ALA elections are here and this year NMRT is electing a Leadership Development Director, Vice-President/President-Elect, and Secretary. Below, our candidates answer a few questions about their plans for the position.
Why are you interested in this position?
Holly Kouns: The position of Leadership Development Director gives me the opportunity to partner and lead with others to provide experiences that could be paramount to someone’s career goals, which is something that really excites me. I enjoy helping others reach their metric of success and knowing I could contribute an experience or opportunity that was positive, in any way, is why I’m interested.
Leigh Milligan: I have been a member of NMRT for the last three years as a committee member and a committee chair of the Online Discussion Forum. I feel this is the next logical step for me for advancing my involvement and leadership in NMRT. I want to expand my professional network by making conference attendance a priority and being able to attend the NMRT Executive Board Meetings.
Veronica Milliner: In general, I enjoy committee work and, with my involvement in ALA, I’ve had the opportunity to connect and collaborate with others across the country. This has allowed me to expand my personal knowledge and professional development. I’m interested in the Leadership Development Director position because I view it as an opportunity to help other NMRT members receive this same fulfilling experience, to celebrate their professional accomplishments, and to provide leadership development opportunities. It is important for the round table, ALA, and our field as a whole to continue to recognize and support innovation, interesting ideas, and hard work. I’m interested in this position because I feel it is important to provide opportunities for members to share skills and tactics that they can use in their own positions. As a result, I hope to support leaders in NMRT in order for them to act in the future as mentors, collaborators, and inspiration to fellow colleagues in the roundtable.
Madison Sullivan: I’m passionate about supporting library and information science (LIS) students, early career librarians, and new professionals as we all find our way in this field. I think it’s important that we support new ALA members in navigating our complex organization, and that we use positions like these to amplify new voices. I see NMRT as a place where this happens, and can continue to happen. Simply, I want to help!
As the Leadership Development Director for the New Members Round Table (NMRT), I’ll be a part of a team that provides tangible benefits and opportunities for those new to the organization who want to become more involved. I believe that NMRT is one of the organizations within ALA that is striving to break down barriers to entry in our organization. I want to see more LIS students involved in ALA leadership. I want to see more people of color involved. I want to hear more from new and diverse voices about library leadership. This position is one way I can personally work toward these shared goals.
Because ALA is such a large organization, it can be intimidating. I want to help anyone who is interested in professional leadership find their way in ALA and within our field. At the same time, I’m still learning! As a new librarian, I’m excited that this position will allow me to become further involved in NMRT and ALA, and help others do the same.
What skills and experiences do you bring to the position?
Holly Kouns: I am currently the Assistant Department Head of User Engagement and Services at the University of Texas at Arlington. In my role, I’m responsible for the management and leadership of a large public services department. A big piece of my job is providing professional development for my staff and student employees. I regularly meet with staff to establish goals and metrics of success, while helping them provide the same development for our student employees. I’m skilled at managing variables and arranging them to be the most productive, as well as helping people achieve milestones to reach their ultimate goals. My goal is to walk alongside my staff members to guide and build on to the work they’re doing and I see the same with this position
Leigh Milligan: While I am involved in ALA NMRT, I am also involved in some committees with Special Library Association’s Philadelphia Chapter. I am going on my second year as the Hospitality and Events Coordinator where I meet and greet current and new members of the association and help them feel welcome. I feel that skill of making others feel welcome is definitely important skill for a leadership director, making new NMRT members feel welcome and a part of our huge roundtable.
With that same position, I am also expected to attend and contribute to the board meetings, which I am looking forward to doing as leadership development director if elected.
I am also involved in the programming committee with SLA Philadelphia, where I have achieved time management, budgeting and project management skills. I have also been a volunteer librarian as medical librarian in Philadelphia where I have experience-managing volunteers, collection development and grant proposal experience.
Veronica Milliner: Through NMRT, I have found a space to feel motivated and to pursue a role in improving ALA. My involvement in NMRT includes serving on the Membership Promotion, Diversity & Recruitment Committee, President’s Program Committee, and Orientation Committee. For the 2016-2017 cycle I’m also a Co-Chair of the Orientation Committee which plans and conducts sessions at Midwinter and Annual aimed to inform and engage participants regarding NMRT opportunities and the conferences as a whole.
Additional library association involvement outside of NMRT includes being a member of the Managing Children’s Services Committee within the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a member of the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), and a member of the Social Responsibilities Round Table (SRRT). This year I’m also one of the track organizers for the Radical Libraries, Archives, and Museums track at the Allied Media Conference in Detroit.
I’m currently working as an Outreach Librarian for the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh. The passion of my work focuses on exploring the role of the library as a community asset and library programs and services that improve lives in these communities, with a focus on marginalized and vulnerable populations. I hope to use my skills forming partnerships and organizing/implementing programs and services to this NMRT position as well.
Madison Sullivan: I love working with the people I’m serving to create impactful experiences and opportunities to connect, learn, and engage with our profession. I’m someone who strives to bring multiple voices and perspectives to the table in any endeavor. As an early career librarian, I can understand how intimidating and confusing ALA can be. I understand that participation in your professional organization can be met with barriers. I understand that the ability to participate in your professional organization is correlated to varying degrees of privilege. I hope to listen and to work with you to figure out how we can make participation more accessible to all who want to contribute.
I have been a member of ALA, ACRL, and NMRT since 2013. I currently serve on several ACRL committees, and I was named a 2016 ALA Emerging Leader. These experiences have helped me contribute to the organization in a variety of ways – from conference program planning, to communications and publicity, to building a resource for library publishing services.
While in library school, I was an officer for the University of Illinois ALA Student Chapter from 2013-2015. I was also a member of our SLA and SAA student chapters. In these three roles, I organized and led many professional development and networking events over two years.
Professionally, my work in librarianship has included outreach to undergraduate programs. I work to facilitate learning and professional development opportunities with the populations I serve through building relationships with career services, student affairs, and other campus groups.
As Leadership Development Director (more information) you will oversee the activities of committees that support & encourage professional leadership in NMRT members. What do you believe are three biggest challenges that new librarians face when taking on a leadership role, and why? How will you work to develop leadership skills of NMRT members?
Holly Kouns: In my experience the three biggest challenges are 1. Knowing where to start, 2. Finding professional development opportunities 3. How to prioritize
I’m learning that few librarians intentionally decide on a leadership and management track, but many find themselves in a position to provide both of these. Regardless of the track you intentionally choose, development plays a huge role in learning and becoming the best leader you can. One of the first issues I think most of us run into is where to start? There is a learning curve with every new position or responsibility, but more so in those requiring leadership of others and it can be overwhelming when you feel unprepared. This is where professional development comes into play. It is difficult when you’re starting out to identify proper outlets for professional development. These types of opportunities are not always built into your organization and if they are, they can’t satisfy every need. In addition to undertaking your own development, you’re oftentimes responsible for the development of others. Learning how to prioritize is key in these types of situations, but can be a hard balance to learn with failures being part of it. As a new librarian and a new manager, I understand these challenges on a personal and daily basis. I want to develop opportunities that will be engaging and available to everyone. Through webinars, grants, listservs, blogs, etc. I want to develop opportunities that address these issues that will be engaging and accessible to NMRT members.
Leigh Milligan:
- Communication- Communication is key to any leadership role. If communication is not there, others will not know what is expected of them.
- Time Management- Time Management is always tough especially if you are unsure of the tasks you are taking on and the time it will take to complete said tasks.
- Follow-Through-It’s so easy to take on a leadership role because it will develop you as a professional and will look great on your resume. However, it will not look so great if you do not follow-through, and a lot of leaders struggle with this especially if communication and time management are not there.
As Leadership Development Director, I will develop skills of NMRT members by keeping open communication. I want members to be able to come with me with their ideas and have their voices heard. It’s important to have your voice heard in such a large association and I will make that a priority. I will also make sure that the chairs I am assigned to oversee keep to their assigned tasks and deadlines. I would also like to offer advice on how NMRT members can manage their time best, because once achieved, time management is a great skill to have as a leader and it makes team work smooth.
Veronica Milliner: The three biggest challenges that new librarians face when taking on leadership roles are:
- Not being heard, Not having experience acknowledged – New librarians are sometimes ignored when they are in a leadership position. No matter what their experience is, new librarians may be viewed as not knowledgeable or too inexperienced and therefore their input is not taken into consideration. This can be amplified if new librarians do not have enough support, feel like they are experiencing microaggressions in the workplace, are continuously questioned about their work backgrounds, etc. All of this can influence how motivated or effective someone feels in their position.
- The encouragement of expressing ideas is important in helping the profession (and librarians themselves) learn and grow. NMRT’s online discussion forum is a great way for members to have an influential voice, receive advice, and to share ideas that can be valuable to others. It’s also a great way for members to support each other and to have camaraderie in the struggles they face and to brainstorm solutions. I hope to achieve that by supporting an effective forum and encouraging increased participation. I hope that the topics discussed in the forum is something that members can take back to their current and future positions.
- Knowledge of Continued Opportunities – Not everyone in a leadership position is aware of all the opportunities to develop professionally. Continued growth is important for everyone.
- I hope to assist with this aspect by helping committees highlight leadership opportunities available within the association and straightforward steps on how to get involved. Additionally, recognizing NMRT members for their leadership work in traditional and non-traditional roles will do a lot to encourage continued professional development as well as to show others different forms of leadership.
- Imposter Syndrome (or a lesser version of this) – Sometimes we can be our own worst enemy. Taking on a new leadership position may cause some librarians to hold back from highlighting their accomplishments because they don’t feel it is noteworthy or are intimidated by what is considered “success” in field.
- I hope that by addressing the previous two issues we will open a dialogue for members to feel empowered and confident. I will work with the committees to support members to feel engaged in NMRT through these discussions, opportunities, and skill-sharing with fellow members, NMRT leaders, and across ALA.
I hope to use the role as Leadership Development Director as an opportunity to further the career growth of new members, highlight the experience of members, and bring power to their voice.
Madison Sullivan: Getting up to speed. You might be walking into a group that has been around longer than you have been a librarian. It’s hard to learn the politics, where to focus your efforts, and to learn where the organization has been when planning where it’s hoping to go next.
Secondly, I think it can be difficult to determine or assess the needs of those you serve. If you want your work to be of use to others and to have an impact, you have to listen and work with others to make those determinations.
I would also say the usual: communication and time management. That’s four. 😉
I would work to develop the leadership skills of NMRT members by listening as a peer and colleague and building my work off that. I would want to include members in our decision-making and planning process in whatever we do. I would want our members to feel empowered to create or pitch their own ideas or events that could benefit fellow members. I would work to help create opportunities for members to share their own knowledge and skills.
I think we can also continue to partner with other ALA divisions and interest groups in developing worthwhile programs, events, webinars, and discussions around leadership and professional development. There’s opportunity to work with the Spectrum Scholarship Program, the Emerging Leaders Program, and ALA Student Chapters across the United States. I would also want to brainstorm more opportunities for informal networking and peer-to-peer mentoring among new ALA members and leaders.
What do you hope to learn if elected?
Holly Kouns: I want to learn from the vast experiences of the NMRT membership. So many have come before me, and the lessons from their successes and failures are invaluable. I want to use this opportunity to learn by partnering with them and experiencing it together.
Leigh Milligan: I want to learn about the higher-up inter-workings of NMRT and ALA as a whole. I would also like to learn more from our members on what we can do for them. This way we can develop our members as leaders, which is a great skill to have as a librarian and in the professional world.
Veronica Milliner: In general, I hope to continue to learn from fellow NMRT members. As I mentioned before, it is important for us to learn from each other as a means of personal and professional growth. If elected, throughout my term I hope my interactions with committee members and NMRT participants will be a fruitful learning experience. I also hope this experience will help me learn skills and techniques of project management on a large scale and collaborating between multiple people.
Madison Sullivan: I want to learn more about the kinds of services and opportunities members want. How can we support our members – especially those that haven’t been well represented in this field? What do librarians need to lead happy, healthy, successful professional lives – how can the NMRT help? Do we have a role to play in providing holistic support to the “whole librarian?” How can we further involve LIS students in what we do?
Ultimately, I want to learn how I can be of better use to other librarians. Where’s the need? How can I help?
If elected, what time management skills will you employ to ensure that your NMRT duties remain a priority?
Holly Kouns: I use my Outlook calendar on a daily basis and schedule my days and deadlines using it. If elected, I plan to be diligent about scheduling deadlines and work time to ensure they’re being appropriately met.
Leigh Milligan: I am a super busy person. I work a full-time job, I volunteer in a library, I run a side business with my husband ( 8BitFusion) and I am involved with NMRT and several committees with Special Libraries Association. I also travel a lot and stay busy with my social life. Many people ask me, how do you do it, when do you sleep? Honestly, I tend to flourish when I am super busy and have a lot going on, otherwise life would be boring.
With that being said, I am a champion when it comes to time management. I keep my schedule with my Google Calendar,which alerts me of all my events and deadlines. I am also a To-Do list maker, making sure everything on my lists get done in a timely fashion. I also recognize the need for self-care, so I do not burn out while doing my tasks. My NMRT duties have always been a priority and that will not change as leadership development director.
Veronica Milliner: There are a few time management strategies that I hope to bring to this committee leadership position. I believe that setting personal deadlines for work is a great way to keep up with responsibilities. Also, in terms of managing the leadership development committees, I hope that by providing open communication between them and myself I will be able to help with any time management issues that they are having and to assist when needed. This will help to address issues and problems in a timely manner. I also find it personally helpful to write down my goals for the day and/or week, to make myself responsible for certain actions during the week and to hold myself accountable. Lastly, and most importantly, I think one of the best time management tactics is to not take on too much. By having too much on your plate it’s easy to get overwhelmed. In this position I’ll make sure that committee members, as well as myself, have set manageable goals and duties for ourselves that will allow us to effectively complete them.
Madison Sullivan: It’s a privilege to work at an organization that supports (and actually requires) professional development and contributions to the broader profession. It is expected that some of our work time will be spent on service. As librarians, we wear many hats. We have had to learn how to balance and negotiate our time because our work demands it. I use multiple physical and digital calendars (and alerts!) to schedule every day hour-to-hour. Before bed, I go over my schedule for the following day. I didn’t always used to be such a planner, but I’ve found this to be an effective strategy for me in making sure I meet deadlines, get my work done, and come to meetings prepared. I make a point to set deadlines and timelines at the beginning of a project to keep myself accountable. Checking in with others on a regular basis is another way I keep myself honest and on task with my work. I understand that this position may require that I work some evenings and weekends to fulfill my responsibilities, and I am willing to do so.
