NMRT May Live Chat: Equity, Diversity & Inclusion

Posted on April 27, 2020 by nmrtsecretary

When: Wednesday, May 20, 2020

Time: 2:00pm to 3:00pm, US/Eastern

1:00pm to 2:00pm, US/Central

11:00am-12:00pm, US/Pacific

The goal of EDI initiatives is to dismantle white supremacy in the library profession, including the hiring and retaining of underrepresented groups and dismantling systems that promote inequality. This work can often be challenging, especially when working within established systems, so new librarians entering the field should be aware of these efforts taking place in librarianship, the culture within their institutions, and how they can contribute.

This chat will be happening on Twitter. To join and follow the chat, follow Jessica Kiebler @ LibraryGeek611 and/or follow the hashtag #nmrtchat.

You can follow the tweets by typing #nmrtchat into Twitter’s search box or use a tool like TweetDeck or Hootsuite to filter the tweets. The most important thing is to include #nmrtchat in all of your tweets to make them visible for all participants.

When the chat starts, we will start with a tweet to introduce yourself! It’s always helpful to know who everyone is.

Jessica, the chat moderator will be asking 4 questions in the Q1, Q2, Q3 and Q4 format, and followers will use the #nmrtchat and answer in the A1, A2, A3 and A4 format.

Feel free to retweet any comments you like or agree with, and share any articles or blogs of interest.

Look forward to seeing you all at #nmrtchat!

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Publish During a Pandemic

Posted on April 26, 2020 by nmrtsecretary
Contact the Endnotes Editors, nmrtendnotesjournal@gmail.com
Also, visit https://journals.ala.org/index.php/endnotes

Endnotes isn’t going to just claim to be here for you like those car commercials. We need you right now as much as you need us. 

While life is on hold, let Endnotes and NMRT help you out with your future. Take control of any fears over your career by publishing with Endnotes. You will get experience with publishing and the peer review process, and our committee members gain experience with being peer reviewers. Think of anything you have worked on as a student or as part of any library jobs: public, grad students, staff, faculty, academic, social media posters, bloggers, tweeters, we read and publish them all. No project is too big or too small, if it would benefit another library, we would love to consider it for our publication. 

Past articles have been about:

  • first-year students
  • storytime
  • bloggers
  • the job search 
  • library instruction

We also take book reviews. So if you’re looking for an excuse to read a book for professional development, write a review of it and submit it for publication. Obviously, it must be library-related. 

Your articles keep our publication going. 

We would love to be a line on your resume. 

Other ways to be involved
If you’re not interested in publishing but would like to join a committee and up your professional service portion of your resume or cv, please look at ways to join an NMRT committee. There is an incredible variety of areas you can participate in. 

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Perspectives – Netanel Ganin

Posted on April 24, 2020 by nmrtsecretary

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!

This month’s featured guest, Netanel Ganin, and friend! * Interview from Early March 2020*

What aspects of your job do you enjoy the most?

I became interested in cataloging as a student employee working in my college library. It’s what motivated me to apply to library school, and I’m very fortunate to now have a job as a full-time cataloger. I enjoy taking a wide variety of resources and creating the data which will help future patrons find them for whatever their needs are, research, pleasure, hate-reading, anything they might need. I especially enjoy working with self-published materials because they often represent a unique topic, something personal to the author that perhaps couldn’t have found a home in a traditional publishing environment, but nevertheless it has found its way onto my desk. Working on self-pubs can feel more significant, because the resource is unlikely to be found in many libraries, and so my record might be the only one ever created, it feels like boutique cataloging!

Can you describe a memorable moment in your career?

One of the proudest moments in my career came when a colleague and I proposed headings for Asexuality and Asexual people as Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH). The proposals were not initially accepted during the first evaluation but returned to us for further work. We solicited some assistance from additional colleagues and working together, edited and adjusted the proposals and they were approved at their next evaluation. This collaboration and our frequent discussions of it have led to additional projects and a wider understanding that the vocabularies we use in libraries are not static but can [and must] be updated, edited, added to, and improved by community input. 

What kinds of professional development do you do?

In terms of professional development — the most upfront is my various ALA responsibilities. I’m currently serving on several different committees/task forces/working groups and have rotated off others. I’m probably proudest in my professional development of being the sponsor of the Lois Mai Chan Professional Development grant. It’s awarded each year to a cataloger/metadata professional from an underrepresented group. Perhaps less obvious as professional development is: Twitter! I participate in what people affectionately call ‘Cataloging Twitter’. The small but active community there loves to chat cataloging, discuss issues and idiosyncrasies, and most importantly help out anyone from ‘Library Twitter’ who needs assistance in understanding a cataloging rule/principle. There’s even a hashtag people use #AskACataloger [coined by cataloger extraordinaire Violet Fox] when they need help from a cataloger.

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)?

Something I carry forward with me is advice from my cataloging professor, Daniel Joudrey: “if you aren’t sure, look it up–and if you are sure, look it up anyway”. Considering the nature of our field, that might sound like needless advice, but then would we account for the landscape of errors that live on in our bibliographic databases? I look things up: instructions, examples, codes, ISBD punctuation, etc. all the time. The sphere of all things a cataloger might need to know is enormous and relying on the notoriously unreliable human memory and hubris of the same is a mistake. It forces me to slow down, think more carefully, and apply instructions more consistently. It also reminds me to check any burgeoning ego, that having something memorized doesn’t make one a more diligent or ‘better’ cataloger.

What are some things you know now about your job/librarianship, that you wish you had known before entering the field?

One thing I’ve been learning as I move through my career that I wasn’t fully prepared for before I embarked on my librarianship path, is change. In my head, I think I imagined that the field I’d been interacting with as a patron my whole life, from my small childhood public library, my school libraries, my much larger city public library, and then college libraries — I assumed that libraries had pretty well figured out how cataloging works, and once I learned the rules and procedures, I’d slot into the well-established routines and practices that all libraries were using. Imagine my surprise when my grad school program explained that a new standard for cataloging [RDA] had just recently been adopted and people were still adjusting to it. Now, five years into my career, there’s a completely new RDA toolkit being released and the cataloging community is trying to figure out how to apply and interpret this new set of rules and codes. This isn’t a field where one can expect permanent constancy, in our attempts to stay relevant and useful, to adapt to new media and new avenues of connecting patrons to resources, we must be prepared for change.

What do you think some misconceptions about librarians/libraries/librarianship are?

I think the biggest misconception about libraries/librarianship is the concept of neutrality. That is, that neutrality ought to be a goal or is even possible. The entire concept of the modern library, that holds up knowledge and curiosity as positive traits to be engaged and nurtured, is not a neutral idea. Lending books, dvds, cds, in some places cookware, and power tools, at no cost to the patron at point of sale, is an extremely non-neutral idea. It supposes that there’s value in the collective paying a bit of money in taxes so that the community as a whole can benefit from shared resources. So despite these baseline values being baked into the core of librarianship, there are still so many libraries that seem to think that, in the name of neutrality, they need to host white supremacists or anti-trans groups. We have limited budgets and therefore have to make decisions on what resources to purchase and what not to purchase, so to do we have limited space in our libraries and have to decide what groups to host and who not to host. Abdicating that responsibility under the pretense of neutrality doesn’t let us off the hook when our patrons feel threatened by knowing we’re a place that is welcoming to hate groups. To claim neutrality in the face of hate is to side with the hate.

What are some current professional obstacles in this field that upcoming professionals should know about?

Current professional obstacles include a shrinking of technical services departments. Some libraries are leaving all cataloging to shelf-ready, vendor-supplied records, and some are eliminating individual positions and requiring employees to perform the functions of many different departments, losing some of the cataloging-specific expertise. You will soon grow tired of people hearing that you’re a librarian and making the same four jokes over and over again. Kidding aside, there are genuine pockets of people you’ll encounter who do not see any value in libraries, or think of them as a dying relic from a different era — you’ll have to learn how to respond to that. Another professional obstacle is cost. Library schools can be expensive and student debt is a monstrous crisis. Until such time as all student debt is wiped out [as it should], you definitely want to do your research before deciding where to attend.

What professional advice would you give to graduate students who are about to enter this line of work?

The professional advice I’d give is this: read widely, and listen well. Library school is usually only 2 years. That’s barely enough time to learn the practical skills you need to be able to perform your desired library job, so you’re going to have to supplement the material on your own. Not just during your education, but well beyond. Interrogate what biases and assumptions you’re bringing with you into the profession, and be aware of them. Read about the field, about the work, about working with patrons. Read about the community you plan to serve, read things they write themselves. Listen to people when they’re trying to speak about how libraries can better help them, about how libraries haven’t always been the havens you may have imagined. Listen to people unlike yourself, who’s experiences in libraries don’t match your own. Listen to people who work in different departments in the library, because the whole library only works when we work together.

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2020 Shirley Olofson Memorial Award Winner Announced

Posted on April 23, 2020 by nmrtsecretary

The New Members Round Table’s (NMRT) Shirley Olofson Memorial Award Committee is pleased to announce that Sarah Brewer is the recipient of the 2020 Olofson Award. The committee offers sincere congratulations to her! 

Sarah Brewer is currently a Cataloger at the Minnesota Genealogical Society Library in Mendota Heights, MN. She received her MS in Library and Information Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a BA in English and Art History from the University of Minnesota. Sarah is a member of ALA and NMRT. She is active in ALA’s Rainbow (GLBT) Round Table where she serves on their Ad Hoc Committee.

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2020 Student Chapter of the Year Award!

Posted on April 13, 2020 by nmrtsecretary

The Student Chapter of the Year Award Committee is pleased to announce the winners of the 2020 Student Chapter of the Year Award.  They are listed as follows:

Winner: The University of Illinois @ Urbana-Champaign

Runner-up: University of Southern California

The SCOTYA Committee was impressed by the ALA Student Chapter at the University of Illinois’ member engagement.  The chapter has 103 active members with 245 total members.  There was an increase of 17 members from last year.  The chapter is very active with programs, projects, and activities.  University of Illinois held monthly meetings to encourage participation in activities and events.   The chapter used a variety of communication services such as Web 2.0 technologies, listservs, publications, flyers, and website development. Through the hard work of its members, this chapter has made significant contributions to the school and ALA. 

The runner-up this year is University of Southern California. The SCOTYA Committee noted the chapter’s awards and honors, growth in membership, and diversity of programs and activities. 

  • Courtesy of Grammerly blog
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NMRT 2020 Election Results!

Posted on April 9, 2020 by nmrtsecretary

Congratulations to our newly elected NMRT Board Members!

Vice-President/President-Elect: Dani Brecher Cook

Secretary: Deborah D. Allman

Assistant Treasurer: Cara Calabrese

Networking Director: Julie Gabb

Outreach Director: Madison Sullivan

Member Services Director: Veronica Leigh Milliner

Thank you to all those who run! Please continue your work with NMRT and run again in future elections. To see the full elections results, please visit here.

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Social Media & Libraries

Posted on March 12, 2020 by nmrtsecretary

By Lauren Puzier

AuthorBioPhoto
Lauren Puzier is the User Experience Librarian at the UAlbany Libraries. Her research interests include the incorporation of new and emerging technologies in higher education, user-centered and service design, and reference services. Previously, she was the Acting Head Librarian for the New York Library at Sotheby’s Institute of Art.

(5-minute read)

Social media is widely used by libraries and their patrons, from blogs, micro-blogs, chat apps, social gaming and the larger social networks. Did you know that Facebook, a leading social network, had 2.45 billion monthly active users as of October 2019? 79% of the U.S. population had a social networking profile in 2019, an increase from 77% in 2018 (We are Social, 2020a). Globally, Eastern Asia and North America had the highest number of social media users (We are Social, 2020b). The NMRT January discussion focused on how our institutions are using social media (or not using it). 

Frequency

Participating members shared that they post to social media at all different frequencies, and this may depend on the social platform their library uses.  Hootsuite warns against overposting, noting that it is easier to overpost to Facebook or Linkedin versus sites such as Twitter. (Clarke, 2019). One way to avoid over posting to Instagram is to utilize the stories feature, which was designed to allow constant posts without spamming viewers. Stories allow social media users the option to engage with the content, allowing them to swipe a story away if they don’t want to view it (Buchanan, 2020). Some libraries shared that they post 2-4 times a month, once a week and 2-3 times a day across different platforms. One library noted that they increase their posts when there are upcoming events. 

Content

When it comes to what to post on social media, NMRT members had many ideas. Posts cover topics such as new resources, trials, library hours, upcoming events, as well as special dates during the month that will feature library collections. In addition, one member shared that their library posts fun trending memes and noted they were “expanding to try to more “National Day of” or collection highlights and other trending info. We’ve created a calendar of days/topics we want to post about and members of the team can claim which ones they want to create and post.” (Kiebler, 2020).

To manage content, some libraries use a calendar to plan posts and some have a dedicated staff member who focuses on content generation.  One member mentioned that they take advantage of Tweetdeck, which has the option of scheduling posts in advance. They schedule posts for the entire week on Monday. By focusing on specific themes for each week, they can easily create a few posts to be scheduled throughout the week. Another library found that using Hootsuite to manage their platforms has helped them collect and track analytics.

Communication

The ability to engage with patrons over social media is easy and quick, but not all institutions use these platforms to communicate back and forth with patrons. Some only use social media to share information while others use it as a two-way street, replying to specific users that engage with them. A few members noted that their libraries do not receive many comments on their informational posts. One member mentioned receiving a few comments on a post asking about patron’s favorite sci-fi book or movie. Posting more interactive content rather than informational content increased the opportunity to engage with patrons. 

One concept that came up in the discussion was social listening. Many major brands engage in social listening, which is when you look for mentions of your brand or any related keywords on social networks (Newberry, 2019). Social listening can be useful for libraries, one example: “sometimes [patrons] report things in the library that we can act on. Recently someone took a picture and tweeted a damaged wall that staff were unaware of.” (Puzier, 2020)

Engagement & Platforms

Overall our members found that engagement is going up over the past few years, particularly on Twitter and Instagram. Those using Facebook did not notice an increase. Having a team work on social media or just having a dedicated social media manager can help increase engagement. One library had success by engaging with other library social media accounts. Connecting with other local libraries can be a fun way to capture the attention of your patrons. 

Some libraries are using social media for reference support. Patrons can send a reference question via Twitter or Facebook and a librarian responds. One library mentioned they have recently linked up their social media (Twitter and Facebook) to their reference ticket system so that patrons can ask questions (reference or general) on a social media platform and librarians answer through the ticketing system. This helps their patrons to get timely research help on the platform of their choice.

Concerns

Using photos of library patrons on social media is a concern that comes up often. While ALA does not have a policy on this, there are some resources and best practices available. ALA encourages libraries to protect the rights of the photographer and the privacy of patrons when using images online (American Library Association, 2010).

What are we posting? 

“We had a lot of success in the Fall with staff Halloween and ugly holiday sweater contests. We posted pictures of individual staff members in their costumes (who wanted to participate) and the person with the most likes won a prize. It got a TON of engagement and students liked commenting on the costumes.” (Kiebler, 2020)

“Our social media manager also connects with other university libraries… Check out this back and forth exchange we had prior to a sports game against a friendly rival @FalveyLibrary: https://twitter.com/UAlbanyLibs/status/910911502944792577” (Puzier, 2020)

“Our main platform is Twitter and our Facebook account is more of a repository of our tweets. We also have a YouTube playlist within the university’s YouTube channel.” (LaMoreaux, 2020)

References

American Library Association. (2010, September, 22). Libraries and Photos of Patrons. ALA: Tools, Publications and Resources. Retrieved from  http://www.ala.org/tools/libraries-and-photos-patrons 

Buchanan, M. (2020, January 20). How To Use Instagram as an Artist. Retrieved February 17, 2020, from https://www.marylynnbuchanan.com/blog/how-to-use-instagram-as-an-artist-2019

Clarke, T. (2019, June 25). 14 Social Media Best Practices You Should Follow in 2019. Hootsuite. Retrieved February 17, 2020, from https://blog.hootsuite.com/social-media-best-practices/

Kiebler, J. (2020, January, 9). Re: [NMRT-L] January Discussion – Social Media and Libraries NMRT Online Discussion Forum Committee [Electronic mailing list]. Retrieved from https://lists.ala.org/sympa/arc/nmrt-l/2020-01/msg00016.html

LaMoreaux, N. (2020, January 2). Re: [NMRT-L] January Discussion – Social Media and Libraries NMRT Online Discussion Forum Committee [Electronic mailing list]. Retrieved from https://lists.ala.org/sympa/arc/nmrt-l/2020-01/msg00005.html

Newberry, C. (2019, November 26). What is Social Listening, Why it Matters, and 10 Tools to Make it Easier. Hootsuite. Retrieved from https://blog.hootsuite.com/social-listening-business/

Puzier, L. (2020, January, 9). RE: [NMRT-L] January Discussion – Social Media and Libraries NMRT Online Discussion Forum Committee [Electronic mailing list]. Retrieved from https://lists.ala.org/sympa/arc/nmrt-l/2020-01/msg00015.html

We Are Social, & Hootsuite, & DataReportal. (January 30, 2020a). Most popular social networks worldwide as of January 2020, ranked by number of active users (in millions) [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved from https://www.statista.com/statistics/272014/global-social-networks-ranked-by-number-of-users/

We Are Social, & DataReportal, & Hootsuite. (January 30, 2020b). Global social network penetration rate as of January 2020, by region [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved February 17, 2020, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/272014/global-social-networks-ranked-by-number-of-users/

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Meet the candidates for NMRT Networking Director and Outreach Director

Posted on March 9, 2020 by nmrtsecretary

Take a few minutes to get to know the candidates running for NMRT Networking Director and Outreach Director.

Don’t forget to vote for your NMRT Board representation as well as other ALA positions beginning March 9th through April 1st.

Julie Gabb, candidate for Networking Director

Why are you interested in this position?

As an early career librarian, I found it difficult to find my footing in an expansive organization like American Library Association. New Members Round table provided me the opportunity to better understand and navigate ALA as an organization and conference, and to connect with mentors, from whom I learned how to be a better public librarian and advocate. I want to continue this vital mission to support students, paraprofessionals and early-career librarians from around the country, while also expanding its reach within ALA. By seeking partnerships with other round tables and divisions, we can together create meaningful conference experiences for students, early-career librarians, and seasoned NMRT members alike.

What skills and experiences do you bring to the position?

I have chaired two committees under the Networking Director since 2018: the NMRT Orientations Committee and NMRT Local Information Committee. At ALA2019, NMRT had a well-attended orientation of over 100 people. The committee cross-promoted other NMRT conference events, along with hosting a panel discussion with NMRT leadership and other library leaders. In addition to the orientation, we offered an exclusive preview exhibit hall tour in a calm, uncongested space to almost 20 NMRT members, allowing time to ask questions to Exhibitor Round Table members about the conference experience. It was rewarding to see members from around the country (and world!) sharing stories and buddying up with each other during the tours. On the NMRT Local Information Committee, I am working towards increasing the NMRT Field Trip attendance from previous years with considerations about timing and location to the conference center. This is also my second year as an Exhibits Round Table Program Subcommittee member, where I give feedback about vendor-sponsored conference program proposals. I hope that through my relationships with other divisions and round tables, we can continue to create fresh networking opportunities that build lasting relationships among members.

In my public library, I have served on a Harvest for Hunger committee since 2018 to help fundraise throughout the year for the area food bank. One of our most successful staff events is a biannual karaoke fundraiser for employees to give back to the food bank and mingle with staff from other library branches. Beyond ALA, I have several years of management and event-planning experience as a business manager for a college radio station. My team and I planned and hosted annual music events with increases in attendance every year, and fundraised for our operating budget. I am able to work creatively and effectively within financial constraints.

As Networking Director, you will oversee NMRT committees associated with conference attendance. In what ways would you like to see NMRT reach out to those members not able to attend MW or Annual conferences?

Considering ALA’s recent financial concerns, I will work towards increasing networking opportunities throughout the year through online methods. Many members, including student members do not have the funding to attend networking events at conferences. I plan on working with the outgoing Networking Director to increase the number of online programs each year. I applaud the Online Programs Committee for their work on the upcoming webinar and would like to see more opportunities for panel discussions in conjunction with our Outreach Director and student chapter chairs.

I would also like to reexamine conference streaming of orientations at Midwinter and Annual. If livestreaming isn’t feasible, shareable PowerPoint presentations would be my next step to share resources online via the NMRT-Listserv.

If elected, what time management skills will you employ to ensure that your NMRT duties remain a priority?

As a public librarian and graduate student, I make sure I balance my time effectively, while also making time for self-care! I am diligent in checking my email multiple times a day and add all my NMRT tasks to my Outlook calendar with alerts. My Google and Outlook inboxes have a filtering feature turned on to ensure that NMRT e-mails do not get skipped over or end up in the dreaded spam folder. I make a point of returning emails within a day and I utilize to-do lists for keeping track of short term projects.

What is a book that you read recently that you enjoyed? Why did you like it?

Sometimes adult readers underestimate young adult novels, but I would urge all of you to read poet/young adult writer Elizabeth Acevedo’s novel, With The Fire On High. The protagonist teen chef, Emoni, expresses the fervor for cooking that many of my culinary school teen patrons have. Her passion for remixing her abuela’s dishes reminded me fondly of my repeated attempts of replicating grandma’s legendary dishes for relatives. I absolutely love Emoni’s determination to become a next generation, rising chef in Philly without letting her past dictate her future. Acevedo depicts a coming-of-age story that rings true for youth today. What a heartwarming read that celebrates Afro-Latinx teens!


Veronica Leigh Milliner, candidate for Outreach Director

Why are you interested in this position? 

I’m interested in the Outreach Director position because I would love the opportunity to help make NMRT strong through membership recruitment and fostering strong relationships with new and current members. NMRT has been a great support and learning opportunity in my library career and I think having this round table with its unique focus is extremely important to ALA. I’m hoping that by focusing on member recruitment and retention, as well as outreach to LIS students and recent graduates, I can help to support NMRT to strengthen and grow into the future.  

What skills and experiences do you bring to the position?

Professionally, I have worked in a variety of different types of libraries, with much of my work focusing on community outreach, programming, and public libraries as important community spaces for creative and educational services. 

I have a long history of involvement with NMRT. I previously served as the Leadership Development Director for NMRT from 2017 to 2019. In that position I oversaw the following committees: NMRT Professional Development Grant, Annual Conference Professional Development Attendance Award, Online Discussion Forum, Annual Social, and Shirley Olofson Memorial Award committees. I’ve also been a member of the Membership Promotion, Diversity, and Recruitment Committee (2015-2016), Co-Chair of the Orientation Committee (2016-2017), and member of the President’s Program Committee (2016-2017).

I’ve also had committee positions with the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) on the Managing Children’s Services Committee (2016-2018) and the Children and Technology Committee (2018-2019). Regionally, I’ve been a member of the Pennsylvania Library Association and a member of the PaLA’s Equity,

Diversity, and Inclusion Task Force.

Currently I serve on ALA’s Committee on Literacy and NMRT’s President’s Program Committee. Also, a current member of the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). 

As Outreach Director, you will oversee several NMRT committees that focus on students. What value do you feel LIS students bring to NMRT?

I feel that the energy, ideas, and perspective of LIS students makes them a vital foundation for NMRT. I think it is important for NMRT to continue to support LIS students, through professional development opportunities, networking, and educational opportunities. Likewise, I also think it’s important for NMRT to listen to the voices of LIS students regarding what the roundtable is doing well and what could be improved to best support their success in ALA as well as in their own careers. NMRT likes to serve as a stepping stone for individuals who are not only new to ALA but new to the LIS field and by continuing to support this community, I think this is what makes us strong. 

If elected, what time management skills will you employ to ensure that your NMRT duties remain a priority?

One of the things that I’ve found beneficial in previously serving on the NMRT Board is following the position’s timetable of milestones. I schedule the known milestones of the committees I will oversee as well as my own position in order to remain on track with my required duties.

I would also arrange regular check-ins with committee chairs and attend committee meetings when possible to remain up-to-speed on committee happenings and where I can best be of assistance. I have found in the past that being proactive like this will help to facilitate faster intervention with committees if needed and will give me more ideas about how I can best support the chairs. In my experience working on and with past committees, I know that folks have great ideas about how to support NMRT and the work that they are doing, so I feel a major part of my role is supporting these ideas through proactive engagement with committee members and chairs.

What is a book that you read recently that you enjoyed?  Why did you like it?

I loved Brave, Not Perfect: Fear Less, Fail More, and Live Bolder by Reshma Saujani. In it she talks about facing fear, embracing and learning from failure, and how many have built up the false idea of perfection as a goalpost for much of their work. I loved reading this because it really spoke to me about the importance of learning from past experience and to help process our society’s concern with perfection and fear of taking risks. It’s important to look at embracing opportunity (and the possibility of failure that comes with that) towards our personal happiness. 

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Meet the Candidates for NMRT Secretary and Assistant Treasurer

Posted on March 5, 2020 by nmrtsecretary

Take a few minutes to get to know the candidates running for NMRT Secretary and Assistant Treasurer.

Don’t forget to vote for your NMRT Board representation as well as other ALA positions beginning March 9th through April 1st.

Deborah Allman, candidate for Secretary

Why are you interested in this position? 

I am interested in the secretary position, because NMRT was the first roundtable that I joined four years ago. As a new ALA member I was looking for different groups that would serve my interests and skills and NMRT was on that list.

What skills and experiences do you bring to the position?

   I believe that with my former role as a secretary for several organizations that I would be a good fit for the position as secretary. 

   1. Former Secretary of AFSCME-Local 1930 (New York Public Library Guild-2004 and take minutes when needed.)

   2. Financial Secretary/Treasurer – Coalition of Black Trade Unionists -2019-Present

   3. Manager of a NYPL branch

As Secretary your responsibilities include coordinating NMRT social networking presence on the appropriate tools. What do you feel is the best method to get information to the NMRT membership, and why? What is your plan for coordinating NMRT’s social networking presence?

The best methods to get information to the membership are social media, meetings, and social events. I don’t believe that you can just use one method to get out information, because we all gather and receive information differently. My plan for coordinating NMRT’s social networking presence is to make sure that all information is posted in a timely manner. 

If elected, what time management skills will you employ to ensure that your NMRT duties remain a priority?

The time management skills that I will employ to ensure that my NMRT duties remain a priority are prioritizing my duties and making sure I have no conflicts with my schedule.

What is a book that you read recently that you enjoyed?  Why did you like it?

A book that I recently read and enjoyed was Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson. I like this book, because I can see myself in this book. Each poem gives you a very touching and powerful feeling about what it was like growing up African American in the 1960’s and 1970’s.

Cara Calabrese, candidate for Assistant Treasurer

Why are you interested in this position?

I am looking to be more involved in the profession and I want to make my time and service count. I want to support groups that I feel are actively benefiting library professionals. NMRT has always done this for me and continues to do this for others by offering valuable programming, creating easy ways to connect with others and build those connections into professional networks and friendships, as well as being a home base for many new or early career librarians inside a large and at times overwhelming organization. 

What skills and experiences do you bring to the position?

I currently administer the materials budget for my library. I coordinate with the head of the collection development librarians and accounts payable to timely encumber and effectively spend our funds over the course of the fiscal year. I have experience with tracking and paying expenses with a variety of payment methods and vendors. I manage the library’s purchasing credit card for material items and reconcile my charges and receipts each month. I have also been a co-chair for and regional/local ALA chapter Interest Group. Being a co-chair we are expected to plan workshops, which includes keeping track of receipts for reimbursement and creating budgets for said workshops ensuring our registration fees can fund the entire workshop, as no start up funds are provided. We were also responsible for reporting spending and registration numbers and fees to the board and treasurer accurately and timely. I am also a member of the ALCTS Budget and Finance committee. This has given me a great opportunity to see how a division runs. Our committee is tasked with evaluating the budget each year to ensure we are staying in the black and adjust as needed to realign our spending with the division’s priorities. I am confident with the skills I’ve learned on the job and experiences I’ve had working in collaboration with others to manage funds and accurately report finances, I would be an asset as Assistant Treasurer. 

As Assistant Treasurer, you will communicate with all committee chairs and board members. How do you propose to track these communications?

For tracking communications, I would use Trello, a free tool I learned about through a colleague at my former job. As a department, we used it to track and coordinate the review of library licenses. I have also found it to be a good tool when tracking electronic resource (ER) issues. Which can be similar to tracking communication with different board members or groups who all require different levels or types of information. ER issues may involve contacting multiple vendors a day and following up on a systematic basis until the issues have been resolved. Tracking the issues and related emails on a Trello Board allowed me to easily report back to both my department and affected parties on the status of any issue. Since boards can be shared with others, it helped me be transparent with my actions as well and when I moved on from that position, I was able to easily transition my open tickets back to the department by giving them ownership of the board. Also keeping track outside of my email will help me keep work and NMRT business separate and at the forefront of my mind.

If elected, what time management skills will you employ to ensure that your NMRT duties remain a priority?

I use calendars and lists, physical or electronic, to keep track and prioritize what needs to be accomplished and manage my time. When I started my position I reviewed all relevant documentation and time lines, then I regularly set aside time on my calendar to handle on-going projects, that way I can close my door and focus on the task at hand. I would do the same, review and block out time, for standard NMRT business. Additionally, I may use a Trello board to manage communication or longer term projects and employ automation or connected tools as appropriate. Not all business is going to be regularly scheduled, so I would treat other NMRT work like I treat my acquisitions work. When I receive a special order, I review and determine what priority it takes relevant to my current work and timing of the fiscal year. If it is a high priority or can be handled quickly, I work on it first. If it needs to wait, I will note the item, so even if the email becomes buried in my inbox the task does not and I can complete it as soon as possible.

What is a book that you read recently that you enjoyed?  Why did you like it?

A recent book I read was actually given to me by my sister. I was at my parents house. The trip came at a rough time for all of us. She brought out her copy of The Selection by Kiera Cass. It is one of her favorite books. It made her happy to read it and she wanted to share that with me. As I read, she kept asking me about where I was in the story, how I liked the characters, and “Was I finished yet?” That week, we discussed characters and plot points. She would stay up late to read with me. (I was on book 1 and she was re-reading book 2). She was so excited to have someone to talk to about her book and the world within it. 

We are pretty far apart, age wise. She was 6 days old, when I headed off to college. So we didn’t get to spend as much time together, as I did with my other sisters as they grew up. Being able to bond through a book isn’t surprising, as we were raised with a strong love of reading, but I hadn’t thought it would happen so soon! Being able to share that experience with her was truly special and made me enjoy the book even more.

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Meet the candidates for NMRT Vice-President/President-Elect

Posted on March 5, 2020 by nmrtsecretary

Take a few minutes to get to know the candidates running for NMRT Vice-President/President Elect. Don’t forget to vote for your NMRT Board representation as well as other ALA positions beginning March 9th through April 1st.

Dani Cook, candidate for Vice-President/President Elect

Why are you interested in this position? 

I have been a member of NMRT since my first year of library school, and the community and mentorship that I’ve found through the round table has been a key part of my professional life. My NMRT mentor was a huge support for me during my first year in a professional role, my CV still bears the formatting fingerprints of the reviewer who looked at it during my first ALA conference, and my first major professional service was chairing the NMRT President’s Program for the 2014 conference. I’m running for NMRT Vice-President/President-Elect because I know first-hand the value of the NMRT community and want to work with the rest of the Board to continue to make these services robust for members who are entering the profession and might not have the community or professional support network locally available. I’m especially interested in working to make our events, services, and speaking engagements more accessible to a geographically distributed audience–how can we better serve members who might not be able to attend conferences, as well as support new professionals year-round? I’ve found so much value in NMRT, I would be honored to lead the organization as it steps its game to be more inclusive and accessible to library workers than ever before.

What skills and experiences do you bring to the position?

I bring a deep understanding of the NMRT structure, as I’ve served on seven NMRT committees over the years, as well as most recently served as Networking Chair in 2018-20. I have a strong awareness of where things will work well, and where they might be room for improving processes. I also have served on LITA and ACRL committees, so bring a broader view to ALA as well, which I think is especially critical in this moment of change for our professional organization.

During my time as a member of NMRT, my professional path has taken me from being a library school student working as library staff in my local public library, to a term-limited grant-funded position in an academic library, to a coordinator role for reference and instruction, and now to a managerial position in a mid-sized academic library. Being close to all of these experiences means that I have an understanding of issues that have an outsized effect on those entering our profession, including student debt, precarious labor, and stepping into roles with increasing responsibility. I will bring this awareness to my term as vice-president/president-elect, and hope to engage with these issues together.

I have been a manager for almost four years, and have learned and evolved my person-centered managerial practice. I view my role as a leader to guide and set the vision, and as a manager to provide the resources and coach my colleagues to do the best work they can. Of course, I also bring experience with providing feedback and having the hard conversations when things are not going well. In addition to my day-to-day experience, I have experience managing distributed professional service teams through NMRT and other national organizations.

As Vice-President/President-Elect 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?

Setting clear goals from the start will be key for us to begin our collegial relationship on the best foot. I anticipate that I would meet with the current President shortly after the election to speak with her about her vision for her presidential year and how I can help support her (logistically or otherwise) to accomplish her goals. I will also work with her to establish milestones for my vice-presidential year, so that I can ensure that my presidential year will have ties to the previous one, as well as be well-articulated and planned. I expect to hew closely to the suggested timeline in the NMRT Handbook, and maintain ongoing communication with both the current president and other board members.

If elected, what time management skills will you employ to ensure that your NMRT duties remain a priority?

Just like all other library workers, I have many competing priorities in life: my family, my day-to-day work, my professional service, my education, my health and well-being. In order to maintain any semblance of order, I rely on a number of time-management skills and tools. I’m a strong believer in setting milestone deadlines and sticking to them; I use a paper-based planner to make sure I hit these (as well as to see what is upcoming and reflect), and schedule time into my Outlook calendar every day to make progress on them. I recently started using Trello boards with some members of my team to track collaborative projects–I really like using them, and plan to use them to track NMRT projects if elected as Vice-President/President-Elect.

What is a book that you read recently that you enjoyed?  Why did you like it?

I recently listened to the sociologist Eric Klinenberg’s Palaces for the People, which is about the importance of community spaces in society. He calls these spaces “community infrastructure,” and includes places like public libraries, public swimming pools, and community gardens. This book made me reflect on my own community and how much did (and didn’t) feel connected to where I lived, and re-doubled my intention to support the community spaces I value. Klinenberg brings to light how critical community networks are in times of crisis, as well as for our everyday mental and physical health. I’ve been recommending this book to people constantly! Not only is it a compelling argument, but the individual case studies are interesting and stick with you.

Tim Furgal, candidate for Vice-President/President Elect

Why are you interested in this position? 

Being elected as Vice-President/President-Elect of the New Member Round Table (NMRT) would be a humbling honor and allow me to give back to the community that brought me here. It’s been a privilege to meet and work with so many exceptional colleagues through my involvement with ALA. I earnestly believe that the greatest resource we have as information professionals is our network of colleagues – diverse, dedicated people from all backgrounds, doing the work with integrity, passion, and a willingness to serve others. Everyone beginning their career should have access to this same network of talent and I’d love to work to make that a reality for more of our members, particularly those working in public and school libraries.

What skills and experiences do you bring to the position?

Given my unique and diverse perspective working across library sectors – I’ve worked in academic, school, public, and public systems, I’m able to understand and connect with colleagues from widely varying backgrounds. The project management skills that I bring from my work as a public library system consultant with 48 member libraries will help me stay on top of the duties expected of me as Vice-President/President. I’ve been a member of ALA and NMRT since I began my Master’s in Information Science in 2015. I’ve been a committee member or chair of the following NMRT committees: the Midwinter Social Committee, the Annual Social Committee, President’s Program Committee, and the Nominating Committee. In the 5 years that I’ve been serving within the New York Library Association (NYLA), I’ve been able to work within the organization’s structure to create meaningful programs and opportunities for the New Members of NYLA (NMN): I organized the first Women’s Leadership Panel at our annual conference, led the re-branding of the round table, and worked to expand volunteer opportunities. I was the first paraprofessional elected to the board of the Leadership and Management Section of NYLA and I am currently serving as the President of that unit. With this combination of hard and soft skills, I’m confident I would be a successful Vice-President/President-Elect.

As Vice-President/President-Elect 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?

I believe the best way to learn is through careful listening and thoughtful action, in that order. I think that time spent engaging with the President on their initiatives, actively listening to the hopes and concerns of my colleagues in NMRT over the course of the year, and reflecting on the dynamic changes ALA is currently undertaking will give me everything I need to inform my work as President.

If elected, what time management skills will you employ to ensure that your NMRT duties remain a priority?

Thankfully, previous NMRT officials have created a timetable for the work that has to get done. I’ve found this helpful with past positions and would adhere to it in my position as Vice-President. I’m a huge fan of timeboxing and the strategies espoused by David Allen in his book, Getting Things Done. I keep a robust digital calendar and use a day planner in order to stay on track and move my life forward. Clear and timely communication with the President in order to prevent the duplication of work is another strategy that I’d employ to keep our work on track.

What is a book that you read recently that you enjoyed?  Why did you like it?The Education of an Idealist, a memoir by Samantha Power, former US Ambassador to the United Nations under President Obama, was a book I couldn’t put down. It was an intensely personal and humane look into working within the halls of power in our country. I’m tremendously interested in how small changes to policy can create outsized effects on quality of life and Power’s story was a masterclass in recognizing how to make life better for those suffering through the use of policy development. Having the opportunity to revisit former President Obama’s idea that we must deal with the world as it is, in order to remake it as it should be, has been a great source of strength for me lately. At a time when there’s so much tension in the world, the book was a hopeful, smart, funny, and uplifting perspective to be informed by.

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