ALA elections are here and this year NMRT is electing a Leadership Development Director, Vice-President/President-Elect, and Secretary. Below, our candidates answer a few questions about their plans for the position.
Why are you interested in this position?
Nicole LaMoreaux: The New Members Round Table (NMRT) has allowed me to find my place within the American Library Association (ALA) and has provided me so many opportunities since becoming a member. To be given the opportunity to give back by becoming the Vice President/President-Elect would be an honor. If elected, I hope to inspire new librarians and library paraprofessionals to find their place within ALA and encourage them to become an active member and leader in NMRT.
Nicole Spoor: Since I first became active in ALA, NMRT has been the “place” that I call home. NMRT has helped me become a better librarian and get involved in our professional community through professional development opportunities and the chance to take on leadership roles early in my career. I am interested in the Vice-President/President-Elect position, because I see the need for an organization that supports people early in their career and I know that NMRT does this well. I plan to use my time as Vice-President/President-Elect to promote NMRT among new librarians and more experienced librarians who might have never seen the benefit of being involved in a professional organization.
Amy Steinbauer: I love being a librarian, and I want to help others get involved in what I view, as the best profession! When I was a graduate student, I was involved in numerous organizations—President of our student chapter of ALA, Vice President of Hui Dui (our social organization), and Captain of our Web Team. Those experiences taught me what could be accomplished when passionate people came on board to help, but when graduation loomed, I feared that I would lose that momentum. At the time, I reached out to one of my peers about how we could get career ready for our impending graduation—and she said we had to join NMRT, and that’s how we would learn how to flourish in the library world. Her advice really stuck with me, and once I could afford to join the professional organizations—
I made it my top priority to get involved with NMRT.
NMRT is also responsible for connecting me with my first mentor! Going to ALA Annual is probably the highlight of my year, but it took me a long time to feel comfortable enough to attend. I was so nervous that I would stick out like a sore thumb—which led me to sign up for a NMRT Conference Mentor! I really lucked out with a conference superstar who patiently sat with me and worked out my scheduler and introduced me to amazing children’s library people. At that moment- she confirmed that I was in the exact right place in my life, and I was so pumped for the day that I could start giving back.
What skills and experiences do you bring to the position?
Nicole LaMoreaux: I have been an active member of NMRT since joining the round table in 2011. I am currently the NMRT Secretary. I have also either been a committee member or chair of the following committees: NMRT Midwinter Social Committee, Student Chapter of the Year Award Committee, Student Reception Committee, LLAMA/NMRT Joint Committee on Collaboration, and the NMRT Awards Committee (now known as the NMRT Annual Social Committee). I believe that these experiences will allow me to put what I have learned back into the round table and hopefully inspire others to move into leadership positions within the organization. I am currently the Assistant Director of Research and Instructional Services at The New School and before this position; I was the Reference and Instruction Librarian at LIM College where I was the organizer of a three-day conference in New York City. These two positions have allowed me to expand my leadership and project management skills. I think these experiences will be the key to being a successful Vice President/President-Elect for NMRT.
Nicole Spoor: When I joined NMRT worked on committees for about four years, chairing both the Orientations Committee and the Resume Review Service Committee. I am currently serving a two-year term on the NMRT Board as the Leadership Development Director overseeing five committees charged with providing leadership and professional development opportunities. It is important for the Vice-President/President-Elect to be visible and communicative in order to help keep NMRT functioning effectively. My organizational skills and willingness to be available to support NMRT make me a great candidate for this position.
Amy Steinbauer: As mentioned earlier, I love contributing to the professional organizations for librarians and library workers. Previously, I have served on the NMRT committee—Student Chapter and Student Outreach, which was really rewarding for me because I had the opportunity to get close to current LIS students and help them with the transition to working professionals. I have served as a Board Member at Large for the Association of Bookmobile and Outreach Services (ABOS) for the last two years. Currently, I am on the Public Awareness committee for ALA.
I tend to get involved in lots of organizations—because my interests in librarianship really vary. I love outreach, early literacy, and helping new librarians connect. My passions help me to really get to know lots about different areas within ALA—and I can take that all back to NMRT.
Previously, I also volunteered for the site, INALJ.com finding and formatting jobs daily, and writing articles about how the job search process for library workers.
In 2015, I was awarded the Conable Freedom to Read Foundation Scholarship and Award to attend ALA Annual, which celebrated my work in providing equal and free access to all types of readers. It In 2016, I was selected to be a member of the California Library Leadership Institute where I was taught hands on leadership techniques to employ in real-life library situations.
As Vice-President/President-Elect (more information) one of your responsibilities will be preparing for your Presidential term the following year. How will you work with the current President to advance her/his initiatives while planning for your own presidency?
Nicole LaMoreaux: I am of the mind that learning by doing and assisting is best. I believe that while assisting the President to accomplish her own initiatives, I can use this time to learn from her. I think that this will not only allow me to be a better Vice President/President-Elect, but to better prepare my successor when the time comes.
Nicole Spoor: I think that communication is key. I would make sure that I am always on the same page as the president and would look for ways to help them advance their initiatives. I would also make sure to keep the lines of communication open between myself and other board members so that I could support the needs of all NMRT constituents when planning my own presidency.
Amy Steinbauer: I love the idea of working with the current President to merge elements of their vision with mine—I enjoy meeting of the minds moments that committee work brings to core ideas. I would love the opportunity to see what has worked and what needs improvement through the eyes of someone else who has just successfully gone through this. I like to think of each person I meet in this field as a potential mentor—like we are always helping each other out—so, this would only help me more. We don’t need to reinvent the wheel every year—we can instead build on what works and scaffold the achievements for all.
What do you hope to learn if elected?
Nicole LaMoreaux: I have had the opportunity to work within NMRT in different capacities, but I believe that if elected this would allow me to learn how everything fits together so seamlessly. I would be honored to have the opportunity to continue on this legacy of our past Vice President/President-Elects and Presidents. I also hope to build my long-distance leadership skills. I believe that I will be able to expand these skills quite a bit through this role.
Nicole Spoor: If elected I hope to learn more about how NMRT functions within ALA. By learning more about how NMRT functions within ALA, I hope to find new opportunities for collaborations that will support ALA and NMRT members.
Amy Steinbauer: In a simple way—I hope to learn more. I am always learning more… and I look forward to learn HOW to make NMRT work better for all it’s members and potential members. I spend a lot of time thinking about what the career process is like for early librarians—it is hard out there—the job search is a horrible process—but there is hope, and I want to be there with NMRT along the road for support and reassurance!
If elected, what time management skills will you employ to ensure that your NMRT duties remain a priority?
Nicole LaMoreaux: I find that if I block a set amount of time to work on a specific role that I am able to successfully accomplish what is required of me in that position. I believe that if I implement this method that I can make sure that my NMRT duties remain a priority and are completed with thought and care. I also think it will be vital to maintain bi-weekly or monthly meetings with the President so that we can stay abreast of everything that each of us are working on for the round table.
Nicole Spoor: I have the good fortune to work at an institution that not only expects and supports my participation in professional organizations like NMRT, but also provides ample time for me to be fully involved. Because of this, I know that it will be easy for me to balance my job duties and my role as Vice-President/President-Elect.
Amy Steinbauer: Being involved in so many professional development organizations had afforded me the benefits of learning time management skills! My work is very supportive of my connections to professional development opportunities, and would be able and willing to work with me to best support the duties of this position.
I am the type of person that loves to juggle a lot of work. I think about work all the time—in what I hope is not an extremely workaholic way– and just more of in an extremely excited way! I can’t stop thinking of fun new ideas to file away for maybes and one-days… and to you—that would mean that I have boundless energy for this stuff.
I like to both start and end my day with a to do list. In the beginning of my day, it helps me focus on my priorities. At the end of the day, it helps me condense my accomplishments and also set an intention for the next day. This strategy has enabled me to push myself hard, but also stay in check with the limits of a day.
In addition, I am active on social media, and in general love discussing libraries, advocacy, and ways to help others in the field. I want to make myself as available to the members as possible. Ideally, any member should feel like they are able to reach out to me with questions, comments, concerns, or just to say hi! ?