experience that allowed us to start the year off quickly and strong. I would like to explore ways for our committees to have more seamless transitions from year to year so each new team can hit the ground running.

NMRT Councilor Candidate – Stella Hudson

1. What do you hope to accomplish as part of NMRT’s leadership?

As part of NMRTs leadership I want to continue, advocate for, and advertise the amazing work we are already doing. I think that the professional development and community network offered by NMRT will be even more essential to new librarians in the upcoming year, given the complex social and political contexts we are facing. To facilitate that community, I would like to increase engagement online, at in person events, and on social media platforms such as Instagram and Tik Tok. I want to partner with other ALA divisions and round tables to offer joint programs, focusing not only on professional development in a rapidly changing landscape, but also on emotional support and well being, especially for new librarians from marginalized identities.

We need to continue to ensure that all NMRT activities and initiatives are inclusive and accessible to diverse members, and structure our outreach and programming so that it can be engaged with in as many different modalities as possible. Finally I want to expand our connections to library schools and student chapters, potentially also reaching out to undergraduate students to educate them on the benefits and opportunities available to them if they decide to pursue a library degree after graduation. I believe NMRT is uniquely positioned to benefit both present and future librarians. 

2. What do you enjoy most about your current position?

The absolute best part of my job is working with students one on one in research consultations. The unique and varied topics students bring to me always spark my curiosity, whether they are familiar, or completely unknown to me. I am the subject librarian for all of the humanities and social sciences. I get to engage in multidisciplinary research of all kinds, and love to dig into niche methodologies, databases, and hunt down primary sources with my students. Being directly connected with college students helps me navigate the ever changing information landscape, and I love to help them move from anxiety or worry to a place of confidence and self-efficacy. Working with diverse groups of people to create creative solutions in the treasure hunt for information is what makes my position both fun and fulfilling. 

3. What skills and/or experience would you bring to your position that would benefit NMRT and the profession overall?

I will bring extensive leadership and collaboration experience, as both a teaching librarian and a graduate of NMRTs Emerging Leaders Program. I am adept at working with people from diverse backgrounds, and thrive in an environment where ideas can be shared in a way that generates action. I currently serve as the library representative on the American University Honors Advisory Board, and have become excellent at forging connections with partners, stakeholders, and faculty from across the university. I have initiated and led several joint initiatives between the library’s department of Research Teaching and Learning, and multiple branches of the Academic Affairs Department. I am familiar with Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, Zoom, and many other forms of collaboration technology, and have practice learning new platforms efficiently. I have also navigated significant collections budget cuts, while maintaining collection integrity and reassuring concerned faculty. I have honed my communication and problem-solving skills through my time as an Academic Librarian and a member of ALA. 

4. How would you support the NMRT’s mission in the role you are running for?

I would support NMRT’s mission in several ways. Firstly, I would bring a lot of enthusiasm and experience to this role. I genuinely believe in the importance of supporting new librarians and library students and want to apply my energy and competence to help provide both formal and informal opportunities for people to become involved in the librarian community. I believe that community, whether at the national, state, or local levels, will be even more important for new librarians to engage with in the coming years. NMRTs mission to assist, encourage, and educate, will be key to fostering a sense of community and belonging among new members, and in providing chances for more diverse voices to rise within the broader ALA organization. As someone who has also recently transitioned into librarianship as a young person, I can connect deeply with those who are just stepping into the library world. I want to ensure that I hold the door open for more people to enter into leadership, action, and change alongside me. 

5. What changes, if any, would you like to make for NMRT for next year?

I think in the next year, working closely with the broader ALA community will be essential to boost outreach efforts. The resources available through NMRT are so valuable, and I think there are ways we could work to ensure they reach everyone who needs them. I would love it if the social media presence of NMRT could be significantly increased. Informational posts, as well as Q&A, member spotlights, reels, funny posts, and uplifting messages could all be widely shared. This would not only help disseminate information to current members better, it would also help connect with new and younger users, making information and engagement more accessible for everyone.

NMRT Leadership Development Director – Michelle Osbourne

1. What do you hope to accomplish as part of NMRT’s leadership?

As NMRT’s leadership, I hope to assist members in finding their place in ALA.

2. What do you enjoy most about your current position? 

I enjoy seeing the various schools showcase their role in the community and the growth of the MLIS students within their program.

3. What skills and/or experience would you bring to your position that would benefit NMRT and the profession overall? 

I have 30 years of Library experience and have chaired several committees in NMRT as well as served as a member of various organizations.

4. How would you support the NMRT’s mission in the role you are running for? 

I would support NMRT’s mission by providing support to new members and the committees that I would oversee.

5. What changes, if any, would you like to make for NMRT for next year?

I have no suggestions for changes at the moment.

NMRT Secretary Candidate – Heather Bush

1. What do you hope to accomplish as part of NMRT’s leadership? 

As an early career librarian, I’m always looking for more experience serving library-related organizations. As a NMRT member since 2018, I have learned about committee participation, roles, structures, and expectations by serving as a member and as a committee chair. The next step would be to serve as Secretary and support students and other library professionals to better understand the structure of NMRT, ACRL, and ALA, as well as how important and easy it is to get involved, without feeling overwhelmed. Volunteering for NMRT has given me the opportunity to work with librarians from across the country from libraries different from my own and I want to encourage others to participate. It would be my pleasure to continue to represent and assist new librarians in developing leadership skills and getting involved in NMRT committee work. I appreciate your consideration in this new role.

2. What do you enjoy most about your current position? 

There are two things I enjoy most about my job as an Assistant Professor and Access Services & Instruction Librarian at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, FL. The first is how closely I get to work with students, both in the library and around campus. We employ about 24 student workers in our library and wouldn’t be able to provide the level of service and access we do without them. The second would be the variety of roles I serve in my position, including access services, reference, information literacy instruction, liaison to the behavioral sciences, professor, and informal mentor and advisor to student groups.

3. What skills and/or experience would you bring to your position that would benefit NMRT and the profession overall? 

I am currently serving as the Treasurer on the NMRT Board, so I am gaining experience about what my role will be as Secretary. Since joining NMRT, I’ve been a committee member of EndNotes, Web, and Handbook, as well as chaired the Handbook and Web Committees. As the current Governance and Handbook Committee Chair, I’ve been working closely with the NMRT Board to develop the Handbook website. Being good with technology has helped me with this project, but ALA provides support and Drupal training for any volunteers serving on certain committees. In a previous digital assets manager position, I gained experience with knowledge bases and information organization which also came in handy for this project.

Regionally, I served in several positions, including as vice president and president, on the board for Suncoast Information Specialist, an organization of library and information professionals around Tampa Bay. This gave me experience planning events, keeping the members informed, and making decisions on where the organization was headed.

At Eckerd, I serve on faculty committees and as a faculty sponsor for our student leaders of the Intergenerational Book Club and the First-Generation Student Club. In serving various roles around campus and beyond, I need to be detail-oriented and multitask while managing my time and a work-life balance.

4. How would you support the NMRT’s mission in the role you are running for? 

I would like to see more informational sessions about what NMRT has to offer new and existing members, as well as communication about committee expectations and time commitments. I’ve learned a lot from volunteering through NMRT and want others to have that same opportunity. The processes and information need to be streamlined and clearly communicated. Through making these changes, we could give more early-career librarians an opportunity to explore various roles on committees and help them find their interests while gaining leadership and collaboration skills.

5. What changes, if any, would you like to make for NMRT for next year? 

As the current NMRT Board Treasurer, I’m gaining experience and am enjoying working with my fellow colleagues. Continuing on the Board as Secretary and being part of the discussions on how the round table moves forward would continue my librarianship journey. NMRT is an amazing organization that has taught me a lot about what service to the profession can and should look like. I want to share that experience with other early-career librarians and library school students.

By: Marina Brint, University of Western Ontario

Welcome back to the NMRT Blog, there’s a lot of special events occurring in February and it is a great month to highlight them in your library through displays, info sessions, and events.

Some significant events in February are:

Black History Month – February 1st – 28th

Library Lover’s Month – February 1st – 28th

Valentines Day – February 14th

National Day of Reading: A Celebration of Trans Stories – February 28th

Black History Month is a significant celebration and an opportunity for libraries to showcase and promote the literature, history, music, art, and culture by African American creators. Here are some ways your library can promote and celebrate this event:

1. Create an online and in-print book list of African American authors, stories, and main characters from staff or online recommendations.

Some resources for book lists can be found at Penguin House Publishing here or here.

Or at the American Writers Museum here.

Check out some upcoming releases by Black authors here.

Need some more inspiration? Recently the 2024 Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction and Fiction were announced, some finalists of the award include:

We Were Once a Family by Roxanna Asgarian, Texas based author, journalist, speaker and Winner of the Nonfiction Medal of Excellence for 2024.

“Investigative reporter Asgarian’s years of work getting to know the birth families of six children killed by their adoptive parents in 2018 uncovered a devastating web of intergenerational poverty, violence, and wrenching separations. She exposes the tragedy of what happened and the ongoing, insupportable failings of the foster system.”

Let Us Descend by Jesmyn Ward, an American novelist and professor.

“Sold away from her mother, teenage Annis, daughter of a Black mother and the white man who enslaved them, must endure a grueling march to the slave markets of New Orleans with only her wits and her mother’s ivory awl to help her survive. Ward’s vivid imagery and emotionally resonant prose convey the horrors of chattel slavery in stark, unforgettable detail.”

The Talk by Darrin Bell, an American editorial cartoonist.

“In 2019, Bell became the first Black editorial cartoonist to win a Pulitzer Prize. In this brilliant graphic memoir, Bell’s growth from a trusting child afraid of dogs to an esteemed, nationally syndicated cartoonist is a marvel to witness through his spectacular panels and pages. A must-read manifesto against racist brutality.”

2024 Winners | Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence

2. Curate a book display promoting Black culture, people, stories, art, and history.

3. Invite Black authors, researchers, and artists to discuss their work, provide a platform for voices and stories to be told and heard.

4. Take part in professional development opportunities, become involved in communities, and expand your knowledge.

                        E-Learning opportunities that focus on racial equity include:

                        Tackling Racism and Bias in the Library Catalogue

                        Best of Core Forum: Anti-Racist Acquisitions: Interrogating Processes

                        Being the Only: The Intersection of POC and School Librarianship

                        Actively Anti-Racist Reader’s Advisory Services

                        Public Libraries Supporting African American Writers

            From ALA Editions Neal-Schuman’s Book Club there will be a multipart discussion about the Black and African American experiences in libraries, historically, and presently. This panel will include talks from the books Narratives of (Dis)enfranchisement by Tracey Overbey and Amanda L. Folk, Let’s Talk About Race in Storytimes by Jessica Anne Bratt, and Libraries without Borders: New Directions in Library History contributors LaVerne Gray and Beth J.H. Patin. This event will be taking place online on Wednesday, February 19th, 2025 at 1PM Central Time and registration for the webinar can be found here with other events hosted by the book club found here.

            Explore ALA’s resources about Black History month here. At this link you’ll find useful definitions and opportunities to develop and learn, such as through ALA’s AASL and Advocacy sites, where you can read about “Black School Librarianship” featured in the Quest journal which discusses the challenges, identities, and experiences of being a Black librarian. You’ll also find learning engagement resources, directed towards school librarianship but applicable elsewhere, and other resources such as reading lists, educational opportunities and more.

Other opportunities for e-learning through the ALA happening this month include:

Inside Interlibrary Loan: Basics for a New Millennium – A four week asynchronous course on inside interlibrary loan, starting February 3rd, 2025.

How Libraries Can Build Connections to Combat Loneliness – Learn how to create a culture of empathy and action by developing micro-communities to combat loneliness, webinar taking place February 5th, 2025.

Conscious Kid Kits: Using Picture Books to Spark Conversations about Racial Equity with Our Children – A presentation on using book kits in libraries to promote conversations about racial equity and inclusion with children, webinar taking place February 18th, 2025.

Grow Your Project Management Skills – Join this e-forum to discuss your successes, not-so-successful endeavours, and learn how to incorporate projects, taking place February 18th, 2025.

Celebrating Autistic Joy in Your Library – Move beyond “autism acceptance” and let your library become a place of autistic joy, webinar taking place February 26th, 2025.

Cardholder Signup Policies: Access in Practice – Learn best practices for cardholder registration that reduces barriers and increase access for all, webinar taking place February 27th, 2025.