ALA elections are here and this year NMRT is electing a Vice-President/President-Elect, Treasurer, Secretary, Outreach Director, Member Services Director, and Networking Director. Below, our candidates answer a few questions about their plans for the position.
Name: Christina Rodriguez
Question 1: Why are you interested in this position?
I would like to be Outreach Director for NMRT because I believe in the value that NMRT brings to early career librarians & LIS students in the library field. NMRT provides so many opportunities for members to get involved and grow in their careers. As Outreach Director I will be able to apply my experience and skills in order to help NMRT bring that value to the forefront. I want both current and prospective members of NMRT to feel heard, to know they have a network of their peers they can rely on, and most importantly to get value out of their membership.
Question 2: What skills and experiences do you bring to the position?
In my current role as Outreach Coordinator for Member Relations at OCLC, I spend my time working with a very diverse group of members from libraries all over the globe. I welcome new members to the cooperative, and communicate resources they have access to. I work with our global and regional councils who help govern the cooperative, and manage an online community where they can engage with one another to solve problems and share information. I work with emerging leaders from developing countries through the IFLA OCLC Fellowship program and my team works closely with LIS schools throughout the country to increase awareness of OCLC and larger library trends. I have experience planning large conferences and smaller member meetings throughout the country all designed to bring people together to share ideas and find solutions to the challenges libraries face. I am the current chair for the NMRT committee for Membership Promotion, Diversity and Recruitment and I recently founded an Early Career Professionals group at OCLC. I believe I have a unique skill set and a passion for this work that will allow me to be successful in this role.
Question 3:Â As Outreach Director, you will oversee several NMRT committees that focus on students. What value do you feel LIS students bring to NMRT?
LIS students are so important to the library profession. Whether they are still in school or just graduating, they have a diverse set of talents and interests that they bring to the table. We were all students once and we know how much passion and energy we had for our careers and for the library profession. NMRT is the perfect group to welcome LIS students and early career librarians to ALA and the larger library community because they can provide opportunities to get involved, and the tools and resources LIS students and early career librarians can use to jumpstart their careers.
Question 4: What do you hope to learn if elected?
If elected, I hope to learn how NMRT is governed and how they work with other groups and ALA at large. I want to learn how we can position NMRT as a driving force for opportunity, change and innovation for its members and how we can leverage their talents to further their careers and improve the library profession.
Question 5: If elected, what time management skills will you employ to ensure that your NMRT duties remain a priority?
NMRT is very much aligned with my passion for helping people and providing opportunities for early career librarians and LIS students to get involved and grow in their careers. It is because of that passion that the work I would do for this position would be a top priority. I am highly organized and action oriented. I like to work hard and get the job done. I also know that no one can accomplish anything alone. By working together and sharing responsibilities we can accomplish our goals and make a real impact for NMRT