NMRT Notes

Apply now for the Student Chapter of the Year Award!
Has your student chapter been active in supporting member involvement and leadership? Have you, or any of your individual members, been recognized for notable awards or achievements this past year? And in general, have you and your members had an exemplary year of engagement and programming? If so, apply now for the Student Chapter of the Year Award!

Purpose of the Award
This Award is presented in recognition of a chapter’s outstanding contributions to the American Library Association (ALA), their school, and the library/information science profession. The purpose of the award is to increase student involvement in ALA through student chapters, and to recognize future leaders.

Award and Award Criteria
All ALA Student Chapters in good standing are eligible to receive the ALA Student Chapter of the Year Award. The selected Student Chapter will receive $1,000 to help defray travel expenses to ALA Annual; the winning chapter and the runner up will each receive a certificate. Both will be recognized at the NMRT Student Reception at the 2015 ALA Annual Conference in San Francisco, CA.

Nomination Form
To download the nomination form, and for more information on the form, please visit the NMRT Student Chapter of the Year Award website at http://www.ala.org/nmrt/oversightgroups/comm/awscotya/scotya. Please e-mail the completed form and any supporting documents in either Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF format to the committee chair, Michelle Demeter (mdemeter@fsu.edu). The deadline for submitting a completed nomination is March 2, 2015, 11:59pm EST.

If you have additional questions, please contact Michelle Demeter (mdemeter@fsu.edu).

The NMRT Resume Review Service Committee is recruiting volunteer resume reviewers and booth greeters, as well as taking resume review appointments for ALA 2015 Midwinter Meeting. We are in need of volunteers to greet participants, and/or review resumes and cover letters. Librarians from all types of libraries and specializations are invited to volunteer.

The NMRT Resume Review Service booth, located inside the ALA Placement Center, is open Saturday, January 31st and Sunday, February 1st, from 9:00am – 5:00pm. The service is free of charge to anyone. Appointments are 30 minutes long and usually fill up quickly. While we encourage advance appointments, on-site walk-ins are seen as time permits. More information about volunteering and making an appointment is available at http://bit.ly/1vArIPT . If you have questions, please contact the NMRT Resume Review Service Committee Chair, Nicole Spoor, at nicolespoor@gmail.com.

Sarah Wade

Campbell University – Buies Creek, NC

Assistant Medical Librarian

A little about Sarah’s job:

I am the assistant medical librarian in a brand-new medical school and because of this, one part of my job consists of working with the faculty to build up our collection. Our building houses not just doctor of osteopathic medicine candidate students but also physician assistant candidate students, so we work with faculty in both departments. I also answer and help with reference questions, create LibGuides, and work with campus-wide library programs and activities.

1) What are some things you like about your job or working in libraries in general?

One thing I really love about my job is the opportunity to learn from different professionals in different medical disciplines. The professors that work here are some of the best in the field of medicine and because of this they have a lot of knowledge to share with others. Something else I really love about my job is the opportunity to work with the students. Because we are a small library I have gotten the chance to get to know some of them very well which makes it easier for them to approach me and makes me feel like I am better known in the medical school.

2) What’s a project or committee you’re working on right now that you’re excited about?

Every spring our main campus library hosts an academic symposium where the students on campus can exhibit any research work they have done. This was one of the committees I became a part of when I took this position and I have gotten really excited about it. This year we will also include both our distance education students and the PA and DO students.

 3) What got you interested in libraries?

I think, like a lot of my fellow librarians, I was a book- and library-lover from childhood. I have always loved libraries and am very passionate about their importance and place in society. When I was a little girl I used to pretend my living room was a library and I made my younger brothers go through and check books out. I had the due date cards (index cards cut up with a scribble for the date and signature) in them and everything.

4) What is one of your favorite things about NMRT?

I really like the resume review service. I think it helps those that are struggling to find a job be more aware of the weak places in their resume and gives them a better idea of how to fix them and make their resume better. I know I personally used it when I was looking for a job.

5) Do you have any advice for other new librarians?

When you first get out of school it can be hard to find jobs in libraries so don’t be afraid to use your connections. Did you do an internship? Ask the person you worked for to help you. He or she might know of a job or might even be willing to create a position for you. That is how I got the job that landed me where I am now. I knew someone at the university I currently work for and she knew I was finishing up library school and so she specifically asked me to fill a library assistant position. I will forever be thankful to her and thankful that I was willing to put myself out there and make it known who I was and that I was interested in working for academic libraries.

6) What advice do you have for job-searching librarians?

Don’t wait for the jobs to come to you because they won’t. You need to put yourself out there and make it your job to find one. Even if it is a job you are not sure you will like or you think is beneath you, apply anyway. You might be surprised and turn out to really like it or maybe it will lead you to something even better. Once you get in that position you are more likely to be hired for a better position than someone who has not been working in that particular library and doesn’t know the ins and outs of the cataloging system and the circulation system, etc. Libraries want someone who is competent in their products and is confident about what they are telling the patrons. Be that person!

7) What strategies for finding entry-level library positions have worked for you?

While I was working as a library assistant I started looking for full time jobs and when I did that I utilized a lot of different websites and joined several listservs. I also put an alert for the term librarian on Indeed so every morning I got an email with all the librarian jobs that had been listed from the previous day. I also checked out all the local universities and colleges that were near me. One of the websites I thought was really good was the ALA JobList. One of the things I like about it is I can limit my search by keyword, city, and state. The other nice thing is it lists all library types and not just one particular type. The listservs I joined were NMRT, College and Libraries Section, University Libraries Section, and now that I am a medical librarian I have joined the Medical Library Association’s. The College and Libraries Section and University Libraries Section are both run through ACRL (Association of College and Research Libraries). I joined this one because I work in an academic library, but if you work in another kind of library they are sure to have their own association and that association will more than likely have a listserv you can join.

Are you a new NMRT member? Consider nominating yourself for our NMRT Member of the Week spotlight–we want to get to know you! New or experienced, give the gift of recognition by nominating a librarian that deserves to be featured here!

The NMRT Nominating Committee is pleased to announce the following candidates for election. Before the elections next April, NMRT members will have the chance to get to know the candidates via our Candidate Forum.

The forum will take place on the NMRT blog, Notes, in late February. Each candidate will be discussing their qualifications and motivations for running, as well as answering questions posed from the NMRT membership.

Have questions about the nomination and election process? Contact Tammy Ivins (nominating committee chair) at NMRTNominations@gmail.com.

Vice-President/President-Elect
Jessica Sender
Kate Kosturski

Member Services Director
Stephanie Santiful
Margaret Howard
Sarah Abrams
Julia Frankosky

Leadership Development Director
Nicole Spoor
Michelle Demeter

Secretary
Sam Millsap
Karen Doster

Casey McCoy

Lincolnwood Public Library District -  Lincolnwood, IL

Program Coordinator

A little about Casey’s job:

As the Program Coordinator I am responsible for coordinating budgeting, scheduling, and evaluating outside programs & presentations by speakers, authors, and performers. I’m also responsible for establishing relationships to broaden the range of programs offered by the library as part of the new Community Engagement Department.

1) What are some things you like about your job or about working in libraries in general?

I love working with people, whether that means working on a task with my department, scheduling and setting up performers, or helping out patrons. I have always worked in customer service and thrive off engaging with diverse populations.

2) What’s a project or committee you’re working on right now that you’re excited about?

I’m currently on my library’s Circulating Device Committee with the goal to introduce Kindles, iPads and laptops to circulation. My main role in the group is to research marketing details and how to best engage our community with the new devices. I am also learning a lot about creating library policies and the importance of having a wonderful technical services department.

3) What got you interested in libraries?

I originally applied to GSLIS with plans to focus on Community Informatics and to go into non-profit management; I actually denied any interest in working in a library! After my first semester I started to realize how community engagement and technology is actually a big part of today’s public libraries, so I began volunteering at our local library’s teen makerspace. This got me hooked and led to my first library job after graduation.

4) What is one of your favorite things about NMRT?

I love all of the resources NMRT provides. I am a new member, but have followed along with NMRT news and events for the past year. NMRT was especially helpful when attending my first ALA Annual this summer in Las Vegas, which was very intimidating for a new professional!

5) Do you have any advice for other new librarians?

Find a good balance between Libraryland and your personal life. It is very easy to say “yes” to every opportunity and feel pressured to serve on all the committees, but this is also a quick way to burnout. Personally, I vowed to leave work at work and not feel guilty about binge-watching Orange is the New Black instead of reading the newest YA book series. Burnout is still inevitable sometimes, but I will at least have other hobbies to escape to.

Are you a new NMRT member? Consider nominating yourself for our NMRT Member of the Week spotlight–we want to get to know you! New or experienced, give the gift of recognition by nominating a librarian that deserves to be featured here!

Sean Buckner

J. Willard Marriott Library, University of Utah

Salt Lake City, Utah

Digital Preservation System Coordinator

A little about Sean’s job:

I administer the library’s Ex Libris Rosetta digital preservation system and oversee the ingestion of all digital content into the permanent repository. I ensure the integrity of the preservation master files and corresponding metadata preserved within Rosetta. I help coordinate digital preservation activities, manage legacy archives, and establish submission standards and workflows.

1) What are some things you like about your job or about working in libraries in general?

I love the university environment and the mission and work of academic libraries. I feel that my efforts and accomplishments are services rendered to the university and library patrons, and that my work with digitized historical materials is a form of outreach to a larger academic community.

2) What’s a project or committee you’re working on right now that you’re excited about?

I have for some time been working on inventorying, reorganizing, and preserving the archival master files of the Utah Digital Newspapers program. I love viewing Utah newspaper front pages from the late 1800s and early to mid-1900s and the historical record they relate. It helps me to appreciate even more the virtues of digital preservation.

3) What is your dream library job?

Since the beginning of library school, I knew that I wanted to become the digital preservation librarian for a university library. I feel extremely fortunate to be given that opportunity so early in my career as very soon I will be leaving my duties at the University of Utah and assuming the new position of Digital Preservation Librarian at Texas A&M University.

4) What got you interested in libraries?

I have served as a Military Intelligence professional and linguist in the Army for almost 13 years now. My experiences working with people of various ethnic and linguistic backgrounds, my efforts to gather and provide information to others, and my love of academia all kind of blended in a way that got me interested in working in libraries. Additionally, my wife has worked in libraries a little longer than I and her professionalism and work ethic have to me served as an excellent example of true librarianship.

5) Do you have any advice for other new librarians?

Having come to librarianship later in life and in a roundabout manner, I have many years of varied experiences to draw upon. Looking back at those experiences, I have discovered that my greatest opportunities and subsequent accomplishments have almost always come about from situations that at the time I considered to be less than ideal. My advice to other new librarians would be to accept work, projects, and tasks that may not be your first choice or most desired. Embrace challenges and draw experience and opportunity from circumstances.

Are you a new NMRT member? Consider nominating yourself for our NMRT Member of the Week spotlight–we want to get to know you! New or experienced, give the gift of recognition by nominating a librarian that deserves to be featured here!

Catherine Damiani

University of Rhode Island GSLIS Student and Student ALA Chapter President

Barrington Public Library (RI)

Library Assistant

A little about Catherine’s job:
As library assistant, I answer reference questions in person and over the phone, act as lead library assistant for the library’s weekly Tech Help Desk program, co-lead a book sharing program and other community programs, and am responsible for contributing to the library’s social media pages.

1) What are some things you like about your job or about working in libraries in general?

I love that at the end of the day I know I made a difference in someone’s life. Whether it be requesting an item, holding a book club meeting, or working on a reference question, I know that the person who I helped left the library with more information than he or she walked in with.

2) What’s your dream library job?

My dream job is to work in either a public or academic library in Reference services full-time. I have spent more time in public libraries than I have in academic, but I have found that I enjoy what both places have to offer and would love to work in either setting.

3) What’s a project or committee you’re working on right now that you’re excited about?

As the President of Student ALA at URI, myself and the rest of the executive board are planning a technology conference which will be happening in February! Since the profession of librarianship has shifted quite quickly to a more technology-based format, we wanted an opportunity for both library school students and librarians to come together to find out what resources are out there for this ever-changing field.

3) What got you interested in libraries?

I have been working in libraries for over 8 years now and have loved all the roles that I have fulfilled. Research and finding what seems like an impossible answer drew me to the profession–I like a good treasure hunt! Educating those I serve has also drawn me to the profession. I say this because it is human nature for us to be curious and to want to find an answer to the questions we have, so I think this is the perfect job to help others in that quest!

4) What is one of your favorite things about NMRT?

The community is one of my favorite things about NMRT. I love seeing emails from the listserv come through with librarians asking what others have found has worked in a situation, the different types of learning opportunities that are available, and the overall feeling of being a part of a larger group that will influence this profession’s future.

5) Do you have any advice for other new librarians?

“Get involved” is my advice for new librarians! Professional organizations have helped me meet many great contacts in Libraryland and I have subsequently been in on some great opportunities. The biggest opportunity I had as a result of getting involved was attending ALA Annual in Las Vegas this past summer with the Student-to-Staff program. I would have never found out about this awesome opportunity if I had not been involved with my library school’s Student ALA Chapter!

Are you thankful for another librarian? Show your gratitude by nominating him or her as our next NMRT Member of the Week here!

The NMRT Endnotes Committee seeks contributors for the Spring 2015 issue of its annual e-journal, Endnotes: The Journal of the New Members Round Table.

Endnotes is a peer-reviewed, scholarly journal that addresses issues faced by new librarians.  Article submissions are accepted throughout the year, but articles received by February 1, 2015 will receive guaranteed consideration for the Spring 2015 issue.

Articles should range from 2,000 – 4,000 words and present original research, practitioner-based research, and/or case studies directed at new librarians. Those interested in discussing an article idea are encouraged to contact the Editor at nmrtendnotesjournal@gmail.com to determine if the proposal fits the publication’s scope.  NMRT members, current LIS students and recent graduates are encouraged to submit articles for consideration.

Endnotes also offers book and media reviews relevant to new librarians. Reviews range from 300 – 500 words. Those interested in reviewing are encouraged to contact the Editor at nmrtendnotesjournal@gmail.com to be included on the reviewers’ mailing list. Approved reviewers will receive periodic announcements of available books and websites.

For more information about Endnotes, including complete submission guidelines, please visit http://www.ala.org/nmrt/oversightgroups/comm/schres.

The New Members Round Table (NMRT) is pleased to announce Stacey Nordlund as its representative in the 2015 Emerging Leaders program. Nordlund is currently working as Reference Librarian at the Toronto Public Library in the Canadiana Department, North York Central Library.

Nordlund received her MLIS from San José State University School of Information in May 2012, and has held her current position for a little over two years. In May 2012, she was awarded the Ken Haycock Award for Exceptional Professional Promise from San José State University School of Information. Nordlund has served on a wide variety of NMRT committees including NMRT Footnotes, NMRT Student Chapter of the Year Award, and NMRT Orientation committees. Since February 2013, Nordlund has been occasionally blogging for Public Libraries Online. Nordlund has a five-year-old daughter and outside of “librarianing” she enjoys running, yoga, and baking delectable treats.

As the 2015 NMRT Emerging Leader, Nordlund is excited about the possibilities the program will bring to deepen her involvement with the American Library Association (ALA) and NMRT. “I have been slowly integrating myself into NMRT through committee work and conference participation over the last three years, and I look forward to increasing my involvement with this wonderfully welcoming group,” she said. Nordlund joined NMRT in 2009 and currently serves as chair of the NMRT Footnotes Committee.

“Stacey has established an impressive record of leadership and dedication to librarianship in just a few years. We’re excited to support the professional development of someone so enthusiastic and driven,” noted NMRT President, Megan Hodge. Nordlund is the eighth NMRT sponsored Emerging Leader. Previous NMRT-sponsored Emerging Leaders are Linda Crook (then Shippert) in 2008, Alexandra Tyle-Annen in 2009, Janel Kinlaw (then White) in 2010, Megan Hodge in 2011, Heidi Steiner in 2012, Margaret Howard in 2013, and Kate Tkacik in 2014.

The Emerging Leaders program enables newer librarians from across the country to participate in workgroups, network with peers, gain an inside look into ALA’s structure and have an opportunity to serve the profession in a leadership capacity. As NMRT’s 2015 Emerging Leader, Nordlund will receive $1000 towards the costs of attending the 2015 Midwinter Meeting in Chicago, IL as well as the 2015 Annual Conference in San Francisco, CA.

NMRT, a round table of ALA, is an organization for people with fewer than 10 years of membership in ALA. To learn more about NMRT, visit http://www.ala.org/nmrt .

Dana Skwirut

Children’s Librarian

Edison Township Public Library, Edison, NJ

A little about Dana’s job:

I am a children’s librarian in a very busy library, where I help our young patrons find information for school projects as well as their next favorite book. I plan programs for multiple branches, ranging from lapsits and preschool story times to events for elementary school students. I also visit district schools to promote various library services, most recently in the form of visiting kindergarten to talk about library cards.
 

1) What are some things you like about your job or about working in libraries in general?

During the aforementioned kindergarten visits, I received a lot of very specific questions about the kinds of books we had at the library, and what would happen if we didn’t have a certain book, and a number of other questions in this vein that only five-year-olds tend to ask. Eventually their teacher announced, “Listen, if they don’t have it, they can get it for you.” And that’s really the core of what we do, isn’t it? If you want to learn something, I can help you find out about it. If we do not have that information onsite, I can get it for you. It is literally my job and my priority to connect you with that information. I love being able to help people follow their passions. As a bonus, since I work with children, these passions are usually topics such as Legos, princesses, trains, and the latest Diary of A Wimpy Kid book.

2) What’s a project or committee you’re working on right now that you’re excited about?

I am really excited to do work as a member of NMRT’s Membership Promotion, Diversity, & Recruitment Committee. We are reaching out to library schools to connect  with students interested in future roles within ALA. I feel incredibly lucky to have known someone already involved in the organization, otherwise I might have never gotten involved nor ever known about NMRT fresh out of school. I think it’s important to connect new librarians to an organization that is there to help them.

3) What got you interested in libraries?

I have always been drawn to connecting people to information. In undergrad, this took the form of a major in communication with a focus on PR, but something did not feel quite right about that career path. Later I realized I wasn’t interested in connecting people with just any information, I wanted to help them find information in which they were interested. I was drawn to libraries, and public libraries specifically, because the access to information is free and open, giving everyone a chance to learn whatever they want.

4) What is one of your favorite things about NMRT?

Being an NMRT member really opens doors for new professionals. I was clueless but interested in being involved with ALA right after graduating from library school two years ago, and being introduced to NMRT really helped clear a lot of that confusion. I love that being a member of an NMRT committee really means being part of a team. This is my second year working on a committee, and I have gained an enormous amount of valuable experience and have had opportunities to meet and work with people I otherwise never would have met.

5) Do you have any advice for other new librarians?

Yes! Dare greatly, new librarians. I often hear things like, “I would love to do X but I am not sure about myself/I am so new/I am clueless.” Do not talk yourself out of opportunities, especially if it stems from a fear that you are too new, not ready, or not good enough. After all, how else can you learn something if you do not try at all?
 

We are in need of more NMRT Member of the Week nominations! Want to be our next member of the week? Know another new librarian who deserves to be in the spotlight? Fill out our nomination form here!