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).

Emily Mross

Northampton Community College Monroe Campus, Tannersville, PA

Monroe Campus Library Manager

A little bit about Emily’s job:

I oversee day-to-day operation of a newly-opened library, including management of staff and space. I also schedule and teach information literacy instruction for library-integrated classes as well as one-shot sessions, conduct reference work, and serve on various campus committees.

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

I love working with students. Many of my students are not very confident in their skills, either graduating recently from high school without much support, or returning to school after a long time. These students often have not had a great relationship with libraries/librarians, so I really look forward to making them feel comfortable in our space and confident in using our services to support their education.

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

I’ve recently taken responsibility for planning events on our campus related to an endowed college grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities that supports year-long humanities programs at my school. This year’s theme is “Agriculture and the American Identity”. My campus is a branch of the main campus and had not previously had much programming for NEH due to space constraints. Now we are on a beautiful new campus with plenty of room for gathering. Presently, I’m scheduling a film screening and discussion of the documentary Fed Up at a local non-profit theater and a farming presentation from a local living historical farm.

3) What got you interested in libraries?

I have always been deeply interested in connecting people with information, and originally set out to be a journalist. After some time in the field, I realized that while I still deeply believed in my mission of connecting people and information, journalism was not the best way for me personally to do it. After some soul searching, librarianship seemed like the perfect fit for my skills and interests. I get to work directly with my community and help connect them with the information they need, every day.

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

NMRT has been a great introduction to ALA as a whole. I’ve had a wonderful experience meeting new people at conferences and learning about the many things that librarians do without feeling like a lost newbie.

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

I think librarianship, especially for new librarians, can be a lot like improv. So the important thing to remember is to say YES. Obviously, you need to temper things and not get overwhelmed, but to really grow as a professional, it’s really important to greet new opportunities and challenges with a “yes” attitude.

Valentines Day is around the corner–share the love with your fellow NMRT members by nominating another librarian or yourself to be our next Member of the Week here!

Are you a new librarian? Tell it to the world!

NMRT will be selling T-shirts at the ALA store at the ALA Midwinter conference for $12. The design (see below) is the brainchild of the 2014 Emerging Leaders Team J.

New Members Round Table

2015 Midwinter Meeting Schedule

January 30 – February 3, 2015

Chicago, IL

Round Table Coordinating Assembly Fri Jan 30 10:30 – 12:00 pm MCP – Room W186c

ALA Finance Practices Meeting Fri Jan 30 02:30 pm 3:30 pm MCP – Room W179b

Conference Orientation (NMRT) Sat Jan 31 08:30 am 10:00 am MCP – Room W196a

Executive Board Committee Meeting (NMRT) Sat Jan 31 10:30 am 12:30 pm MCP – W186c

Membership & Networking & Committee Interest Meeting (NMRT) Sat Jan 31 03:00 pm 04:00 pm MCP – W474a

Midwinter Social Sat Jan 31 05:30 pm 07:30 pm Fleming’s

NMRT/LLAMA Discussion Group Sun Feb 1 10:30am 11:30am HRM – Grant Park/CC 12A

HRM – Hyatt Regency McCormick

MCP – McCormick Place West

Fleming’s – 25 East Ohio Street

Update: This event has been rescheduled for Friday, April 10 at 2pm-3pm EST/11am-12pm PST. To join the chat please go to: http://connect.ala.org/node/237410 .

Feel like there are not enough hours in the day to get everything done? Want to start the New Year with less stress and more time? Join NMRT for a live chat on Friday, January 30 at 2pm-3pm EST/11am-12pm PST to discuss tips and tricks to manage your time and workload. Whether you are a new librarian, a library student, or someone who has been a librarian for years, join us to share your experiences and learn something new!

The chat is open to all ALA members. To join the chat please go to: http://connect.ala.org/node/237410 (See instructions below to register)

1. If you are new to ALAConnect, here is how to join: If you want to log into ALAConnect, you will need to log in to the ALA website with your ALA credentials, update your profile, and select the option to include yourself in Connect. Once you have saved this new preference, you should be able to log in to Connect using your ALA member information. (It is recommended that you do this a hour or so before the chat to make sure everything is working properly.)

2. Once you have joined the community, you can join the chat here: NMRT January Live Chat: http://connect.ala.org/node/237410

Have you ever wished that libraryland offered something it didn’t? For example, a group for YA librarians who run robot teams to share ideas, or a writing circle to give you the motivation and support to write your first peer-reviewed article. If you’re a library school student or new librarian, you may have lots of ideas, but not know who to talk to about them. You might have an audience in mind, but think that you don’t have enough power or authority to bring them to fruition. Or you may have been a librarian for a while now, and are looking for a way to make your mark on the profession or your library.

I’ve got a crazy idea for you: take a deep breath, and “be the change you want to see in the world,” as Gandhi said. New to your job? Take advantage of the fact that you can get away with things now because “you don’t know how things work” at your workplace yet. In library school? You’re unbound by employer restrictions. Don’t let these kinds of things stop you. Think about what needs to happen to make your ideas a reality, and start hustling. If you’ve got a band of people who feel just as passionate about your idea as you, even better; you’ll be able to divide and conquer, and keep each other motivated. What’s the worst case scenario, after all?: someone says no, and your idea gets put on hold for a while.

Here are some examples to get you motivated: current NMRT Networking Director Tinamarie Vella wanted opportunities for folks to meet and network and get to know each other in person between conferences, so she’s set up networking socials for new librarians and library school students around the country. At ALA 2014, several library school students were talking about how great it would be if there were a roommate-matching service to help conference attendees find roommates to split the cost of a hotel with, and they’ve worked with an NMRT committee to create one going forward, starting with Midwinter 2015. And when Rebecca Miller and I were brand-new to working in Virginia libraries several years ago, we wished there were a group like NMRT but for Virginians, so new librarians could get to know each other and have programs devoted to our interests at the annual state conference. We successfully petitioned the state library association to form a Virginia New Members Round Table.

So #makeithappen in 2015, regardless of where you fall in the library hierarchy. (Pro tip: using the proposal template in step 8 here will go a long way towards getting administrative buy-in for your idea.) And if you think your idea would be a good fit for the NMRT, I want to know about it! Come find me at Midwinter, or shoot me an email at mlhodge @ gmail dot com.

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).