By Margaret Bates, Research and Instruction Librarian, University of Alabama Libraries
Are you finishing your degree, entering your first librarian role, or do you have a few years under your belt and want to help new librarians? The New Member Round Table has several resources to help you break into the field, adjust to your new position, and build connections.
Resume Review Service
The Resume Review Service is available year-round with volunteers from all types of libraries and different specializations available to help spruce up your resume! You can send your resume and/or cover letter as an attachment to resumereviewnmrt@gmail.com or fill out the Google form. You will receive your resume, complete with comments and suggestions from your reviewer, within a month.
The Resume Review Service is also available on-site to anyone attending ALA’s Annual Conference or Midwinter meeting.
Mentoring Program
The NMRT Mentoring Committee sponsors the Mentoring Program to help newcomers to librarianship navigate their way in the profession. As a Mentor or Mentee, you can participate in:
- Career Mentoring: A year-round program to connect a newer librarian with a seasoned librarian for a mentoring relationship relating to career development in librarianship.
- Conference Mentoring: This program is designed to help first time attendees of the ALA Annual Conference feel at ease by paring them with seasoned conference attendees. Conference Mentoring participants can choose to extend into the Career Mentoring Program at their discretion. Applications for Conference Mentoring will reopen for the ALA Annual 2024.
- For guidelines on being a mentor or mentee, please see the Mentoring Guidelines.
Volunteer for a Committee!
Committee appointments last for one year, beginning at ALA Annual (June/July) and ending at the next ALA Annual Conference. You must be a dues paying member of NMRT to serve on a committee.
Many NMRT committees do not require conference attendance. The following committees require attendance at one or more conferences: Annual Social Committee (Annual Conference); Midwinter Social Committee (Midwinter Meeting); Orientation Committee (Midwinter and Annual Conferences); and Resume Review Service (Midwinter and Annual Conferences).
More Information about NMRT committees can be found here. Please note as well that members can only serve on up to three committees across all of ALA during any year.
Keep up with the latest information by reading NMRT Notes, the Blog of the New Members Round Table of ALA, and Endnotes: The Journal of the New Members Round Table.
Readers, let us hear from you in the comments!
- Are you on a committee?
- Are you/ have you been a mentor/ mentee?
- What other resources do you think new members should know about?