Our NMRT Past-President, Emily Prather-Rodgers, shares her thoughts on the true value of a NMRT membership and makes a call to action for new (and “new-ish”) librarians everywhere.
Let’s be honest. At this point, I can only call myself “new-ish” at best. I joined ALA as a student member way back in 2005. I gladly accepted my free Social Responsibilities Round Table (SRRT) membership (still available to students and the unemployed, by the way), and I hesitated only momentarily before spending the extra $10 on NMRT. When I attended my first Annual Conference later that same year, I attended a wide variety of programs and events, but NMRT’s conference orientation was the thing that made me feel like I belonged. NMRT quickly became my home within “big ALA,” and I’ve happily clicked the renew box every year since. The cost of the membership is nothing compared to all of the benefits I’ve received.
Last month, Mandi, NMRT’s Secretary, posted a Top 10 List of NMRT Resources here on this blog (http://www.nmrt.ala.org/notes/?p=329). I want to add #11: people. NMRT provided me with opportunities to serve on committees, attend events, publish my writing, etc.. And, yes, each of those things has helped me throughout my career. But it is the people that I have met while taking advantages of those membership perks and the resulting conversations that I’ve had in person, by phone and e-mail, and through social media that I will continue to rely on and benefit from as I near the end of my first ten years in ALA.
Nearly ten years in, I’m still new-ish in many ways, but I’m comfortable offering this advice: sign up for one (or more!) of the NMRT Top 10, talk to everyone you meet as a result of your participation, and say yes to any of the opportunities and/or friendships that they offer. Do these things over and over again for 10 years, and I guarantee that you’ll be a better librarian and, more importantly, a better colleague by the time your “newness” begins to wear thin.