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?
Julia Frankosky: I’m interested in serving as Member Services Director because I would like to work to encourage increased participation by NMRT members. This includes improving retention of members and working to reach out to library school students and new librarians who are not yet NMRT members to emphasize the importance of participating in NMRT by highlighting the great opportunities available, not just professional development-wise, but also the networking potential.
Margaret Howard: I have really enjoyed my work with NMRT over the last three years and believe it has given me the skills and knowledge to better serve new librarians at the executive level. I’m enthusiastic and inspired by recent leadership and would like to continue the work they have done finding creative ways to support our new members.
What skills and experiences do you bring to the position?
Julia Frankosky: I’ve been an active member of ALA and NMRT since 2011 and am also active in my state’s associations. I’ve worked as a member on committees, including NMRT’s Endnotes and Professional Development Award committee. I’ve contributed articles to Footnotes and have volunteered as a resume reviewer and booth greeter at ALA Annual. For leadership, I’ve chaired committees for my state’s library association and at my library. I’ve worked in many roles, with many different types of people and I enjoy not only working with others, but working to organize the work and ensuring that deadlines are met and goals are accomplished.
Margaret Howard: I currently serve as the co-chair of the NMRT mentoring committee as well as the Virginia Library Association NMRT chair. I served as a NMRT mentoring committee member 2013-2014 and Liaison 2012-2014. I have a lot of experience managing projects and committees virtually and am a strong leader and project manager. I have collaborated with people with a range of working-styles and believe in creating a clear framework well as motivating with positive outcomes.
As Member Services Director, you will oversee the activities of committees that serve NMRT members and support member efforts toward professional development. What do you believe are the top three professional development priorities for new librarians, and why? How will you engage prospective and current NMRT members in the activities of the Roundtable?
Julia Frankosky: To me, the top three professional development priorities for new librarians are:
Expanding one’s skillset: Committee work is an excellent opportunity for those new to the profession to develop skills that are needed for career success. Time management, leadership experience, and collaboration are just some of the excellent skills that can be acquired through involvement with NMRT. The more skills and experiences that a new professional has, the more desirable they are to current and future employers.
Networking: The job market for librarians is tight and having a strong network of connections at other institutions can really help you compete to find a job. But networking isn’t just about helping you find a job: it is also about meeting others with similar interests that you can talk to about issues, events, and the profession. Building a professional network early can help you with learning more from your peers and provide you with opportunities to contribute to the profession, by collaborating with those in your network on presentations, articles, etc.
Understanding how ALA works: ALA is a massive organization that can be very intimidating. NMRT is a great way for new librarians to get involved with ALA and understand its structure. This understanding will help eliminate the fear of trying to get involved in other ALA groups. To grow professionally and share your expertise, involvement with ALA is really important, but in order to comfortably do this, you need to have an understanding of how exactly ALA works.
New librarians may not realize just how helpful it can be to their careers to get involved in ALA through NMRT. There are so many professional benefits, including my top three listed above, but it can be intimidating at first. I’d like to work on making NMRT committees and the process of getting involved seem less scary. One way this can be achieved is informal discussions with current committee members by prospective members, such as on a message board. Individuals interested in that committee could ask any questions related to the type of work and experiences of those currently on the committee so that they can learn more about the committee than what is stated in the formal documents. If committees are more approachable and transparent, it could encourage others to get involved.
Margaret Howard:
1. Networking – I personally believe that networking is one of the best ways to learn and gain access in our competitive field and that NMRT is the most natural forum to provide this in ALA. Creating and supporting opportunities for NMRT members to connect with each other and other forums/associations strengthens our new members as well as ALA.
2. Affordable learning options – We need to develop our best talent and that means finding ways to offer professional development at an affordable rate. NMRT already does a great job of providing this and I would like to support these efforts as well as find new venues and options.
3. Mentoring – I have been greatly served by NMRT mentors and believe that creating these natural connections organically strengthens the organization and our membership.
What do you hope to learn if elected?
Julia Frankosky: If elected, I hope to learn more about the higher-level operation of NMRT and ALA. This would be achieved by participating in the executive board meetings and by interacting with board members and others involved in the coordination of NMRT.
Margaret Howard: I am a great communicator and I know that by serving on the NMRT executive board I will see opportunities just by association. I am excited by using what I learn as an executive board member to find new connections for NMRT and the members we serve.
If elected, what time management skills will you employ to ensure that your NMRT duties remain a priority?
Julia Frankosky: Working as Member Services Director will require a lot of time, and I love to keep busy. As someone who is used to having a ton of responsibilities, I live by my “to do” lists and carefully set daily and weekly schedules, mapping out my time carefully. When I was in my library school program, I worked full time, helping me to perfect my time management skills. This has continued into my professional librarian life, ensuring that I balance all of my job responsibilities, from committee work to managing my collection areas and allowing ample time for my liaison responsibilities including reference and a heavy load information literacy sessions. I’m confident that I would be able to apply my current time management strategies to ensure that I can meet all expectations and deadlines.
Margaret Howard: A supervisor once said that I was the most laid-back Type-A personality they had ever worked with and I think that shows in how I manage projects. I’m always very aware of dates and timelines but I also believe in trusting that the people I’m working with are doing their very best. For me this means creating a timeline with clear goals and objectives, then regularly checking in if anyone needs help completing a tasks. I also have learned a lot about how much I am able to take on at once, if I am elected to this position it would be my main committee work and I do not plan to take on any other roles unless I am completely sure I have the resources to complete them.
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.
