NMRT Notes

NMRT offers training, opportunities, and a wide variety of programs on the national, state and local levels to assist, encourage, and educate those new to the association and the profession. Now is the opportunity for you or a librarian you know to take a leadership role in that mission!

The NMRT Board needs nominations for the following six open positions on its 2016 election slate. The terms-of-office, attendance obligations, and responsibilities vary between the positions. Nominations (self nominations welcome) are due by September 23, 2015.

Nominations should be sent to NMRTNominations@gmail.com.

Vice President/President Elect

• Three year term of office (Vice-President 2016-2017, President 2017-18, Past-President 2018-19).
• Must physically attend both Midwinter and Annual conferences, and participation in e-board meetings throughout the year is expected.
• The Vice-President/President-Elect assists the President in performing those duties the President assigns and prepares for their Presidential term the following year.
• The Vice-President/President-Elect handles committee appointments and acts as a representative of NMRT.

More information.

Secretary

• One year term of office (2016-2017).
• Must physically attend both Midwinter and Annual conferences, and participation in e-board meetings throughout the year is expected.
• The Secretary attends all NMRT Board Meetings, and is a voting member of the Board.
• The Secretary also requests reports of Board members and committee chairs throughout the year and coordinates NMRT social networking presence on the appropriate tools.

More information.

Treasurer

• Three year term of office (2016-2019; one year as Assistant Treasurer/Treasurer-Elect,followed by two years as Treasurer).
• Must physically attend both Midwinter and Annual conferences, and participation in e-board meetings throughout the year is expected.
• The Treasurer attends all NMRT Board Meetings and (after the first year) is a voting member of the Board.
• The Treasurer serves as fiscal officer for NMRT, channeling the funds of the Round Table as needed; serves as the financial clearinghouse for NMRT funds including coordinating the payment of bills and monitoring funds spent and encumbered so that the NMRT budget is followed; reserves the NMRT hotel blocks at the Midwinter and Annual Conferences according to NMRT needs; and trains theAssistant Treasurer/Treasurer-Elect in the third year of her/his term.

More information.

Networking Director

• Two year term of office (2016-2018)
• Must virtually or physically attend both Midwinter and Annual conferences, and participation in e-board meetings throughout the year is expected.
• The Networking Director oversees the activities of the following committees: Awards Reception Committee, Annual Conference Local Information Committee, Association Options Committee (formerly called Membership Pavilion Committee), and Midwinter Social Committee and Orientations Committee.
• The director provides assistance, advice and support to these committees as needed. The Networking Director also acts as liaison to the TOLD committee.

More information.

Outreach Director

• Two year term of office (2016-2018)
• Must virtually or physically attend both Midwinter and Annual conferences, and participation in e-board meetings throughout the year is expected.
• The Outreach Director oversees the activities of the following committees: Student Reception Committee; Student and Student Chapter Outreach (SASCO); Membership Promotion, Diversity and Recruitment (MPDR); Liaison Coordination and Support (LC&S); and Student Chapter of the Year Award (SCOTYA). The director provides assistance, advice and support to these committees as needed.

More information.

Councilor

• Three year term of office (2016-2019)
• Must physically attend both Midwinter and Annual conferences, and participation in e-board meetings throughout the year is expected.
• The NMRT Councilor serves on the NMRT Executive Board.
• The Councilor reports to the NMRT Executive Board and to the membership on ALA Council activities and presents those ALA issues and Council documents upon which the Executive Board may wish to act.
• The Councilor receives direction from the Executive Board regarding positions to be taken on ALA Council issues and sponsors Council resolutions as requested by the Executive Board.

More information.

Member Services Director

• Two year term of office (2016-2018)
• Must virtually or physically attend both Midwinter and Annual conferences, and participation in e-board meetings through the year is expected.
• The Member Services Director oversees the activities of the following committees: Web committee, Resume Review committee, Mentoring committee, and Footnotes committee. The director provides assistance, advice and support to these committees as needed.
• The Member Services Director is also appointed to the Membership Promotion Task Force, a subcommittee of the ALA Membership Committee.

More information.

The 2015 NMRT Professional Development Grant Award Committee is pleased to announce the recipients of the Mango Languages/NMRT Professional Development Grant Award and Gale Cengage/NMRT Professional Development Grant Award. These $1,000 awards were graciously sponsored by Mango Languages and Gale Cengage Learning. This award provides funding to cover airfare, lodging, and conference registration fees for attendance at the American Library Association Annual Conference and fosters in-person participation in ALA and NMRT professional activities.

Nora (at left) with Connie Carter, Head of Science Reference Section at the Library of Congress

Nora Ohnishi is the recipient of the Gale Cengage Learning/NMRT Professional Development Grant Award. She is currently completing an internship at the Library of Congress as a Web Archives Assistant, selecting websites for inclusion into online collections. She received her B.A. from Sul Ross State University in Alpine, Texas, and completed her MIS from the University of North Texas, focusing on health informatics. Nora has interned at the Disaster Information Management Research Center and National library of Medicine, working to provide disaster and emergency medical health information to the general public. Nora’s interests focus on early career librarian advocacy, bridging the digital divide, providing access and information to rural communities, and expanding access to health information.

Veronica Leigh Milliner is the recipient of the Mango Languages/NMRT Professional Development Grant Award. She works as a Library and Information Services Trainer for the St. Lucia Public Library System in the Eastern Caribbean. She graduated from Carnegie Mellon University with a BA double major in Ethics, History, & Public Policy and Film & Media Studies. She went on to receive a MLIS from the University of Pittsburgh in 2010. Veronica’s interests in the library field include library services for poor and marginalized people — both domestically and abroad, public programming/outreach, and ways in which libraries serve as transformative and beneficial institutions within our communities.

More information about the NMRT Professional Development Grant, including a list of past recipients, is available on the NMRT Awards, Grants, and Scholarships webpage.

Evan Meszaros

Kelvin Smith Library | Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH

Digital Research Services Librarian for the Sciences

A little about Evan’s job:

My position straddles two library teams, one being the team for Digital Learning & Scholarship, for which I’m tasked with data services/management/visualization support for STEM researchers at my institution. The other team is Research Services, for which I play more traditional librarian roles, such as reference, collection development, instruction, and liaison support to my department.

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

While I’m still new to the profession of academic librarianship (about 10 months as of this writing), I’ve really enjoyed the breadth of subjects I’m exposed to, the variety of tasks I’m assigned, and the interaction with colleagues and patrons as part of my daily responsibilities. I’d also be lying if I said that libraries, as quiet places of contemplation, don’t appeal to me more generally, so I see my workplace as an added incentive to work in this field.

2) What got you interested in libraries?

With a background in science and a longtime interest in “organized skepticism,” my transition to an academic library career seemed like a logical choice, allowing me to fulfill my desire to support scholarship while also working to address our society’s dire information literacy needs.

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

That it exists at all! I suspect that most professions are somewhat bewildering to newbies, and to have a group like this, composed of other, relatively new entrants is comforting. Though I haven’t done so yet, I plan to take advantage of the NMRT’s mentoring program soon for some added guidance in my transition from padawan library school learner to full-on jedi master librarian!

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!

Congrats to our newly elected 2015-2016 NMRT Executive Board Members! It was a close race with many excellent candidates; congrats to all of those who ran and I can’t wait to see what exciting new things our leaders have in store for NMRT!

Vice-President/President Elect: Kate Kosturski
“NMRT is an organization close to my heart – as I recall from my own student and new member experiences in 2007, ALA is vast and confusing. To be able to lead this fine group and help open doors for new members to their proper place in ALA is a true honor, and I look forward to continued work on the board and for our members. Thank you to all who voted!”

Secretary: Karen Doster-Greenleaf
“I’m excited to take a more active role in NMRT leadership and appreciate the opportunity to promote the great work the Round Table brings to the ALA community.”

Leadership Development Director: Nicole Spoor

Member Services Director: Julia Frankosky
“I’m super excited to be the new NMRT Member Services Director! I can’t wait to start working with the fabulous Board and all the fantastic NMRT members and prospective members.”

The Annual Conference Professional Development Attendance Award Committee is pleased to announce our two awards recipients.

April Grey will be attending the International Librarians Reception. April is an Assistant Professor and the Catalog Librarian at Adelphi University in Garden City, New York. She is also the liaison for the Psychology Department. April serves on the ALA Committee on Diversity and the ALCTS Copy Cataloging Interest Group.

Michael Mungin will be attending the Freedom to Read Foundation & Merritt Fund 45th Anniversary Party. Michael is the Psychology Liaison Librarian at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia, where he provides reference, research, and instruction services to JMU’s dedicated students and faculty. He is active in the Black Caucus of the American Librarian Association, The Psychology Committee of ACRL EBSS, and the GLBTRT of ALA.

Congratulations to both, and have a wonderful conference!

Networking is an essential ingredient in a successful job search, but taking the first step can be intimidating. An online program sponsored by the New Members Roundtable (NMRT) Annual Program Committee will offer networking tools, tips and resources for stepping boldly into your new library career.

Join us Tuesday, June 9 at noon (EST) for “Networking and Your Job Hunt” and learn the art of effective networking in the library profession from our presenters, Rachael Altman, Kate Kosturski, and Mary-Michelle Moore. The session will be accessible online through Adobe Connect at http://ala.adobeconnect.com/networkingprog/. Please sign in early, as space is limited to 100 participants.

Rachael Altman is Chief Operating Officer of INALJ (I Need A Library Job LLC). She has a MLIS from Syracuse University and undergraduate and graduate English degrees from Bradley University. Rachael currently works as a corporate research analyst with Grant Thornton International, Ltd. in Chicago. She volunteers with SLA-Illinois Chapter and the Chicago Chapter of Ellevate and Project ENABLE.

Kate Kosturski is JSTOR’s Senior Institutional Participation Coordinator for the UK and Northern Europe, advising libraries on the best JSTOR products to fit their needs. Kate received her MLS from the Pratt Institute School of Information and Library Science, and also holds a BA in Government from York College of Pennsylvania. Kate is active in ALA and was recently elected Vice-President/President-Elect of NMRT.

Mary-Michelle Moore works as a library assistant for the University of California, Irvine. She has an undergraduate degree in Anthropology from UCLA and a MLIS from Rutgers. Mary-Michelle has seven years’ experience as a paraprofessional and is looking for her first professional level position. She volunteers with INALJ as a senior editor and is active in ACRL and CARL (California ACRL chapter).

The NMRT Annual Program Committee sponsors online programs designed to support library professionals. For further information, contact the committee co-chairs Alyse Ergood at ergood@palmbeachstated.edu or Beth Canzoneri at bcanzoneri@uidaho.edu.

The New Members Roundtable (NMRT) of the American Library Association (ALA) invites you to join us to recognize our award winners and to network and socialize with other NMRT members (non-members welcome!) at our Awards Reception on Sunday, June 28, 2015 at 7:30PM at the Parc 55 Hotel during the ALA Annual Conference. The reception will be held in the Embarcadero room on Level 3 of the Parc 55 Hotel. The Parc 55 Hotel is located at 55 Cyril Magnin Street, San Francisco, CA 94102.

Please RSVP on ALA Connect: http://alaac15.ala.org/node/28763

or Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/395958850588987/

Hope to see you there!

Crystal Ellis
Centre College, Danville, KY
Reference and Interlibrary Loan Librarian

A little about Crystal’s job:
I staff the reference desk 20 hours a week, serve as the Division 1 liaison, as well as supervise two student workers in Interlibrary Loan. We are in the process of creating tutorial quizzes for our first year students and will be starting some digital humanities projects in the upcoming months.

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

I love my coworkers and the students at Centre College. They make coming to work enjoyable and worthwhile.

2) What got you interested in libraries?

I have loved libraries, reading, and books since the 4th grade. I was an unmotivated reader until my elementary librarian handed me a book and ever since I have loved to read. I became a K-12 certified librarian for that reason, but ended up in a job that I love at Centre College.

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

My advice to new librarians is to try new things, make suggestions, and don’t be afraid to fail. Many times we continue doing what we have always done because it’s the status quo, but there is so much more that can be done by just speaking up.

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!

The NMRT Resume Review Service Committee is recruiting volunteer resume reviewers and booth greeters as well as taking resume review appointments for ALA 2015 Annual. 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, June 27th, and Sunday, June 28th, from 9:00 am – 5:00 pm. The service is free of charge to anyone. Appointment 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.