NMRT Conference Orientation

Posted on January 13, 2014 by nmrtsecretary

"The Beginning" Road Sign with dramatic blue sky and clouds.

Whether you are new to ALA, the Midwinter Meeting or neither all are invited to the Conference Orientation hosted by NMRT. The session will be held Saturday morning from 8:30-10 a.m. in the Pennsylvania Convention Center, room 307B. A panel of experts will answer questions about how to navigate the exhibits, decipher the conference program, things to do while you’re in Philadelphia, how ALA really works and ways to get involved. The panelists will be Kay Cassell from the ALA Membership Committee, ALA Membership Development Director Ron Jankowski, Alice Knapp of the Exhibits Round Table, NMRT President Emily Prather-Rodgers, Director of the Free Library of Philadelphia Siobhan Reardon and Jan Sanders from the ALA Conference Committee. Pick up tips from these pros on how best to spend your time at Midwinter, secrets to getting your share of free food, books, tote bags and other swag and how to make the most of your time in the city of brotherly love.

The Conference Orientation is also a great place to network with other new conference attendees and seasoned veterans alike, swap stories and share strategies. You may make a connection that leads to deeper involvement in ALA or influences the direction of your career, or perhaps you will just get to know some fun new people.The Conference Orientation is a great way to learn more about the Midwinter meeting, a prime opportunity for conference newcomers to network with each other and make connections with representatives from divisions and round tables, a good introduction to the city of Philadelphia, and an encouraging conference launch for first-time attendees and new members. So come hear from conference, ALA and library pros and get your Midwinter questions answered. We hope you will join us! http://alamw14.ala.org/node/12332

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2014 ALA Midwinter Meeting Schedule

Posted on January 12, 2014 by nmrtsecretary

We hope to see you soon in Philadelphia!

Saturday January 25, 2014:

Conference Orientation (NMRT)      8:30 am 10:00 am       PCC – Room 307B

Executive Board Committee Meeting (NMRT)      10:30 am 12:30 pm        PCC – Room 308

Membership & Networking Meeting          3:00 pm 04:00 pm                        PCC – 105B

Midwinter Social–The Black Sheep Pub         5:30 pm 07:30 pm                   (Black Sheep Pub – 247 S. 17th St.)

Sunday January 26, 2014:

NMRT/LLAMA Discussion Group                       10:30am 11:30am                        PCC – Room 108A

PCC – Pennsylvania Convention Center

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Dollars and Cents

Posted on December 18, 2013 by nmrtsecretary

Our guest blogger today is Jonathan Lu, NMRT Treasurer, to give us the run down on how NMRT spends money.

million-bucks

A lot of you might wonder why you need to pay fees for NMRT. The money just goes into a black hole or just enriches the officers. That can be further from the truth. The Board members and Chair persons volunteer their time to the Round table. We don’t see a cent of that money.

The money that we get goes to these following expenditures.

1.       Room and equipment rentals

At every conference we have to pay thousands of dollars for rooms at the convention center. These rooms are for several programs you might have heard of like Conference 101 and the Resume Review Service. Also due to union rules we also have to pay for all the microphones, sounds system, Internet and conference staff help.

2.       Scholarships and awards

NMRT supports several scholarships and awards including Student Chapter of the Year Award, Emerging Leader Sponsorship, Emerging Leader membership, Annual Conference Professional Development Attendance Award, Professional Development Grant, Spectrum, and all small door prizes during NMRT events.

3.       Food and Drinks

You be surprise how MUCH food and drinks cost at the convention center. Due to contract agreements with the convention center and hotels. No one is allowed to bring in their own food and drinks to their events. A gallon of coffee would cost about $15 on the outside. At the convention it would cost double. Food is even worst. So remember not to waste any food that you see in the meeting rooms. You paid for them.

4.       Initiatives

To try new things ALA has rules in place to help NMRT budget for new initiatives. Please look for new NMRT Initiative like webinars, speakers, pre conference programs, and swag in the future.

If you have any questions about how NMRT spend your hard earn dollars please e-mail the NMRT treasurer at lu118282@hotmail.com or come to any NMRT Board meeting at conference. These meeting are open to the public.

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2014 NMRT Emerging Leaders Projects

Posted on December 11, 2013 by nmrtsecretary

The NMRT Executive Board is pleased to announce the two proposed NMRT Projects have been accepted by the Emerging Leaders program* and were selected by 2014 Emerging Leaders! The Emerging Leaders get to select a project that interests them and are then separated into teams to complete the project for a division or round table within ALA. Each NMRT team will be supported by a Member Guide and the NMRT Staff Liaison, Kimberly Redd.

Team I will create a New Members Round Table Membership promotion video. Team I includes:

  • Tameca Beckett
  • Tegan Davis
  • Laura Miller
  • Shawn Walsh
  • Andrea Mullarkey, NMRT Member Guide

Team J will work on the development and marketing of NMRT-branded merchandise.  Team J includes:

  • Laura Arnhold
  • Erin Berman
  • Erin Huffman
  • Kate Tkacik, NMRT-sponsored 2014 Emerging Leader
  • Margaret Howard, NMRT Member Guide

Congratulations to the Emerging Leaders, and good luck on the projects. We are all very excited to see what you come up with!

*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.

 

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Midwinter Planning: Hotels

Posted on November 26, 2013 by nmrtsecretary

Want to get the most from your Midwinter Meeting in Philadelphia?  Reserve a room in the NMRT Midwinter Hotel Block today!

NMRT has requested a block of rooms at the Loews Philadelphia Hotel (1200 Market St.) to be held for reservations by members attending the Midwinter Meeting.  This block encourages members to network with their neighbors and will be particularly nice on Saturday evening when Midwinter Social (Black Sheep Pub, 247 S. 17th St.) attendees may choose to share a cab or walk back to the hotel together.   

To reserve a room within the NMRT block, you may indicate during the conference registration process that you are an NMRT member and select the Loews Philadelphia Hotel.

If you have already registered for the meeting, you may contact OnPeak, ALA’s official housing partner, at (800) 584-9047 to add a hotel reservation to your registration or to change your reservation. 

Rates at the Loews Philadelphia Hotel are $165 (single/double), $175 (triple), $185 (double). 

The hotel is located across from the Pennsylvania Convention Center and SEPTA Market East Regional Rail Station.  It occupies the original home of the first savings bank in the United States (http://www.loewshotels.com/en/Philadelphia-Hotel/guide/local);  offers complimentary access to a state-of-the-art fitness center, including lap pool (http://www.loewshotels.com/en/Philadelphia-Hotel/spa/fitness); and is home  the Level 33 Resaurant and Sky Lounge (http://www.loewshotels.com/en/restaurants/level33) overlooking the Center City skyline.

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ALA Council Candidates

Posted on November 22, 2013 by nmrtsecretary

Good luck to the following NMRT members running for ALA Council:

Denice Adkins

Tina Chan

Tyler Dzuba

Susan L. Jennings

Individuals who are interested in running for ALA Council by Petition may file petitions through the 11:59 p.m. on Friday, January 31, 2014.  Instructions for filing petitions can be found at http://www.ala.org/aboutala/governance/alaelection .

Ballot mailing for the 2014 ALA Election will begin on March 19.  The election will close on April 25, 2014.”

See http://www.ala.org/news/press-releases/2013/09/ala-announces-slate-council-candidates for the original press release.

 

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Looking to Publish? Here is your Opportunity!

Posted on November 20, 2013 by nmrtsecretary

Are you a new librarian who’s just starting down the tenure track? A current student or recent grad who did original research as part of your LIS program? Scholarly publishing can be one of the most mysterious and often daunting tasks faced by new librarians. What do you write about? Where can you submit your article when it’s finished? What happens then?

Endnotes: The Journal of the New Members Round Table, NMRT’s e-journal, exists to provide support for librarians who want or need to publish scholarly articles. We publish peer-reviewed research by NMRT members that’s directed at new librarians.

Articles generally range from 2000 – 4000 words and present original research, practitioner-based research, and/or case studies that address issues faced by new librarians. Previous issues have included articles on the availability of mentoring for new librarians, management training in library school, and surviving the tenure process; all previously published articles can be viewed on the Endnotes committee page (http://www.ala.org/nmrt/oversightgroups/comm/schres).

Endnotes accepts article submissions throughout the year, but anything received by Dec. 1 will receive guaranteed consideration for our upcoming Spring 2014 issue. If you have an article idea, feel free to email me at nmrtendnotesjournal@gmail.com and we can discuss whether it would be a good fit. All submissions are peer-reviewed by the Endnotes committee, which is made up of NMRT members–new librarians like you. All authors, regardless of article acceptance, will receive comments and suggestions from the peer reviewers.

Endnotes also publishes reviews of books and media relevant to new librarians. If you’re  interested in reviewing, email me at nmrtendnotesjournal@gmail.com and request to be included on the reviewers’ mailing list. Our next call for reviewers is coming up in January. We can provide the books to review, or if there’s a book or website that you are interested in reviewing, please let me know.

And if you’d like to learn more about scholarly publishing from the other side, fill out the NMRT volunteer form in February and volunteer to be part of the Endnotes committee. You’ll gain experience as a peer reviewer as well as with other aspects of the publication process.

For more information about Endnotes, including complete submission guidelines, visit http://www.ala.org/nmrt/oversightgroups/comm/schres or email me at nmrtendnotesjournal@gmail.com.

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NMRT candidates for 2014 election

Posted on November 5, 2013 by nmrtsecretary

The NMRT Board and Nominating Committee are pleased to present our slate of candidates for the 2014 election!
More information about each position is available in the NMRT Handbook.
Opportunities to get to know and ask questions of each candidate will be coming soon.

Kirby McCurtis, candidate for Vice President/President-Elect
Holly Okuhara, candidate for Vice President/President-Elect
Mandi Goodsett, candidate for Secretary
Jessica Sender, candidate for Secretary
Easter DiGangi, candidate for Assistant Treasurer/Treasurer-Elect
Anita Riley Dryden, candidate for Assistant Treasurer/Treasurer-Elect
Michelle Demeter, candidate for Networking Director
Tinamarie Vella, candidate for Networking Director
Stephanie Santiful, candidate for Outreach Director
Kelly Trowbridge, candidate for Outreach director
Rachel Altman, candidate for Councilor
Heather McNabb, candidate for Councilor

Questions? Contact the NMRT Nominating committee at nmrtnominations@gmail.com.

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LLAMA/NMRT New Leaders Discussion Group seeks Conversation Starter proposals!

Posted on November 4, 2013 by nmrtsecretary

LLAMA/NMRT New Leaders Discussion Group invites the submission of proposals for “Discussion Starters” at its meeting at the 2014 ALA Midwinter Conference in Philadelphia, PA. A Discussion Starter is a short and informal presentation that aims to provide a starting point for lively conversations.

We look for enthusiastic speakers to lead the discussion by sharing their experience (it could either be a positive experience or a lesson learned), helpful tips, and advice on the topic. A panel discussion format will be used with each Discussion Leader having 8 minutes to present their topic. We will then break into small groups (joined by Discussion Starters) for in-depth discussions of the topics and ideas raised.

At this year’s Midwinter conference, we are interested in topics focusing on advocacy for librarians and libraries. We seek proposals for discussion starters that address this topic from a variety of angles, including (but not limited to):

  • Elevator advocacy: how to promote yourself and your library in 2 minutes or less
  • Self-advocacy for career advancement
  • Grassroots advocacy for libraries
  • Advice and tips based on experience

Proposals are due by November 29. Notification of acceptance will be made by December 20. Submit a 50 word or less abstract using this form. Questions about the program should be directed to Bethany Tschaepe (bethany.tschaepe@gmail.com).

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NMRT announces Kate Tkacik as 2014 Emerging Leader

Posted on October 31, 2013 by nmrtsecretary

04db2bcThe New Members Round Table (NMRT) is pleased to announce Kate Tkacik as its representative in the 2014 Emerging Leaders program. Tkacik is currently working as a business librarian with the Bank of Montreal Business Research Group in Chicago.

She received her MLIS from Dominican University in 2012. In addition to her work at BMO, Tkacik helped shape the “tumblarian” community (librarians on tumblr), and regularly blogs at “TheLifeguardLibrarian” (thelifeguardlibrarian.tumblr.com). She was named one of Library Journal’s 2013 Movers & Shakers for this work.

As the 2014 NMRT Emerging Leader, Tkacik is excited about the possibilities the program will bring to deepen her involvement with the American Library Association (ALA) and NMRT. “I’m incredibly thrilled and appreciative for this opportunity to participate in the Emerging Leaders program. I can’t wait to meet my cohort and do work,” she said. Tkacik joined NMRT in 2013 and currently serves on the Web Committee.

“Kate’s abundant energy and commitment to engaging with and inspiring diverse groups of individuals was obvious from her Emerging Leaders Program application,” noted NMRT President, Emily Prather-Rodgers. Tkacik is the seventh 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, and Margaret Howard in 2013.

As NMRT’s 2014 Emerging Leader, Tkacik will attend the 2014 Midwinter Meeting in Philadelphia, PA as well as the 2014 Annual Conference in Las Vegas, NV.

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. Emerging Leaders receive up to $1,000 each to participate in the Midwinter Meeting and Annual Conference, and each participant is expected to provide years of service to ALA or one of its units.

NMRT, a roundtable 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

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