ALA elections are approaching and this year NMRT is electing a Leadership Development Director, Vice-President/President-Elect, Member Services Director, and Secretary. Below, our candidates answer a few questions about their plans for the position.
Why are you interested in this position?
Kate Kosturski: I’ve been involved with NMRT for several years now – progressing from committee member to Board Member (Leadership Development Director). I fully believe in the mission of NMRT – making new members feel welcome. It also fits with my personality type (ENTJ – The Giver) – I love making people feel part of something and giving back what NMRT did for me in my first years in librarianship – opening doors. Being President will allow me to continue that spirit of giving back.
Jessica Sender: I joined NMRT four years ago, when I was in graduate school at Indiana University, and I’ve found the connections I’ve made to be truly invaluable. I want to continue making these connections and contribute in a more significant way to helping other new librarians benefit in the same way I have. When I first got involved I followed a track that I think many new professionals do: volunteering for a committee, serving as co chair or chair, and then looking towards expanding roles by serving on the executive board. I spent one year as a committee member for the Liaison Coordination and Support Committee, and then served as chair for two years. I’m currently serving as chair of the NMRT Professional Development Grant Committee. I’m getting to the point in my career and my professional involvement where I believe I can offer something to new professionals, and I’m invested in seeing NMRT succeed as an organization that fosters growth, collaboration, and commitment to the field of librarianship.
What skills and experiences do you bring to the position?
Kate Kosturski: My involvement with the NMRT Board is the experience I feel is best for this position – I already know how the Board operates, and the responsibilities involved. I’m also a former president of an ALA Student Chapter (Pratt Institute SILSSA, 2009-2010) so I’m comfortable leading a group for an extended period of time. I’m also no stranger to stepping up when needed, asking forgiveness rather than permission in doing so. At my current job, our manager was let go during a time when we were rolling out new database software. Without seeking approval from my (interim) superiors, I stepped up to provide help to my coworkers when needed as we worked our way through this software, and I am still seen today as a point person for help.
Jessica Sender: I’ve been involved in a number of ALA and NMRT committees, roundtables, and initiatives, all of which have been instrumental in developing my understanding of how NMRT functions, and how it interacts with and supports other ALA divisions and groups. I was an Emerging Leader in 2011, and I participated in the first Immersion Teaching with Technology track in 2013. Both of these experiences were instrumental in defining paths I took in ALA, and NMRT. I was also the chair of the NMRT Liaison Coordination and Support Committee for two years. In this role, I was responsible for coordinating communication between ALA divisional, roundtable, and committee representatives, and NMRT, which was a demanding and eye-opening task. I saw firsthand just how many different groups comprise ALA, and how diverse these groups are. I also saw how difficult it is to sometimes get liaison representation, and as a result I worked to reach new groups and attract new liaisons. This position required an extensive amount of emailing, calling, corralling, and managing groups of people, both inside and outside of NMRT, and it provided me with the necessary skills to succeed as Vice-President/President-Elect of NMRT.
Outside of NMRT, I’ve served in many different capacities, all of which have contributed to the development of skills and experiences I would bring to this position. I served as chair for the Virtual Reference Discussion Group, and I’m currently on the Outreach Committee for Machine Assisted Reference Services (MARS). I was appointed by ALA President to serve on the ALA Committee on Literacy. I’ve tried to be intentional in ALA so I can have a real impact in the profession and within ALA. ALA can seem overwhelming and unwieldy at times, but being involved in the roundtables and divisions I have chosen has made me feel like I am positively contributing not only to my field, but helping pave the way for other librarians to follow.
One of the influential and impactful professional programs I’ve been a part of is the LLAMA mentoring program. I was paired with a mentor in 2013 and we still video chat once a month. That positive experience has really made a difference for me in my first few years as a librarian, as I discover what it really means to work in dynamic, complicated, and collaborative professional environments. I would like to investigate what else we can do with NMRT Mentoring initiatives and broaden them or -perhaps even partner with other divisions and roundtables with similar programs.
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?
Kate Kosturski: I’m very willing to share my own ideas for my Presidential term and theme with the President, to come up with ways we can subtly integrate both our ideas into the Presidential theme for the year. I’ve noticed this collaboration already in my years with NMRT – the themes from year to year are build off of each other. For example, Emily Prather-Rogers’ theme touched on the idea of finding balance in your career, and Megan Hodge’s theme allows for influence at all stages of your career. Finding that balance is necessary before you can implement influence – you can’t be influential to others if your own house is in not in proper order!
Jessica Sender: During the two years I was chair of the NMRT Liaison Coordination and Support Committee, I worked closely with past-presidents of NMRT; and I’ve worked directly with Megan in my role as chair of the NMRT Professional Development Grant Committee and in other capacities. I know that the presidents have a lot of experience-not only in leadership roles within NMRT, but also serving on committees and chairing committees outside of NMRT, and I hope to learn from their experiences as I prepare for my own presidency. Working alongside the current president will help me better understand the strengths of NMRT and identify opportunities for growth and action. Continuity and creativity go hand in hand, and I believe I can lead in developing initiatives that build on the foundation of NMRT and contribute to its ongoing progress. The great thing about NMRT is that there continues to be a wonderful group of new librarians who have new ideas and perspectives- drawing from and incorporating new energy is critical. Building upon the many years of hard work of others while also setting a clear path for the future is vital, and that is what I plan to do as Vice-President/President-Elect.
What do you hope to learn if elected?
Kate Kosturski: All about our members! The theme I have given some thought to, should I be elected (hopefully you don’t find that too presumptuous!) is “Opening Doors in ALA.” Our parent organization is vast, bureaucratic, and quite large. For a new member, this is intimidating. I want to use my role as president to match people with where they fit in best with ALA – and in order to do so, I need to learn about our members’ values, concerns, desires, and needs from NMRT and larger ALA. This job is just as much listening as it is leading!
Jessica Sender: I hope to learn what we can do as NMRT members to be more involved in ALA as a whole; how we as a group can facilitate for others the transition from new to seasoned professional; and where (both physically and virtually) we can create forums for NMRT members to foster their professional and personal interests within ALA. I think it’s also important to recognize that this isn’t a one-size-fits-all organization or professions; I’d like to learn what I can do to serve recent library school graduates, as well as professionals re-entering the profession or making a switch from academic to public libraries, for example. NMRT has done great work already, and I look forward to reaching out and surveying new NMRT members to find out how their needs have shifted with the changing professional landscape – and how we can best serve those needs. I’d also like to learn how NMRT can continue to contribute to diversity initiatives across ALA, working to make ALA and all its divisions more inclusive. I hope to learn from my colleagues and peers in NMRT to make the group as reflective of its constituents as possible.
If elected, what time management skills will you employ to ensure that your NMRT duties remain a priority?
Kate Kosturski: If needed, I will step down from other committee appointments to ensure that NMRT remains my first and foremost priority. I will, of course, speak with my employer to work out ways to ensure that both my paying job and NMRT duties receive the utmost care and attention they deserve.
Jessica Sender: I’m one of those people who loves to be busy – I find unexpected inspiration in the connections that arise across my projects, coursework, and conversations with those around me, and this leads to a creative depth in my work that might not be there otherwise. At the same time, I’m used to staying on top of things (like an overflowing inbox) by prioritizing tasks and addressing things promptly. Another vastly important time management skills is knowing when to rely on others and ask for help. NMRT is a big group of intelligent and passionate individuals, many of whom are as excited as I am to help on different projects and initiatives.
Do you have questions of your own for the candidates? Please post your question & the names of the candidate(s) you wish to answer on the NMRT Facebook page within the next week.
