https://ala-events.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_5wZ90lZ1SYWUVS0Ny2YoJQ
Join New Members Round Table in a candid webinar about job searching during the pandemic. There will be a panel discussion among recent hirees and hiring professionals about tips to improve your job search with a Q&A at the end of the discussion. This panel discussion will specifically focus on job searching in the academic library field and it will not be recorded.
NMRT-Event2-Poster1NMRT is looking for committee volunteers to begin serving from July 2021 to June 2022. NMRT committees can be found here, as well as a brief description of what each committee is responsible for http://www.ala.org/rt/nmrt/oversightgroups/comm.
No experience is required and a perfect way to get your toes wet in ALA work and in committee work! More information can be found in the link below!
http://www.ala.org/rt/nmrt/nmrt-committee-volunteer-form
Thanks for your consideration!
NMRT Annual Social
Sunday, June 27th at 5:00pm central
Join the NMRT for virtual happy hour socializing and games!
We’ll have trivia, Jackbox games, discussion rooms and even door prizes. Meet and network with your NMRT and ALA peers. All are welcome but space is limited, so sign up soon!
https://ala-events.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJwkfuqprjkrG9bXv-g3beS2yManoDEoKcWu
By: Joy Dubose
Service and volunteering are a great way to become involved in any profession, and library science is no different. Whether you are interested in volunteering at a state, regional or national level, it can be a good experience and provide you with a unique perspective. However, it can be confusing to know just how to get involved in committees, how to get involved in leadership, and to know which committees are best for new members.
Committees of all types are necessary for the effective functioning of library associations. The American Library Association (ALA) is one of the largest associations for library professionals. ALA incorporates smaller regional associations and even smaller state associations. By researching these different associations, it is possible to explore many of the current committees. Committees from these different associations, allow for different opportunities. By serving on a state committee, it is possible to be more aware of certain professional problems of your state, like libraries not having enough catalogers. Serving on a national committee allows you to see problems around the country and see solutions others might have developed for problems that you may encounter.
The best way to get involved in any committees is to first decide which ones you are interested in. Then, contact the chair or current members to see when the committee is open for new members. Some committees are annual and renew every year with new members, and some are standing committees that people can join at any time. If you do not see a committee that you might be interested in and have an idea for one, do not be afraid to reach out to the association with the idea. They may point you to a committee you missed, or eventually create one if there is sufficient need.
ALA and its subsidiaries are not the only library associations. There are plenty of others. It is also important to talk to your co-workers. They may be involved in associations and committees that you might not be aware of. There are also plenty of email listservs for library professionals to join. Post your question on a listserv, and a peer may be able to point you to a committee that interests you.
Once you get involved in a committee, you may be interested in serving in a leadership role, such as its chair or vice-chair. Many committees will have “volunteer” calls and ask people if they are interested in serving as a chair or vice-chair. However, these generally happen only once a year. While some have these open calls for volunteers, many other committees have elections and will call for nominations. These may happen once a year, but some may happen every few years. Again, it is important to research the committee and see what the leadership process is. Larger positions, like heads of the association, will be voted on. A nomination committee may be in charge of its election process. It is possible to contact that committee and find out when elections are for positions like secretary or treasurer.
For those that are new to the profession, all of this can be quite daunting. However, there is help at hand. Most associations have a New Members Round Table group, NMRT. This can be just one committee or a group of committees. For ALA there are several committees that fall under the NMRT umbrella. Also, you can only be involved in NMRT for a certain amount of time and then you are graduated out. This allows newcomers to the profession to meet others and learn and express ideas. If a national association seems too foreboding, many regional and state associations have new member committees. The NMRT allows newcomers to get to know the profession better and hopefully have some mentoring/mentored moments with others within the association.
While getting involved in professional associations can seem daunting and confusing, it can also be greatly rewarding. Serving in committees allows people to grow, come to new ideas, and meet people from different backgrounds. While committees vary and do require hard work, the rewards certainly outweigh the cost.
Perspectives, an interview series that will highlight the work of librarians in different fields and professional specializations. Our series will focus on the experiences of our participants, what they do, what they have learned, and offer advice to those interested in librarianship and various fields. To our readers, our committee hopes this column will highlight the valuable labor these individuals perform on an everyday basis. Our interviews will provide perspective on what labor in these fields entails and current issues that affect librarianship, employment, etc. On behalf of the Communications Committee, we hope you find this new column illuminating, informative, and inspiring!
Tell us about your current job and what about your job you enjoy the most?
I really enjoy working in teams and collaboratively identifying opportunities and solutions together. I think it’s important to recognize that a lot of the work we do is centered on relationship building and collaboration.
Can you describe a memorable moment in your career?
One memorable moment in my career was when I organized and hosted a webinar for ACRL back in Spring 2018 and we featured three distinguished speakers on the issue of free speech on campuses — Dr. Joan DelFattore connected me to UC Irvine Chancellor Dr. Howard Gillman and UC Berkeley School of Law Dean (at UC Irvine School of Law at the time) Erwin Chemerinsky. Dr. Gillman had an emergency and couldn’t join us but we had Dr. DelFattore and Dean Chemerinsky to talk about interpretations and implications of free speech on colleges today. It was well attended and I was honored to have organized such an important webinar discussion.
What kinds of professional development do you do?
I really like to organize events and programs (in-person or online). I believe that professional development can enhance one’s personal and professional opportunities; expand their networks and connect to new and different topics. At the moment, I am looking at how to teach special collections online/virtually or in hybrid roles effectively. These areas include looking at digital pedagogy and technologies to consider. It’s an opportunity to bring special collections in virtual environments.
Is there one piece of advice you have received in your career thus far that stands out the most (you carry with you in your work)?
You can say yes to everything but know that you are saying no to something else. Saying yes to opportunities can feel great, and can create new experiences or networks; however, this may also prevent you from working on something else. Keep that in mind because it is an opportunity cost.
What are some things you know now about your job/librarianship that you wish you had known before entering the field?
I wish I had known that joining associations and being active in associations was key in expanding networks as an early career librarian. I thought if people attended conferences, that would be sufficient but that’s not the case necessarily. People get to know one another through committee service work. Consider joining as an early career/as a student if you can.
What do you think some misconceptions about librarians/libraries/librarianship are?
I think people in general tend to assume or have a misconception that libraries/library workers and the field are universally supportive of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in everything we do. We are to a certain extent but there are so much more work to do in expanding DEI values in our framing as library workers, in what we do, what we collect, share, uplift — how we recruit/retain Black/Indigenous/People of Color (BIPOC) folks and other underrepresented folks in the profession; and how do we truly center DEI work in our practice? — This also includes accountability – how do we ensure that we are practicing what we are saying. Saying we are “open” and “supportive” in statements or websites might not be sufficient to actually engage in intentional DEI work.
What are some current professional obstacles in this field that upcoming professionals should know about?
What I am seeing now is a huge shift in how we are thinking about our work — and the resistance that comes with it. So when we are talking about new values or opportunities, we have to ask ourselves, how do we expand them for other folks? Who is not included in this discussion? Who should be in this discussion? Like any other industry, upcoming professionals need to recognize that there will be challenges in the profession – so for example, if we are aiming to promote DEI values, there will be resistance (intentional or not) whether these barriers include policies, systems, lack of resources and/or personnel — we need to recognize that how and what we are reframing to do can challenge our own perspectives and values. This takes time and I think we need to acknowledge that any kind of change will take time.
What professional advice would you give to graduate students who are about to enter the field?
Be involved in association work, learn and meet people online (if you cannot attend conferences due to cost and covid at the moment) but this is where you can learn and connect with others who can tell you more about XYZ job, position, region, etc. I think it’s helpful to learn that you’ll always be evolving your practice. It’s always good to take charge of your learning and be proactive in seeking and managing your professional development opportunities. Even after you obtain a job or a job of your choice, always stay in touch and get engaged.
The New Members Round Table (NMRT) is excited to sponsor a limited number of ALA memberships and NMRT memberships for those who qualify for free registration for the upcoming ALA Annual Conference. Anyone who has recently been furloughed, laid off, experienced a reduction in paid work hours, or otherwise unemployed as a result of the global health pandemic is invited to complete the application to request a sponsored ALA and/or NMRT membership. Students are eligible for both an ALA and NMRT membership; other library workers are eligible for a sponsored NMRT membership.
If you would like to have your ALA membership sponsored by NMRT, please complete the application (https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/HYXZZC7) by Friday May 21, 2021. Recipients will be notified by Tuesday June 1, 2021.
The results are in! On behalf of NMRT, the SCTOYA -Student Chapter of the Year Award- Committee would like to congratulate the University of Hawaii at Manoa as our 2020/2021 winner! Congrats are also in order to Kent State University’s student chapter for finishing as a runner-up! A big thank you to all student chapters who submitted an application!
By Kim Cull
The February discussion focused on a more difficult topic: diversity, equity, and inclusion in our library institutions. When I was thinking about moderating this discussion, I wanted to make it quite clear that I understand how difficult this topic can be for some people and that they do not have to share anything that makes them feel vulnerable or uncomfortable. That is something that I want to reiterate here as well: only share what you are comfortable sharing. Your trauma and experiences are not currency; only you get to own them.
To prompt the discussion, I posed four questions:
As with many things, DEI efforts look a little different at each institution. Some libraries appear to be doing a fantastic job and other libraries could do more. It is good to see that our libraries are trying even if it is not done perfectly or as quickly as we would hope. We live in a very wonderful and amazingly diverse country and world, and we should embrace it. We need to strive to make our staff representative of that diversity and our collections fit the needs of our communities. It is also time to re-evaluate our collection descriptions, subject headings, and how we classify materials within our collections. If the words we use are harmful and upsetting to someone in our community, we should make strides to change the language used and do better in the future. Obviously, there are often many challenges and roadblocks, but we should never stop trying.
One thing we discussed last month was that thinking about all the things you can do to bring change or all the things that need to change can be overwhelming and frustrating. It was suggested that we should start with small changes and then slowly build up to big changes. Instead of trying to update 5 outdated terms in the catalog and taking your proposal all the way to the Library of Congress, start with changing one term in house and go from there. Try building a relationship and trust with one underrepresented group in the community and slowly build bridges from there. Start diversifying one area of your collection instead of trying overhaul your entire collection. Small steps and changes can lead to much bigger changes.
Another thing discussed is that when it comes to confronting discriminatory actions done by those around us, how you respond can depend on your relationship with the person or people committing those actions. It helps to know how someone will respond before you step in and say something. Some people feel more comfortable confronting others, and some people would rather avoid that. Hopefully, one day we will live in a world where no one fears that they will not be welcome somewhere based on the color of their skin, their ethnicity, their religion, their gender identity, their disabilities, or anything that makes them a little different.
The final thing discussed were resources that people could use to learn more about DEI topics. One suggestion was to look for free webinars on DEI topics. TED talks were also suggested because of the wide variety of topics available. This talk titled The Political Power of Being a Good Neighbor is quite good. Three books were also suggested: White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo (though there has been more criticism of the book within the last year), Stamped by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi, and Why are all the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? by Beverly Daniel Tatum.
Hopefully, this post encourages you to start making small changes to improve DEI efforts at your institution and within your community.
