NMRT Notes

Are you a member of NMRT and another ALA unit or library organization? Are you looking for a way to be more involved? Then our liaison program is for you! We are looking for liaisons to a variety of ALA units and organizations. If you’re interested in volunteering, please fill out the volunteer form at http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/rts/nmrt/popularresources/getinvolved/liaison.cfm

Please note: All liaisons must be dues paying members of NMRT.

Questions? Email Amy Harris, Liaison Coordination and Support Committee chair: aharrishouk(at)gmail(dot)com.

Have you been a librarian for 5 years or less? Do you sometimes feel you have professional questions to ask and no one to direct them to? Do you find yourself wondering, in the midst of hardcore budget season, or in that massive collection development strategy meeting…What are they talking about? Well, through NMRT’s Mentoring Committee, help has arrived! Here’s your chance to meet a new librarian ally, and to have someone to ask all those questions you can’t really ask!

The NMRT Mentoring Committee will pair up “newbie librarians” with “seasoned vets” as part of our Career Mentoring program. The program will last from October 2009 to July 2010. Conference attendance is not required. Membership in ALA is required, and NMRT membership is encouraged. Applications are due September 25, 2009, with the goal of notifying the matching pairs by mid-October.

NMRT Mentoring Committee

Have you been a librarian for 5 years or more? Do you have a handle on all those professional questions that come up from day to day?  Do you find yourself wishing that someone would have been there to teach you all that you now know? Do you find yourself wondering to whom you can impart all this hard-fought knowledge?

In that case, we have just the person!

Here is your chance to participate in a program from the New Members Round Table of ALA (NMRT), to meet a new librarian ally, and to have someone to guide as they learn the ins and outs of librarianship!

The NMRT Mentoring Committee’s Career Mentoring Program focuses on long term mentoring. We will pair up “newbie librarians” with “seasoned vets” as part of a year-long mentoring program. If you are interested in finding a mentee and in charting new territory with our new program, please read all the details and fine print below.

The NMRT Career Mentoring program will last from October 2009 to July 2010. Conference attendance is not required. Membership in ALA is required, and NMRT membership is encouraged. Applications are due September 25, 2009, with the goal of notifying the matching pairs by the middle of October.

Each pair will have a member of the NMRT Mentoring Committee assigned to them. This committee member will notify the mentor and mentee of their pairing, and send them monthly discussion topics via email. Mentors and mentees are of course free to discuss whatever they want, whenever and however they would like. These topics are merely guidelines. The committee member will also serve as a troubleshooter if any problems come up, for example if you stop hearing from your partner or never make contact.

For further information and to apply, visit the Mentoring Program Web  Site.

Committee appointments for 2009-2010 are complete. Thank you to everyone who has volunteered for a committee. In November 2009, President-Elect Deana Groves will send out a call for committee volunteers for the 2010-2011 Midwinter committees (Archives, Handbook, and Midwinter Social). In March 2010, Deana will send out a call for the 2010-2011 Annual-Annual committees (23 total).

This does not mean you cannot get involved with NMRT now! The Online Discussion Forum committee is hosting the first monthly NMRT-L discussion surrounding topics of interest to new and emerging librarians. All members are encouraged to follow along and add to the conversation. NMRT-L is also the place to find out about when applications for travel grants for ALA Annual Conference are available, as well as the call for liaisons to other ALA and library-related units. Footnotes, the round table newsletter, will be available soon. We’re always looking to publish short articles and announcements from our readers, so consider writing a piece!

The 2010 National Diversity in Libraries Conference, NDLC2010: From Groundwork to Action, will take place from July 14-16, 2010 in Princeton, NJ.

The National Diversity in Libraries Conference (NDLC) is a biennial event that serves as a regional meeting for library staff members to discuss diversity issues, especially issues common to the host region’s culture.

The 2010 NDLC Planning Committee invites you to submit a proposal for presentation at the conference. Proposal submission details are available on the NDLC2010 Wiki.

Proposal submission deadline: October 2, 2009.  Notifications will be made by early December, 2009.

Direct questions about the conference to ndlc2101(at)Princeton(dot)EDU.