It is my honor to serve as the NMRT president for 2021-22, and I am grateful to the many volunteers who serve on our board, as committee chairs, and as committee members. I look forward to working alongside you this year.
I know that I am not alone in having hopes that 2021 would be a better year than 2020, and feeling exhausted by the constant barrage of a global pandemic, racial and gender injustice, and the climate crisis. In times like these, it’s critical to have community to rely on. I hope NMRT can be a professional community that can support you during these times, and plan to work to expand and improve critical programs for new members, such as our Mentoring Program and grant-giving efforts, over the next year. We can and should re-invest our time and resources back to our members.
In our programming this year, NMRT will look to highlight the variety of library worker experiences, and how we can advocate with and for each other. We’ll be taking lessons learned from 2020 on how to hold impactful virtual events and conversations, and continue those practices over the next year. There have always been huge inequities in professional development opportunities for folks who are unable to travel, and I look forward to delivering more of our content and services to members, wherever they are located.
NMRT only exists because of our members, and I want to make sure that we are meeting your needs as you enter the profession or ALA for the first time. This year, I am inviting the board and committee chairs to think with me about how NMRT can be a welcoming and inclusive space. I invite you to share your feedback with me throughout the year via ALA Connect, email at danicook@ucsd.edu, or on Twitter @danibcook.
Though the year ahead will no doubt have unexpected challenges, I look forward to the work we will do to support new members, together. Thanks for being here.
NMRT is still looking for volunteers to serve on committees for 2021-2022!
No experience is required. Find out more at the link below:
http://www.ala.org/rt/nmrt/nmrt-committee-volunteer-form
If you have questions, please contact Dani Cook at danicook@ucsd.edu.
Thanks for considering!
Perspectives, an interview series that will highlight the work of librarians in different fields and professional specializations. Our series will focus on the experiences of our participants, what they do, what they have learned, and offer advice to those interested in librarianship and various fields. To our readers, our committee hopes this column will highlight the valuable labor these individuals perform on an everyday basis. Our interviews will provide perspective on what labor in these fields entails and current issues that affect librarianship, employment, etc. On behalf of the Communications Committee, we hope you find this new column illuminating, informative, and inspiring!
Jamie Lin (she/her) is a librarian, educator, and designer with expertise in creating user-centered learning experiences. A special librarian since obtaining her MLIS from San Jose State University in 2014, Jamie has worked as a corporate research librarian, in instructional design and educational technology for an online higher education company, and is currently the Education & Professional Development Manager at Atla, a library association and producer of research tools dedicated to advancing the study of religion and theology.
What do you do?
I have worked in special libraries since finishing my MLIS degree, and my areas of interest and expertise are in creating user-centered learning experiences, which is directly related to UX and instructional design.
I started off as a researcher in a tech company, then designed instructional modules for an online higher education company, and now I am the Education & Professional Development Manager at Atla, which is a membership organization of religious studies and theological librarians and producer of research tools for the study of religion and theology. I work to improve the continuing education opportunities for Atla members, and am developing more formal learning programs. I also play a big role in planning the annual conference, and am the staff liaison on several member committees.
What aspects of your job do you enjoy the most?
There’s a lot that I like about my job! I really enjoy connecting people with each other, and expanding each other’s networks. I enjoy collaboration opportunities that are unexpected, and getting to think about big questions like the future of the organization and the future of librarianship as a profession. Atla has an international membership, and I appreciate the opportunities to work with people all over the globe, even if it requires the occasional early morning meeting! There’s so much we can learn from and share with each other.
What I love most about my career is how different each role has been. I get paid to continue learning, and my previous experiences provide the foundation and skills for me to build upon.
Can you describe a memorable moment in your career?
When I presented a session at my first major conference (SLA Annual in 2017), it was frightening and exhilarating at the same time. I realized I was good at it, that researching something I was interested in, and then turning it into a story to share with others, was something I enjoyed doing and wanted to do more of.
What kinds of professional development do you do?
I attend a wide array of conferences, symposiums, and webinars, often with the focus of determining which platforms and approaches work best for the user experience. This knowledge helps me when planning Atla’s webinars, meetings, and annual conference.
My personal interests are where librarianship intersects with other disciplines, and in opportunities that bring people together as a network and for collaboration. For instance, I’m a member of ALA’s EDI Assembly. I also started a listserv with a group of my SLA colleagues, for librarians of color in special libraries, and we meet regularly and have started working on projects together.
Is there one piece of advice you have received in your career thus far that stands out the most (that you carry with you in your work)?
Working in the corporate sector meant that layoffs were routine matters. I was encouraged early on to see layoffs as paid opportunities to think about myself and what I want to do next. What did I like about that job, and want to continue? What did I not care for, and want to avoid in the future? What do I want to do that I haven’t had the chance to do yet? Each new position has led me to develop new skills and interests, grow in my communication and leadership skills, and experience new workplaces and people.
What are some things you know now about your job/librarianship, that you wish you had known before entering the field?
I was very unfamiliar with the variety of career paths I could choose. I did not consider special librarianship at all while working on my MLIS. In fact, I had a negative view of it, thinking that if I wanted to work for a business, I would have pursued an MBA instead of an MLIS. I only applied to a special library because public and academic libraries required me to have my degree in hand before being able to even apply for a job. Since I entered librarianship in my mid-30’s and as a second career, it was important to me that I be employed immediately upon finishing my degree. I was able to start my first job during my last semester of library school, command a higher starting salary than many traditional positions, work with really smart people, and redefine for myself what being a librarian meant.
Librarianship is immensely broad, and my skillset, with its focus on user-centered design and research, is fairly niche. I’m constantly humbled (and inspired) by all that I don’t know within my chosen field. The opportunities seem endless.
What do you think are some misconceptions about librarians/libraries/librarianship?
Our society has an extremely limited definition of who and what a librarian is, which does not accurately reflect the vast scope of our profession. I know my experiences differ from what people expect a librarian to do, but I think being a librarian comes down to the way we process and interact with information, and for what purposes. To me, a librarian is someone who is concerned with finding, organizing, analyzing, and then (most importantly), sharing that information with others, whether that be in a display, a catalog, a storytime, a business report, a research guide, a video, or a textbook. We do not have to work with books, or with students, or even in a library as a physical space.
What are some current professional obstacles in this field that upcoming professionals should know about?
We need to be much, much, much better self-advocates. Librarians are great at advocating for others, not so great at advocating for ourselves. The general population does not understand what a librarian does, and questions the value of libraries in our society. That’s not good for our self-esteem and how we view ourselves, and it’s also not good for budgets, which are important to keep libraries running and librarians employed. We need a couple of viral videos and a nationwide marketing campaign, but first we need to come together and figure out what it means to be a librarian, and why our work matters.I think this is a really interesting time for librarianship to redefine itself for the 21st century, but we’re not quite there yet. We need to collectively work to elevate the importance and necessity of our profession. We need to value ourselves and our work, and learn to be our best advocates.
What professional advice would you give to graduate students who are about to enter the field?
Join a professional association (or two or three) and volunteer with it. Associations and their related chapters provide student scholarships and grants. Apply for them. Get out of your comfort zone and meet people, network, attend webinars and conferences, ask for informational interviews. Stay active and engaged.
Don’t be too shy. We’re a profession that often attracts introverts, so you’re in good company. Everyone’s usually waiting for someone else to make the first move. Let it be you.
And finally, you are the future of this profession. Librarians would love to hear from you, meet you, and help you. We like you! We’re glad you’re here!
The 2021 New Members Round Table President’s Program will be held on Thursday, June 24, 2021, from 2:15 PM – 3:15 PM CT. It is open to all conference attendees. See the flyer below for more details! Looking forward to seeing everyone there!
ALA-accredited master’s programs preparing students for employment in the field of library and information science (LIS) offer degrees with a variety of names: Master of Library Science (MLS), Master of Librarianship and Master of Library and Information Studies (MLIS), to name a few. Sometimes these programs are informally referred to as “library school.”
Beyond required foundation courses, these programs may allow students to choose from electives of interest or enroll in select courses based on a preferred career or type of library. But, what happens when a student, say, can’t fit a course into their already packed schedule or doesn’t realize they need knowledge in an area until they’ve graduated, are job searching or have already been hired? I asked NMRT what members wish they’d learned in library school (and what they did about it). Here’s how discussion participants responded:
Cataloging
“I wish I’d taken more in depth cataloging classes. I just took the intro course.” (Boniface, 2021)
“I did take cataloging in school and struggled so much in the class. I learned to catalog on the job and it was so much easier than class for some reason […]” (Puzier, 2021)
Collection Development
“[…] I acquired this knowledge [collection development] while working at my first librarian job.” (Blakowski, 2021)
“I took a collection development course in my program, but I wish it focused more on how to build a collection with limited funds instead of approval programs and no real budget. My first job outside of grad school, I was a collection development librarian with a very tiny budget and had to somehow balance multiple subject areas and competing voices.” (Cull, 2021)
Customer Service
“[…] I wish I learned more about hands-on customer service. How to deal with difficult patrons, different familial issues, ways to best approach situations etc. […]” (Mroczek, 2021)
“[Customer service] would have been a great class to take. I learned the hard way when working in a pharmacy. There were always difficult people to work with […]” (Bowman, 2021)
Instruction
“I never took a course on library instruction in school, and I very much learned to teach on the job, by reading up on the topic, observing coworkers teaching, and by taking webinars/continuing education on the topic! If I could go back in time, that would be the course I’d take if I could do it all over again.” (Birkenhauer, 2021)
Printing and Technology
“[…] a practical, “How to fix printing issues, etc.” because when you are working in a small library, you are the IT person responsible for helping students figure out how to make technology work and function properly.”
Research and Publication
“I wish I had learned more about research methods! I’m in a tenure track position, and I felt very overwhelmed the first couple of years when I went to write articles. I luckily have several colleagues who walked me through how to get IRB approval, craft a survey, etc., but I would have loved to take a class where all of this was explained to me ahead of time.” (Wilhelm, 2021)
“[…] I would have liked to learn more about the publication process and scholarly communication in general.” (Puzier, 2021)
Learning After Library School
Whether you advocate for library school curriculum reform or just wish you’d made the time to take a key course during your schooling, it can be helpful to go beyond venting and also share what you did about your post-library school knowledge gaps. I asked NMRT: how did members approach learning what they feel they missed out on in library school?
Experience
Whether through internships, contract work, volunteering, or on the job, many discussion participants shared about learning through work experience. Skills may come from previous, non-library work or in many cases are acquired after being hired into a professional position in the field.
Continuing Education
Webinars and conferences were named as excellent options for continuing education after library school. Another great (and free) option: take advantage of the library where you are employed or libraries near you and keep up to date with the current literature! Checkout books and access journal articles on topics you’d like to learn more about.
Connections
Participate in mentorship programs like those offered through ALA or local associations. Stay engaged with professional communities, like NMRT, and cultivate professional relationships. If you can’t attend a conference in person to connect, take the initiative to reach out online (by email, on Twitter, etc.) to those who presented on topics of interest to you.
Perspectives, an interview series that will highlight the work of librarians in different fields and professional specializations. Our series will focus on the experiences of our participants, what they do, what they have learned, and offer advice to those interested in librarianship and various fields. To our readers, our committee hopes this column will highlight the valuable labor these individuals perform on an everyday basis. Our interviews will provide perspective on what labor in these fields entails and current issues that affect librarianship, employment, etc. On behalf of the Communications Committee, we hope you find this new column illuminating, informative, and inspiring!
Nicollette Davis (she/her) is an Adult Services and Circulation Librarian with the East Baton Rouge Parish Library. She earned her MLIS from Louisiana State University in 2018. Her professional interests include community engagement, diverse community programming and inclusive practices for technological instruction in public libraries.
What aspects of your job do you enjoy the most?
There are many aspects of my job that I enjoy, but there are two that fall at the top of that list: Issuing library cards and working with both internal and external customers. Currently, I’m a Circulation Librarian. I remember when I was young and feeling almost a sense of embarrassment when I owed a fine or if I had misplaced a book. As a teen, the public library was one of the first places I was allowed to go alone. It felt like a big responsibility. I interacted most with the Circulation staff who would check out my items or inform me that my card was expired. I encountered many kind library staff (and some not so much). I want to pay those positive experiences forward. Even if someone owes a fine or has misplaced their card, I want to be able to do what I can to make their experience a positive one! Secondly, I enjoy working with staff. I am passionate about my work, but also compassionate about the people I work with. My colleagues are great and I learn from them everyday!
Can you describe a memorable moment in your career?
Just before Covid, I had managed to speak with a local middle school STEAM faculty about hosting their film presentations. It was absolutely rewarding because it was so great to make strong connections within the community. Around the same time, I was contacted by someone from a local high school who wanted to host a prom dress giveaway. We had planned for all of these splendid programs to happen, but then Covid struck and put an end to all of the work we put into it. While this might sound like a sad ending, it was rewarding because connecting with the faculty was priceless. It felt great to know that they wanted to utilize the library and we welcomed them with open arms. I am hoping that maybe next school year we’ll be able to connect again.
What kinds of professional development do you do?
Quality professional development can be expensive and/or inaccessible all around. Covid-19 has brought about many changes inside the field and across the world in general. I am thankful that many library-related conferences were virtual in 2020 and 2021. Accessibility is so important! I haven’t had the opportunity to attend many in person conferences. I love logging on to Twitter and seeing a Zoom link for a fellow library workers’ lecture or webinar. If I see a topic I’m interested in, I just sign up! I would just like to take a moment and say that all conferences and lectures should be accessible (physically and financially) and readily available!
Is there one piece of advice you have received in your career thus far that stands out the most (that you carry with you in your work)?
Write everything down in great detail and create boundaries for work/life balance. Both of these will carry you far!
What are some things you know now about your job/librarianship, that you wish you had known before entering the field?
Prior to becoming a librarian, I was a library technician and before that a library page. When I became a librarian, I thought I had to know everything about everything as a librarian and as a supervisor. When I didn’t know the answer to something, I was very critical of myself. I’ve had to learn that it’s okay to not know, and also there’s definitely a way to communicate it properly. If someone is coming to you for information they might be at a dead end and not sure where to go. It can feel like a lot of pressure! Even if you don’t know the answer, you can kindly inform the person and ask for time. In that time you can collaborate with others or find other resources that might not have been handy in the moment. This is true for both patrons and staff that you supervise. Reassure them that you’re working on it and stick to your word.
What do you think some misconceptions about librarians/libraries/librarianship are?
I think one misconception is that librarianship is a flawless and simple career. While librarianship seems like an easy career path, it actually has many of the same challenges of other fields. It’s nuanced and requires some thinking outside of serving patrons and developing collections.
What professional advice would you give to graduate students who are about to enter the field?
I think graduate students should invest some time in critical librarianship. I didn’t learn about critical librarianship until after I had earned my MLIS. Libraries are not above critique and the only way that we can improve is by being brutally honest about our past as well as our future. Libraries are changing, but the change is slow and sometimes it feels like there’s even regression. It’s important to take some time to learn about critical race theory, bystander training, and critical assessment of your library space. When you get that first library job, ask yourself, “Who is excluded and why?”. Lastly, In library school, a lot of us didn’t learn much about leadership or supervising people and of course, many librarians begin their careers in leadership, whether it’s formal or not. I think it’s important to self-educate about supervising and leadership. This involves some internal, personal work as well as professional work via webinars and courses. If you’re not sure where to start, take a look at We Here’s Community School! All in all, my most solid piece of advice is to always lead with compassion and warmth.
Join New Members Round Table in a candid webinar about job searching during the pandemic. There will be a panel discussion among recent hirees and hiring professionals about tips to improve your job search with a Q&A at the end of the discussion. This panel discussion will specifically focus on job searching in the academic library field and it will not be recorded.
NMRT is looking for committee volunteers to begin serving from July 2021 to June 2022. NMRT committees can be found here, as well as a brief description of what each committee is responsible for http://www.ala.org/rt/nmrt/oversightgroups/comm.
No experience is required and a perfect way to get your toes wet in ALA work and in committee work! More information can be found in the link below!
Join the NMRT for virtual happy hour socializing and games!
We’ll have trivia, Jackbox games, discussion rooms and even door prizes. Meet and network with your NMRT and ALA peers. All are welcome but space is limited, so sign up soon!
Service and volunteering are a great way to become involved in any profession, and library science is no different. Whether you are interested in volunteering at a state, regional or national level, it can be a good experience and provide you with a unique perspective. However, it can be confusing to know just how to get involved in committees, how to get involved in leadership, and to know which committees are best for new members.
Committees of all types are necessary for the effective functioning of library associations. The American Library Association (ALA) is one of the largest associations for library professionals. ALA incorporates smaller regional associations and even smaller state associations. By researching these different associations, it is possible to explore many of the current committees. Committees from these different associations, allow for different opportunities. By serving on a state committee, it is possible to be more aware of certain professional problems of your state, like libraries not having enough catalogers. Serving on a national committee allows you to see problems around the country and see solutions others might have developed for problems that you may encounter.
The best way to get involved in any committees is to first decide which ones you are interested in. Then, contact the chair or current members to see when the committee is open for new members. Some committees are annual and renew every year with new members, and some are standing committees that people can join at any time. If you do not see a committee that you might be interested in and have an idea for one, do not be afraid to reach out to the association with the idea. They may point you to a committee you missed, or eventually create one if there is sufficient need. ALA and its subsidiaries are not the only library associations. There are plenty of others. It is also important to talk to your co-workers. They may be involved in associations and committees that you might not be aware of. There are also plenty of email listservs for library professionals to join. Post your question on a listserv, and a peer may be able to point you to a committee that interests you.
Once you get involved in a committee, you may be interested in serving in a leadership role, such as its chair or vice-chair. Many committees will have “volunteer” calls and ask people if they are interested in serving as a chair or vice-chair. However, these generally happen only once a year. While some have these open calls for volunteers, many other committees have elections and will call for nominations. These may happen once a year, but some may happen every few years. Again, it is important to research the committee and see what the leadership process is. Larger positions, like heads of the association, will be voted on. A nomination committee may be in charge of its election process. It is possible to contact that committee and find out when elections are for positions like secretary or treasurer.
For those that are new to the profession, all of this can be quite daunting. However, there is help at hand. Most associations have a New Members Round Table group, NMRT. This can be just one committee or a group of committees. For ALA there are several committees that fall under the NMRT umbrella. Also, you can only be involved in NMRT for a certain amount of time and then you are graduated out. This allows newcomers to the profession to meet others and learn and express ideas. If a national association seems too foreboding, many regional and state associations have new member committees. The NMRT allows newcomers to get to know the profession better and hopefully have some mentoring/mentored moments with others within the association.
While getting involved in professional associations can seem daunting and confusing, it can also be greatly rewarding. Serving in committees allows people to grow, come to new ideas, and meet people from different backgrounds. While committees vary and do require hard work, the rewards certainly outweigh the cost.
