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!
http://www.ala.org/rt/nmrt/nmrt-committee-volunteer-form
Thanks for your consideration!
NMRT Annual Social
Sunday, June 27th at 5:00pm central
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!
https://ala-events.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJwkfuqprjkrG9bXv-g3beS2yManoDEoKcWu
By: Joy Dubose
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.
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!
Tell us about your current job and what about your job you enjoy the most?
I really enjoy working in teams and collaboratively identifying opportunities and solutions together. I think it’s important to recognize that a lot of the work we do is centered on relationship building and collaboration.
Can you describe a memorable moment in your career?
One memorable moment in my career was when I organized and hosted a webinar for ACRL back in Spring 2018 and we featured three distinguished speakers on the issue of free speech on campuses — Dr. Joan DelFattore connected me to UC Irvine Chancellor Dr. Howard Gillman and UC Berkeley School of Law Dean (at UC Irvine School of Law at the time) Erwin Chemerinsky. Dr. Gillman had an emergency and couldn’t join us but we had Dr. DelFattore and Dean Chemerinsky to talk about interpretations and implications of free speech on colleges today. It was well attended and I was honored to have organized such an important webinar discussion.
What kinds of professional development do you do?
I really like to organize events and programs (in-person or online). I believe that professional development can enhance one’s personal and professional opportunities; expand their networks and connect to new and different topics. At the moment, I am looking at how to teach special collections online/virtually or in hybrid roles effectively. These areas include looking at digital pedagogy and technologies to consider. It’s an opportunity to bring special collections in virtual environments.
Is there one piece of advice you have received in your career thus far that stands out the most (you carry with you in your work)?
You can say yes to everything but know that you are saying no to something else. Saying yes to opportunities can feel great, and can create new experiences or networks; however, this may also prevent you from working on something else. Keep that in mind because it is an opportunity cost.
What are some things you know now about your job/librarianship that you wish you had known before entering the field?
I wish I had known that joining associations and being active in associations was key in expanding networks as an early career librarian. I thought if people attended conferences, that would be sufficient but that’s not the case necessarily. People get to know one another through committee service work. Consider joining as an early career/as a student if you can.
What do you think some misconceptions about librarians/libraries/librarianship are?
I think people in general tend to assume or have a misconception that libraries/library workers and the field are universally supportive of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in everything we do. We are to a certain extent but there are so much more work to do in expanding DEI values in our framing as library workers, in what we do, what we collect, share, uplift — how we recruit/retain Black/Indigenous/People of Color (BIPOC) folks and other underrepresented folks in the profession; and how do we truly center DEI work in our practice? — This also includes accountability – how do we ensure that we are practicing what we are saying. Saying we are “open” and “supportive” in statements or websites might not be sufficient to actually engage in intentional DEI work.
What are some current professional obstacles in this field that upcoming professionals should know about?
What I am seeing now is a huge shift in how we are thinking about our work — and the resistance that comes with it. So when we are talking about new values or opportunities, we have to ask ourselves, how do we expand them for other folks? Who is not included in this discussion? Who should be in this discussion? Like any other industry, upcoming professionals need to recognize that there will be challenges in the profession – so for example, if we are aiming to promote DEI values, there will be resistance (intentional or not) whether these barriers include policies, systems, lack of resources and/or personnel — we need to recognize that how and what we are reframing to do can challenge our own perspectives and values. This takes time and I think we need to acknowledge that any kind of change will take time.
What professional advice would you give to graduate students who are about to enter the field?
Be involved in association work, learn and meet people online (if you cannot attend conferences due to cost and covid at the moment) but this is where you can learn and connect with others who can tell you more about XYZ job, position, region, etc. I think it’s helpful to learn that you’ll always be evolving your practice. It’s always good to take charge of your learning and be proactive in seeking and managing your professional development opportunities. Even after you obtain a job or a job of your choice, always stay in touch and get engaged.
The New Members Round Table (NMRT) is excited to sponsor a limited number of ALA memberships and NMRT memberships for those who qualify for free registration for the upcoming ALA Annual Conference. Anyone who has recently been furloughed, laid off, experienced a reduction in paid work hours, or otherwise unemployed as a result of the global health pandemic is invited to complete the application to request a sponsored ALA and/or NMRT membership. Students are eligible for both an ALA and NMRT membership; other library workers are eligible for a sponsored NMRT membership.
If you would like to have your ALA membership sponsored by NMRT, please complete the application (https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/HYXZZC7) by Friday May 21, 2021. Recipients will be notified by Tuesday June 1, 2021.
The results are in! On behalf of NMRT, the SCTOYA -Student Chapter of the Year Award- Committee would like to congratulate the University of Hawaii at Manoa as our 2020/2021 winner! Congrats are also in order to Kent State University’s student chapter for finishing as a runner-up! A big thank you to all student chapters who submitted an application!
By Kim Cull
The February discussion focused on a more difficult topic: diversity, equity, and inclusion in our library institutions. When I was thinking about moderating this discussion, I wanted to make it quite clear that I understand how difficult this topic can be for some people and that they do not have to share anything that makes them feel vulnerable or uncomfortable. That is something that I want to reiterate here as well: only share what you are comfortable sharing. Your trauma and experiences are not currency; only you get to own them.
To prompt the discussion, I posed four questions:
As with many things, DEI efforts look a little different at each institution. Some libraries appear to be doing a fantastic job and other libraries could do more. It is good to see that our libraries are trying even if it is not done perfectly or as quickly as we would hope. We live in a very wonderful and amazingly diverse country and world, and we should embrace it. We need to strive to make our staff representative of that diversity and our collections fit the needs of our communities. It is also time to re-evaluate our collection descriptions, subject headings, and how we classify materials within our collections. If the words we use are harmful and upsetting to someone in our community, we should make strides to change the language used and do better in the future. Obviously, there are often many challenges and roadblocks, but we should never stop trying.
One thing we discussed last month was that thinking about all the things you can do to bring change or all the things that need to change can be overwhelming and frustrating. It was suggested that we should start with small changes and then slowly build up to big changes. Instead of trying to update 5 outdated terms in the catalog and taking your proposal all the way to the Library of Congress, start with changing one term in house and go from there. Try building a relationship and trust with one underrepresented group in the community and slowly build bridges from there. Start diversifying one area of your collection instead of trying overhaul your entire collection. Small steps and changes can lead to much bigger changes.
Another thing discussed is that when it comes to confronting discriminatory actions done by those around us, how you respond can depend on your relationship with the person or people committing those actions. It helps to know how someone will respond before you step in and say something. Some people feel more comfortable confronting others, and some people would rather avoid that. Hopefully, one day we will live in a world where no one fears that they will not be welcome somewhere based on the color of their skin, their ethnicity, their religion, their gender identity, their disabilities, or anything that makes them a little different.
The final thing discussed were resources that people could use to learn more about DEI topics. One suggestion was to look for free webinars on DEI topics. TED talks were also suggested because of the wide variety of topics available. This talk titled The Political Power of Being a Good Neighbor is quite good. Three books were also suggested: White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo (though there has been more criticism of the book within the last year), Stamped by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi, and Why are all the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? by Beverly Daniel Tatum.
Hopefully, this post encourages you to start making small changes to improve DEI efforts at your institution and within your community.
Don’t forget to vote for your NMRT Board representation as well as other ALA positions beginning March 8th through April 7th.
ALA election information can be found here!
Interview with Candidate: Marie Day
What do you hope to accomplish as part of NMRT’s leadership?
I hope to accomplish smooth transitions and keep things running smoothly. I believe that the role of any leadership team lies in facilitating the goals and purposes of the organization. NMRT’s role as gateway, pathfinder, and stepping-stone to the American Library Association is a valuable one, even–and especially as–society undergoes major shifts and navigates multiple challenges. The Vice President’s main role is to support the current President while also preparing for their own term as President in the following year. As Vice President and a member of the Board, I will be able to serve as a resource and contact point for committees as they do their work and help remove obstacles to the success of the organization.
What do you enjoy most about your current position?
I am a systems librarian in an academic library, where I get to work behind the scenes to remove obstacles to access and facilitate the success of university community members by connecting them to resources through the effective use of technology. While dealing with software and user interfaces is much different than acting as a board member of a major professional organization and the two might initially seem quite far removed from one another, my view of them is colored by the librarian’s purpose of ensuring access to information.
What skills and/or experience would you bring to this position that would benefit NMRT and the profession overall?
Answering questions by creating reports and dashboards in our library services platform is a tricky business, and the persistence it requires comes in handy in a lot of other situations as well. As I work with the Board to accomplish NMRT goals, it will become clearer to me where I can add value through my own particular skills. I have previously served as chair of the Vice Presidential Planning Committee and President’s Program Committee, so I have some familiarity with NMRT processes already.
(From the NMRT Membership Page) The New Members Round Table ( NMRT) provides a place for those members of the American Library Association (ALA) who are new to the library profession, new to ALA, or new to both. NMRT brings together people from all types and sizes of libraries and information centers, serving their diverse needs and interests as a gateway to the profession, pathfinder through ALA, and a stepping-stone to higher places. How would you support this in the role you applied for?
NMRT serves a valuable role in the profession because ALA is such a large and wide-ranging group and the prospect of getting started can be daunting. Those outside the library profession would be amazed by all the different angles there are to take. As Vice President, I would work closely with the President and Board Members to ensure that our activities are aligned with our stated goals and purposes.
What changes if any do you see need to happen for NMRT to make it more welcoming and inclusive to all?
My experience as a member of NMRT has involved working with a diverse group of people from around the country working in different settings. I will work to enable the same positive experience for others. As a gateway to ALA, it is paramount that NMRT be welcoming of anyone and everyone joining the library profession.
What changes if any would you like to make for NMRT the next year?
As Vice President, I will work to learn more about NMRT and what its particular strengths and weaknesses are so that I can address those during my following term as President. I have no particular agenda other than staying the course; I expect that NMRT will continue as a stable stepping-stone to librarianship and its high ideals.
Interview with Candidate: Kayla Kuni
What do you hope to accomplish as part of NMRT’s leadership?
I have been really impressed with the leadership that NMRT has displayed this past year. NMRT leadership made the bold decision to go virtual for Annual before any official decision had been made as to whether or not Annual would be in-person or online. I appreciate the boldness of that decision and hope to continue on with that process. I plan to continue to build NMRT and bring awareness to the mentoring program as this is an excellent opportunity for new ALA members to learn more about the roundtable and more about opportunities within ALA.
What do you enjoy most about your current position?
I enjoy that I am able to work with students, faculty, staff, my administration team, my colleagues, and members of the public every day. I have a great deal of support from my institution to become a better leader and, with their support, I have decided to further my own education by enrolling in a doctoral program. During the pandemic, I have learned how critical it is to have leadership that supports their team and I am happy to say that mine has shown me the right way to lead during times of immense stress.
What skills and/or experience would you bring to this position that would benefit NMRT and the profession overall?
I joined NMRT when I joined ALA as a graduate student at the University of South Florida in 2013. I had the opportunity to be partnered with a mentor through NMRT’s mentoring program. After finishing that program, I was able to give back to NMRT by being on several different committees over the years. Contributing these committees in NMRT (and outside of NMRT) has helped me see what works well and what doesn’t work well. I know the importance of timely communication as well as teamwork. In addition to an MLIS, I also have an MBA. While working on my business degree I learned the value of time management and how critical time is to other people. My own institution has asked me to chair committees and I go into every meeting with a clearly written agenda as well as the goal of keeping meetings to a set time. I know time is valuable to everyone and I want to honor the time that people put into work by being respectful of how meeting time is used.
(From the NMRT Membership Page) The New Members Round Table ( NMRT) provides a place for those members of the American Library Association (ALA) who are new to the library profession, new to ALA, or new to both. NMRT brings together people from all types and sizes of libraries and information centers, serving their diverse needs and interests as a gateway to the profession, pathfinder through ALA, and a stepping-stone to higher places. How would you support this in the role you applied for?
I would continue to support NMRT’s objectives while also looking at ways of engaging even more people that are moving into the profession and needing someplace to ask questions and find resources. ALA can be an intimidating place simply because it is so huge and a new member might not know where their place is, or how they can contribute. The virtual environment provides us a unique opportunity to offer more to our members; however, this does require additional work. I think it would be nice to see if we could offer a monthly chat with a different committee each month so that new (or prospective) members could ask questions about the committee before committing to being involved. We need to remove the mystery about what committee work is and get some new folks involved in the work.
What changes if any do you see need to happen for NMRT to make it more welcoming and inclusive to all?
I think NMRT has done a good job over the years of being a welcoming roundtable for new members. I think more could be done, as I already mentioned, in the virtual world. NMRT might not feel as inclusive to members that can never attend a conference due to any number of reasons. The members that do not, or can not, attend conferences need to still be involved as well.
What changes if any would you like to make for NMRT the next year?
I would like to expand the sizes of certain committees (like the mentoring committee) and see how we can better promote the benefits of NMRT to both members and non-members. This would require more engagement with members that would be willing to volunteer for such committees. I would also like to have a survey go out at the beginning of the year to determine what members feel we are doing well and what we could improve upon. My perception of what we should change may end up being quite different than what members (and non-members) feel we should be focusing on. I find that some of the best ideas for improvement often come from outside of committees, and instead come from the very people that are utilizing the service. Additionally, I want to expand the emphasis on the publishing opportunities that NMRT has through Endnotes. I also enjoy the NMRT newsletter and want to continue to see that succeed.
Interview with Candidate: Annice Sevett
What do you hope to accomplish as part of NMRT’s leadership?
I have two major accomplishes I hope to achieve as part of NMRT’s leadership. The first is to
find ways to engage more of our members with our current programs and services and
potential new ones. NMRT has a wide selection of programs and services that we offer, and I
would like to find new ways to promote these programs to our members to ensure that our
members find value in their membership with this round table. Professional associations can be intimidating when you join, and since NMRT is comprised of new members to ALA, it is
important that we engage our members.
The second accomplishment I hope to achieve is to lead NMRT through this time of change
within ALA so that our members feel confident they have an understanding of our professional
association. ALA is undergoing a major reorganization and it is important that new members
understand and are aware of the upcoming potential changes and how it impacts them and the
association as a whole.
What do you enjoy most about your current position?
As an Assistant Library Director at a small and rural library, I wear many hats. I enjoy being
deeply involved in many aspects of my library and librarianship. This has provided me with a
chance to learn new skills, continually develop others, and be able to have a positive impact on
my community through many different efforts.
What skills and/or experience would you bring to this position that would benefit NMRT and the profession overall?
As a current board member of NMRT, I am familiar with how the board functions and have
insights into how NMRT can improve. In addition, I have served on or chaired many NMRT
committees, which will help with overseeing the functioning of NMRT. I serve on the Round
Table Bylaws Working Group, which is striving to streamline the bylaws of round tables. In
addition to NMRT, I have served or currently serve on committees within ALA and PLA (Public Library Association). Along with the experience mentioned above, I have excellent time
management skills that will help me complete NMRT duties along with my full-time job.
(From the NMRT Membership Page) The New Members Round Table ( NMRT) provides a place for those members of the American Library Association (ALA) who are new to the library profession, new to ALA, or new to both. NMRT brings together people from all types and sizes of libraries and information centers, serving their diverse needs and interests as a gateway to the profession, pathfinder through ALA, and a stepping-stone to higher places. How would you support this in the role you applied for?
I will support NMRT’s mission by ensuring that our programs and services are aligned with this mission. I will work with my assigned committees and across all of NMRT’s committees to
ensure we are meeting our mission. I will also encourage creativity and new ideas so that
NMRT can continue to meet this mission going forward given changes within ALA and the
climate of libraries in today’s society.
What changes if any do you see need to happen for NMRT to make it more welcoming and inclusive to all?
To be more welcoming and inclusive, NMRT needs to be more transparent to our members. We strive to be a gateway to ALA, and the way NMRT functions is similar to other divisions and round tables within the organization. In order for everyone to feel more welcome and inclusive, NMRT needs to do a better job of explaining what we do, why we do it, and making sure our members feel comfortable and confident engaging with us in whatever capacity they wish. Along with transparency, NMRT needs to take a look at the programs and services we offer to make sure they are accessible to everyone and meet the needs of our varied members.
What changes if any would you like to make for NMRT the next year?
My first role is to support the NMRT President and I will work closely with the President to
make sure the mission for NMRT is fulfilled. I will collaborate and assist in the aspects of
NMRT that the Vice President is responsible for and others that may be asked of me.
Beyond that, I would like to conduct a thorough audit of what NMRT offers to see what remains relevant, what we can change or remove, and what programs or services we can add to make sure we are fulfilling our mission and continuing to engage our members. Many of the
programs and services NMRT offers have been around for a long time and may not serve the
same purpose as they once did. By conducting an audit, we can adjust NMRT’s programs to
our findings in order to maximize our reach to our members.
