Mar 14 2012 5:44PM
Deborah Tritt: Good evening! Welcome to the NMRT Election chat. The chat will begin at 7p.m. EST.
Mar 14 2012 6:00PM
Deborah Tritt: Good evening everyone! Glad you could join us this evening.
I am Deborah Tritt from the NMRT Nominating Committee and I will be moderating our chat.
Mar 14 2012 6:00PM
Jonathan Lu: Hello
Mar 14 2012 6:00PM
Easter DiGangi: Hello
Mar 14 2012 6:00PM
Jessica Pryde: Hi there!
Mar 14 2012 6:00PM
Barbara Lewis: Hi all!
Mar 14 2012 6:00PM
Deborah Tritt: Tonight we have an opportunity hear from our NMRT Board candidates. This year we have 5 open positions: Vice-President/President-Elect, Secretary, Asst. Treasurer/Treasurer, Networking Director and Outreach Director.
Mar 14 2012 6:00PM
Bohyun Kim: hello~ :)
Mar 14 2012 6:00PM
Deana Groves: Hi everyone!
Mar 14 2012 6:01PM
Deborah Tritt: The NMRT Nominating Committee solicited questions from the NMRT membership. Each candidate will have an opportunity to answer question(s) posed for their position. After the candidates for a given position have answered their questions, follow-up questions may be asked.
Mar 14 2012 6:01PM
Deborah Tritt: I'm going to give everyone a few moments to login and get comfortable with the chat and then we will begin.
Mar 14 2012 6:02PM
Deana Groves: Deborah, will this be recorded so those not able to be online tonight can view?
Mar 14 2012 6:03PM
Deborah Tritt: I believe we are able to archive the chat and yes we plan to make it available to those that were unable to attend this evening.
Mar 14 2012 6:03PM
Deana Groves: awesome, thanks!
Mar 14 2012 6:05PM
Deborah Tritt: Okay. Everyone ready to begin?
Mar 14 2012 6:05PM
Deborah Tritt: Tonight we are joined by :
Emily Prather-Rodgers candidate for Vice-President/President-Elect
Jessica Pryde and Easter DiGangi candidate(s) for Secretary
Jonathan Lu candidate for Asst. Treasurer/Treasurer
Barbara Lewis candidate for Networking Director
Bohyun Kim candidate for Outreach Director
Mar 14 2012 6:05PM
Easter DiGangi: Good to go. :)
Mar 14 2012 6:06PM
Deborah Tritt: Outreach Director
We will start with our candidate for Outreach Director.
Mar 14 2012 6:06PM
Deborah Tritt: Bohyun Kim is the Digital Access Librarian at Florida International University Medical Library in Miami, FL. As a new librarian, she attended her first ALA conference in 2009. And since then, she has been a member of NMRT and had great interests in the challenges that new librarians encounter when they go through the transition from a library assistant/LIS student to a librarian.
Mar 14 2012 6:06PM
Bohyun Kim: That would be me!
Mar 14 2012 6:06PM
Bohyun Kim: :)
Mar 14 2012 6:06PM
Deborah Tritt: Question 1: As outreach director you would oversee several NMRT committees that focus on students.
Mar 14 2012 6:06PM
Deborah Tritt: Please take a moment to consider.
Mar 14 2012 6:07PM
Deborah Tritt: What value do you feel LIS students bring to NMRT?
Mar 14 2012 6:07PM
Deborah Tritt: Sorry :)
Mar 14 2012 6:07PM
Bohyun Kim: No problem! I think LIS students bring a fresh perspective for librarianship.
Mar 14 2012 6:08PM
Bohyun Kim: They offer their own unique experience and background to enrich and enliven the library world. I think that is a valuable asset to the library world.
Mar 14 2012 6:08PM
Deborah Tritt: Excellent. Question 2:What skills and experiences do you bring to the position you are running for?
Mar 14 2012 6:08PM
Bohyun Kim: I also love the great energy, optimism, creativity, and imagination that LIS students bring as budding librarians. I have been meeting new librarians at my newbie librarian tweet-up for 3 years and had great experience getting to know them. It's very inspiring to be around other new librarians.
Mar 14 2012 6:09PM
Bohyun Kim: Ok, question number 2: I think my own experience of attending ALA without having any mentor or friend was very valuable to me. Through many trials and errors, I was able to find my place in ALA. I organized the first NMRT video contest for new librarians' career developemnt last year as the chair of the NMRT Annual Prorgram committee. This was for those NMRT members who could not attend the Annual in person. I am chairing the same committee this year again as a co-chiar and we are preparing an online panel discussion about professional networking for NMRT members.
Mar 14 2012 6:09PM
Bohyun Kim: So I am familiar with NMRT activities and appreciate the support NMRT brings to new librarians.
Mar 14 2012 6:10PM
Deborah Tritt: Are you ready for question 3?
Mar 14 2012 6:10PM
Bohyun Kim: In addition to the NMRT committee chairing experience, I have been also organizing the unofficial ALA newbie tweet-up for the last three years. :)
I have organized "Personal Branding for New Librarains" Program as a member of ACRL New Members Discussion Group at ALA Midwinter 2011, which was well-received I think.
I have been an Emerging Leader sponsored by LITA last year. And currently I also serve as the editor of ACRL TechConnect I have recently organized and set up, which is a group blog written by new librarians who are working in the areas of library technologies.
Mar 14 2012 6:10PM
Bohyun Kim: Since I enjoy working with new librarians and consider myself as one of them, I think I would have fun working as outreach director at NMRT. At least that is my hope.
Mar 14 2012 6:11PM
Deborah Tritt: One final question for you. Question 3:What do you hope to learn if elected?
Mar 14 2012 6:12PM
Bohyun Kim: I guess I will learn a lot more about the formal procedures of ALA perhaps? Although I have been active in ALA, I was not really involved in anything beyond some NMRT committees and LITA interest groups which require very little bureaucracy and formalities.
Mar 14 2012 6:12PM
Bohyun Kim: While this worked fine for me, I know a lot of new librarians find navigating ALA quite daunting.
Mar 14 2012 6:13PM
Deborah Tritt: Indeed. We now turn the questions to the audience. Are there any follow-up questions for Bohyun Kim?
Mar 14 2012 6:13PM
Bohyun Kim: So I hope if I learn more about the formal side of NMRT and ALA, then I can share that knowledge with other new librarians and lower the barrier to entry...
Mar 14 2012 6:13PM
Bohyun Kim: And maybe simplify procedures where it is possible. :)
Mar 14 2012 6:14PM
Deborah Tritt: Are there any follow-up questions for Bohyun Kim?
Mar 14 2012 6:14PM
Janel Kinlaw: Do you see any potential partnerships between NMRT and other divisions/roundtables?
Mar 14 2012 6:14PM
Bohyun Kim: yes, I think there is a great opportunity of partnerships. Right now at the Annual Program committee I am co-chairing, we are exploring partnership with LLAMA
Mar 14 2012 6:15PM
Bohyun Kim: since the topic is professional networking and leadership, the committee is recruiting speakers from some divisions outside NMRT
Mar 14 2012 6:15PM
Bohyun Kim: I think this will help NMRT members find a place in ALA and create connections for them.
Mar 14 2012 6:16PM
Deborah Tritt: Any further questions for Bohyun?
Mar 14 2012 6:16PM
Deana Groves: Have you given any thought to ways NMRT can reach out virtually to student chapters?
Mar 14 2012 6:16PM
Bohyun Kim: The online program we (my committee) are organizing will feature Ned Potter (UK), Courtney Young, Loida Garcia Farbo(IFLA), and JP Porcano. :)
Mar 14 2012 6:16PM
Janel Kinlaw: awesome! I know that we have partnered with LLAMA for events at last year's Annual and this year's Midwinter meeting - definitely interested in continuing that partnership
Mar 14 2012 6:17PM
Bohyun Kim: @Deana yes I think advocating already existing opportunities to student chapters would be great.
Mar 14 2012 6:17PM
Bohyun Kim: So for example, twitter #libchat is a wonderful place for LIS students. Also it would be awesome to work together with HackLibSchool people.
Mar 14 2012 6:18PM
Bohyun Kim: And probably more can be done to draw in library school students who attend ALA conferences - most often in the city where each conference is held.
Mar 14 2012 6:18PM
Bohyun Kim: So more targeted promotion and reaching out to the LIS schools in the areas where conferences are held would be one way to engage LIS students with NMRT.
Mar 14 2012 6:18PM
Deana Groves: I like that idea of a focus on LIS schools near conferences, good thinking!
Mar 14 2012 6:19PM
Bohyun Kim: yea I know I met tons of Simmons students when MW was in Boston. It was fun! :)
Mar 14 2012 6:19PM
Deborah Tritt: These are all great questions, but we’re going to continue on with the chat for now. If you have further questions, please send them to the NMRT Nominating Committee at
NMRTNominations@gmail.com. We’ll have the candidates answer the questions after the chat and will send a full transcript to the listserv and post it in Connect.
Mar 14 2012 6:19PM
Deborah Tritt: Thank you, Bohyun. We will now move on to our next board position - Networking Director.
Mar 14 2012 6:19PM
Bohyun Kim: I am at
http://bohyunkim.net and found @bohyunkim in Twitter. Feel free to contact me! Thanks!
Mar 14 2012 6:20PM
Deborah Tritt: Excellent :)
Mar 14 2012 6:20PM
Deborah Tritt: Barbara Lewis
Barbara received her B.S. in Industrial Engineering from General Motors Institute and her M.A. in Library and Information Science from the University of South Florida. After working 25 years as an Industrial Engineer and Information Systems Analyst for companies such as General Motors, Corning, and Nortel Networks, she began her graduate studies in academic librarianship. Barbara worked as a graduate assistant at the USF Tampa Library, gaining practical experience in her new career field. She joined the USF faculty as Outreach Librarian for the Tampa Library in 2005. In her current position of Coordinator for Digital Collections, Barbara is responsible for project management and scheduling of the Library's Digital Collections and Services group. Her goals include improving the productivity and capacity of digitization operations and enhancing the visibility and accessibility of digital collections. Her research interests include information seeking behavior and collection assessment and she hopes to soon begin graduate studies in Cultural Anthropology.
Mar 14 2012 6:20PM
Barbara Lewis: Hello!
Mar 14 2012 6:21PM
Deborah Tritt: Hi Barbara!
Question1 : As networking director you would be overseeing NMRT committees associated with conference attendance. In what ways would you like to see NMRT reach out to those members not able to attend MW or Annual conferences?
Mar 14 2012 6:21PM
Barbara Lewis: On the Orientation Committee, we already have plans for a multimedia virtual orientation, including audio/video recordings of our panelists and perhaps an informational chat session or two before the conferences.
Mar 14 2012 6:21PM
Barbara Lewis: In addition to providing conference information to attendees who can’t make it to the orientation session(s), the virtual orientation will also provide general ALA and NMRT information that will be useful to anyone.
Mar 14 2012 6:21PM
Barbara Lewis: I’d like to see how we could expand that idea to other areas of networking.
Mar 14 2012 6:22PM
Barbara Lewis: I’d also like to see how we can
partner with other NMRT and ALA groups where feasible, to reach the most members and potential members and to them make the most of their networking opportunities.
Mar 14 2012 6:22PM
Deborah Tritt: Very nice. Are you ready for question 2?
Mar 14 2012 6:22PM
Barbara Lewis: and to HELP them make the most of their networking opportunities.
Mar 14 2012 6:23PM
Barbara Lewis: Ready for q2
Mar 14 2012 6:23PM
Deborah Tritt: I want to make sure that everyone has ample time to consider each question and respond. Please let me know when you are done with your response. It might help make this more smooth :).
Mar 14 2012 6:24PM
Deborah Tritt: Question 2: What skills and experiences do you bring to the position you are running for?
Mar 14 2012 6:24PM
Barbara Lewis: Networking can be a very personal experience.
Mar 14 2012 6:24PM
Deborah Tritt: I don't want to interrupt :).
Mar 14 2012 6:24PM
Barbara Lewis: First, I have my own networking experience. I’ve changed careers, employers, and geographic locations about 6 or 7 times. With each change have had to rebuild my professional network to some extent and I think I’ve done so successfully.
Mar 14 2012 6:25PM
Barbara Lewis: I’m also the current chair of the Orientation Committee (which is supervised by the Networking Director) so I’m already pretty familiar with what that committee does.
Mar 14 2012 6:26PM
Barbara Lewis: I also consider myself a good organizer, have years of experience managing projects, and am very comfortable with technology, which is becoming a staple for networking.
Mar 14 2012 6:27PM
Barbara Lewis: Any follow up questions?
Mar 14 2012 6:27PM
Deborah Tritt: We have one more question for you, Barbara.
Question 3: What do you hope to learn if elected?
Mar 14 2012 6:28PM
Barbara Lewis: I'm going to say about what Bohyun did.
Mar 14 2012 6:28PM
Barbara Lewis: Serving on the Orientation Committee, I have learned a great deal about the vastness that is ALA and NMRT.
Mar 14 2012 6:28PM
Barbara Lewis: Through this position, I’m hoping to learn more about how NMRT and ALA actually work and the interconnectedness (is that a real word?) of it all.
Mar 14 2012 6:29PM
Barbara Lewis: As the job description says, ‘when questions arise, the Director assists in finding the answers.”
Mar 14 2012 6:29PM
Barbara Lewis: That means I’m going to have to learn where the answers are.
Mar 14 2012 6:29PM
Barbara Lewis: As I learn more about both organizations, I hope to discover my next opportunity for service.
Mar 14 2012 6:29PM
Deborah Tritt: Excellent! Now that I'm done stealing the question spotlight, are there any follow-up questions for Barbara?
Mar 14 2012 6:30PM
Bohyun Kim: Excellent answer!!!
Mar 14 2012 6:30PM
Deborah Tritt: Thank you, Barbara. We will now move on to our next board position - Assistant Treasurer/Treasurer.
Mar 14 2012 6:30PM
Jessica Pryde: Hi! Do you see any potential for NMRT working at a more local capacity? Perhaps organizing local event moderators in popular librarian centers?
Mar 14 2012 6:31PM
Jonathan Lu: Great question.
Mar 14 2012 6:32PM
Barbara Lewis: Hi Jessica, I hadn't thought about it, but it is an interesting idea.
Mar 14 2012 6:32PM
Jessica Pryde: (sorry, it took me a little longer to post that question than expected, it was for Barbara)
Mar 14 2012 6:32PM
Deborah Tritt: No worries :) Chat is a strange creature.
Mar 14 2012 6:33PM
Jonathan Lu: This is where the liasons come in.
Mar 14 2012 6:34PM
Barbara Lewis: Yes, Jonathan, perhaps partnering with state library associations would provide the "network" of people needed.
Mar 14 2012 6:35PM
Barbara Lewis: As mentioned above, I also believe we need to do more in the virtual community, especially in the current fiscal climate.
Mar 14 2012 6:35PM
Easter DiGangi: Chapter Relations Office is a good resource for that.
Mar 14 2012 6:35PM
Deborah Tritt: Any further comments or questions for Barbara?
Mar 14 2012 6:35PM
Barbara Lewis: Thx Easter, I'll store that info away.
Mar 14 2012 6:35PM
Easter DiGangi: :)
Mar 14 2012 6:36PM
Deborah Tritt: Thank you, Barbara. We will now move on to our next board position - Assistant Treasurer/Treasurer
Mar 14 2012 6:36PM
Deborah Tritt: Jonathan Lu
Jonathan Lu graduated from the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Information Science with a MLIS in 2005. He has also received his B.S. in International Affairs from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 2004. Jonathan is currently the Adult Services Librarian at the Bartow County Library in Cartersville, GA. He previously worked at Kennesaw State University, the University of Pittsburgh, and the Erie County Library. Prior to coming to the library world, Jonathan worked for the Canadian Government as an International Marketing Coordinator at the Canadian Consulate in Atlanta.
Mar 14 2012 6:36PM
Deborah Tritt: Hi Jonathan!
Mar 14 2012 6:36PM
Jonathan Lu: Hi everyone
Mar 14 2012 6:37PM
Deborah Tritt: Question 1: The NMRT treasurer communicates with all committee chairs and board members. How do you propose to track these communications?
Mar 14 2012 6:38PM
Jonathan Lu: As Acting Treasure I have begun placing incoming e-mail into their own unique folders. Also if I have to respond to them after doing some research I placed it on my calender so I can respond to them in a timely fashion.
Mar 14 2012 6:39PM
Jonathan Lu: Any other questions or clarifications.
Mar 14 2012 6:40PM
Deborah Tritt: Question 2: What skills and experiences do you bring to the position you are running for?
Mar 14 2012 6:40PM
Jonathan Lu: With many different project that I'm in charge of, I'm very organized and detail oriented.
Mar 14 2012 6:41PM
Deborah Tritt: Are you ready for question 3?
Mar 14 2012 6:41PM
Jonathan Lu: Sure
Mar 14 2012 6:41PM
Deborah Tritt: Question 3: What do you hope to learn if elected?
Mar 14 2012 6:42PM
Jonathan Lu: I'm currenty learning that there's more to ALA then writing papers or doing presentations.
Mar 14 2012 6:42PM
Jonathan Lu: The financial side of things is very different.
Mar 14 2012 6:43PM
Deborah Tritt: Excellent. Are there any follow-up questions for Jonathan Lu ?
Mar 14 2012 6:43PM
Bohyun Kim: Just curious, what you found about ALA financials. Could you share a bit you learned? I have no clue about that side at all but I think it might be interesting to know a bit to any ALA member...
Mar 14 2012 6:44PM
Jonathan Lu: Well there's quite a bit of restrictions on how you can spend your money.
Mar 14 2012 6:44PM
Andrea Mullarkey: Excellent idea Bohyun...I would also love to have an NMRT/newbie-friendly way to learn about ALA financials. If the Treasurer is up for it I think this would be a wonderful educational opportunity at some point in the year.
Mar 14 2012 6:45PM
Jonathan Lu: Also there's some cost that each divisions/ round table that has to pay that I didn't know before.
Mar 14 2012 6:45PM
Jonathan Lu: During Annual and Midwinter there's...
Mar 14 2012 6:45PM
Deana Groves: Sometimes this position needs to not only report on the budget, but offer suggestions on better ways to use NMRT funds, have you seen anything up to this point that you would recommend be changed - don't need specifics :-
0
Mar 14 2012 6:46PM
Bohyun Kim: Andrea - yes I totally agree! It would make ALA easier to understand to budding and new librarians.
Mar 14 2012 6:46PM
Jonathan Lu: a presentation done by the financial committee on how ALA finances work.
Mar 14 2012 6:46PM
Easter DiGangi: It would give members confidence that their dues are being used wisely as well.
Mar 14 2012 6:47PM
Bohyun Kim: @jonathan how interesting. I had no idea that there is presentation. Also didn;t know about the finance committee.
Mar 14 2012 6:47PM
Janel Kinlaw: There are some great YouTube videos that the BARC (Budget Analysis & Review Committee) put together that helps explain the ALA Financial process & basics ->
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4234E31B4C2F3EE9 Mar 14 2012 6:47PM
Deborah Tritt: Any final questions or comments for Jonathan?
Mar 14 2012 6:47PM
Jonathan Lu: We could have a presentation similar to the BARC but just on our finances.
Mar 14 2012 6:47PM
Bohyun Kim: @janel wow, there is a whole series of videos! great information.
Mar 14 2012 6:47PM
Natalie Clewell: @jonathan- I think that's a fabulous idea!
Mar 14 2012 6:48PM
Jonathan Lu: So we could give some transparence.
Mar 14 2012 6:48PM
Janel Kinlaw: @Bohyun, yes they just released them around Midwinter
Mar 14 2012 6:48PM
Bohyun Kim: @jonathan I think it is a great idea targeting new NMRT members in particular.
Mar 14 2012 6:48PM
Janel Kinlaw: @Jonathan - I agree that's a great idea once our budget for next year is finalized =)
Mar 14 2012 6:49PM
Deborah Tritt: Any final questions or comments for Jonathan?
Mar 14 2012 6:49PM
Barbara Lewis: We also joked at MW about creating an "ALA for Dummies" website, presentation, etc. Maybe we should get serious about that.
Mar 14 2012 6:50PM
Natalie Clewell: @Barbara - That may be a very good idea. It's such a big organization to get your head around. :)
Mar 14 2012 6:50PM
Bohyun Kim: @barbara - that's an awesome idea
Mar 14 2012 6:50PM
Deborah Tritt: :). @ Barbara - nice idea.
Mar 14 2012 6:50PM
Deborah Tritt: Thank you, Jonathan.
Very interesting discussion. We will now move on to our next board position - Secretary. We have two candidates for NMRT Secretary: Jessica Pryde and Easter DiGangi. For Jessica and Easter, we will first pose a question to Jessica. Then to Easter. At the end open questions can be answered by both candidates.
Mar 14 2012 6:51PM
Deborah Tritt: Please remember if you have further questions, please send them to the NMRT Nominating Committee at
NMRTNominations@gmail.com. We’ll have the candidates answer the questions after the chat and will send a full transcript to the listserv and post it in Connect.
Mar 14 2012 6:51PM
Deborah Tritt: Jessica Pryde
Jessica Pryde has been the Librarian and Media Specialist at Archbishop Carroll High School in Washington, DC since August of 2010, after earning her MLIS in December 2009 from San Jose State University. As the sole librarian, she conducts all collection development, instruction, and library functions. She is currently an Intern for the ALA Committee on Education and a member of the AASL Publications Advisory Group. She also writes for YALSA’s literature blog, The Hub, and acts as the NMRT Liaison to AASL.
Mar 14 2012 6:51PM
Deborah Tritt: Easter DiGangi
Easter DiGangi is originally from Southwestern Ohio. She did her undergraduate work at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (Major in Political Science with a Minor in Chemistry). Easter earned her MLS at Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison in December of 2010. She has over five years experience combined working in academic (3 years) and public libraries (4 years). Easter was honored with membership in Beta Phi Mu and the 2011 ALA Class of Emerging Leaders. She is currently working at Demco.
In Easter's spare time, she enjoys genealogy, scrapbooking, collecting bookmarks, knitting, and enjoying nature.
Mar 14 2012 6:51PM
Andrea Mullarkey: @barbara - A couple EL projects have been aimed at this idea but haven't gotten it to anything even close to digest-able. I think NMRT would be a fantastic place for it.
Mar 14 2012 6:52PM
Deborah Tritt: Question1: Over the past few years the secretary position has taken over responsibility for postings to the NMRT social media sites. What do you feel is the best method to get information to the NMRT membership?
We will start with candidate Jessica Pryde.
Mar 14 2012 6:53PM
Jessica Pryde: I think that for now the best thing to do is to maintain a connection through all of the most popular social media venues. The current secretary has been very good at maintaining a connection not only through the NMRT email list, but also Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. I believe that continuing that tradition, as well as posting photos from events, blog updates and quick posts on the NMRT website itself (where quite a few members first go to for information), would be the best way to make sure that all avenues of NMRT readership are covered.
Mar 14 2012 6:54PM
Jessica Pryde: Continuity and interconnection between them are important, too.
Mar 14 2012 6:55PM
Deborah Tritt: Thank you, Jessica. Next, we will hear candidate Easter DiGangi’s response.
Mar 14 2012 6:56PM
Easter DiGangi: I agree that it is important to diversify where information is sent because people refer to different channels. I would include ALA Connect and Google+ as important places to send out information.
Mar 14 2012 6:56PM
Barbara Lewis: @Andrea - agree
Mar 14 2012 6:56PM
Jonathan Lu: I suspect alot of new members or even librarian know about connect.
Mar 14 2012 6:56PM
Easter DiGangi: I would add that sometimes more energy should be put into certain venues depending on the the topic.
Mar 14 2012 6:57PM
Easter DiGangi: For example, if it is about networking or career development I feel that LinkedIn should get extra focus.
Mar 14 2012 6:58PM
Deborah Tritt: Thank you, Easter! Are we ready for question 2?
Mar 14 2012 6:58PM
Easter DiGangi: Ideally, I think it would be a good idea to survey participants where they prefer to get their information as well.
Mar 14 2012 6:58PM
Easter DiGangi: Yes
Mar 14 2012 6:59PM
Deborah Tritt: Question 2: What skills and experiences do you bring to the position you are running for?
We will start with candidate Jessica Pryde.
Mar 14 2012 7:00PM
Jessica Pryde: I have been a member of numerous boards and believe that I bring a voice to any table. I also have some of the practical experience necessary for the position of Secretary, including familiarity with Robert's Rules and other meeting procedures, taking clear minutes, and the ability to parse information in various ways for different audiences. I tend to be more of a listener than a talker--not always useful, but helpful when trying to maintain an objective record of both proceedings and general occurrences.
Mar 14 2012 7:01PM
Deborah Tritt: Excellent. Thank you, Jessica. Are we ready for Easter DiGangi’s response.
Mar 14 2012 7:01PM
Deborah Tritt: ?
Mar 14 2012 7:01PM
Natalie Clewell: @Deborah - I believe we are ready
Mar 14 2012 7:02PM
Deborah Tritt: Over to you Easter...
Mar 14 2012 7:02PM
Easter DiGangi: I have excellent communication skills both oral and written.
Mar 14 2012 7:02PM
Easter DiGangi: I also have great collaborative and interpersonal skills from working in other committees and with co-workers.
Mar 14 2012 7:03PM
Deborah Tritt: Thank you, Easter.
Question 3: What do you hope to learn if elected?
We will start with candidate Jessica Pryde.
Mar 14 2012 7:03PM
Easter DiGangi: I already have experience doing committee work in a virtual environment which I think will be valuable.
Mar 14 2012 7:03PM
Easter DiGangi: I am technologically savvy and have been doing committee work in NMRT since 2010.
Mar 14 2012 7:03PM
Easter DiGangi: I have varied library experiences which will lend well to representing NMRT members who are diverse.
Mar 14 2012 7:03PM
Easter DiGangi: I have experience that directly relates to this experience.
Mar 14 2012 7:04PM
Deborah Tritt: Excellent. Thank you, Easter. Question 3: What do you hope to learn if elected?
We will start with candidate Jessica Pryde.
Mar 14 2012 7:04PM
Easter DiGangi: While I was an intern at Fitchburg for two years I took the minutes
Mar 14 2012 7:04PM
Easter DiGangi: coordinated live meeting management and the social networking prescense.
Mar 14 2012 7:04PM
Easter DiGangi: Done
Mar 14 2012 7:05PM
Deborah Tritt: :)
Mar 14 2012 7:05PM
Jessica Pryde: I believe that any opportunity to sit on a governance board helps a person to learn both about the organization and their own thoughts on said organization. I hope that acting as secretary will provide me with a clearer understanding of the workings of NMRT as a subset of ALA, and ALA as a whole. I also hope that in a position where I am often in contact with other members, new and not-so-new, I will be able to further garner an understanding of where members stand in regards to the organization and the profession.
Mar 14 2012 7:06PM
Jessica Pryde: thanks
Mar 14 2012 7:06PM
Deborah Tritt: Easter, now over to you.
Mar 14 2012 7:06PM
Easter DiGangi: I hope to learn more about the breadth of our membership. I think we have a lot to learn from them.
Mar 14 2012 7:07PM
Easter DiGangi: I also want to find new opportunities to contribute to NMRT and the profession.
Mar 14 2012 7:07PM
Easter DiGangi: Finally, I want to help other garner a better understanding of how NMRT works and hopefully simplify it.
Mar 14 2012 7:08PM
Deborah Tritt: Thank you, Easter. Are there any follow-up questions for the candidates for the NMRT Secretary?
Mar 14 2012 7:09PM
Deborah Tritt: If we have no further questions, we will now move on to our final board position - Vice-President/President-Elect.
Mar 14 2012 7:09PM
Emily Prather-Rodgers: I'm ready!
Mar 14 2012 7:09PM
Easter DiGangi: Thank you!
Mar 14 2012 7:09PM
Deborah Tritt: Excellent.
Mar 14 2012 7:09PM
Deborah Tritt: Emily Prather-Rodgers
I graduated from the University of Kentucky School of Library and Information Science in December 2005. After working as a cataloger at a public university in Georgia for several years, I moved to suburban Chicago to take the position of Technical Services Coordinator at North Central College, a private liberal arts college. I’ve been a member of ALA and NMRT since 2005. I have served on NMRT committees since 2007, and I’m currently serving as the chair of the Annual Conference Professional Development Attendance Award Committee (formerly the Marshall Cavendish Award Committee). I am also a member of the ALCTS/CMDS Publications Committee. My local committee work includes the I-Share Cataloging and Authority Control Team for the Consortium of Academic and Research Libraries in Illinois and the LIBRAS Collection Management Special Interest Group.
Mar 14 2012 7:10PM
Deborah Tritt: Okay here we go. Question 1: In the past few years, NMRT has lost funding for several of their events/awards. What actions/directions do you see NMRT taking to recover from these financial losses?
Mar 14 2012 7:11PM
Emily Prather-Rodgers: I'm going to be a bit long-winded answering this question.
Mar 14 2012 7:11PM
Emily Prather-Rodgers: From what I understand, the main reasons why NMRT lost funding for the social, the bags at the
Orientation sessions, and the Cavendish Award (now known as the Annual Conference Professional
Development Attendance Award) were the economic troubles that so many companies and individuals
have suffered over the past 5 years or so. Unfortunately, I don't anticipate those former
sponsors or other companies jumping to spend more money on sponsorships in the very near
future.
Mar 14 2012 7:11PM
Emily Prather-Rodgers: Like most of us have had to do in our own libraries, NMRT has been forced to do more with less.
So far, NMRT has been proactive in recognizing where it can put funds from the organization's
budget to continue to support the initiatives that are most important.
Mar 14 2012 7:11PM
Emily Prather-Rodgers: In the next couple of years, it will be important to closely examine and try to increase the organization's budget. NMRT's primary source of funding is through membership dues. There's been talk of continuing to encourage membership by NMRT "alumni"--those with more than 10 years of membership. I think this is a great idea, and we can do more to encourage alumni to remain NMRT members and perhaps seek ways to involve them as mentors for newer members. Another idea that I've heard is to consider sponsoring a pre-conference session at Midwinter or Annual. I know that Linda Crook has dedicated her presidency to building relationships with other divisions in ALA. We can consider building upon those strengthened relationships to do things like pre-conferences (which make money).
Mar 14 2012 7:11PM
Emily Prather-Rodgers: And, of course, we need to continue to evaluate our priorities to ensure that those programs
and events that are NMRT-sponsored are those that make the best use of the dollars we do have.
Mar 14 2012 7:12PM
Emily Prather-Rodgers: (done)
Mar 14 2012 7:13PM
Deborah Tritt: Thanks:)
Mar 14 2012 7:13PM
Deborah Tritt: Question 2: What skills and experiences do you bring to the position you are running for?
Mar 14 2012 7:13PM
Emily Prather-Rodgers: My greatest qualification for this position is the time that I've spent in NMRT and ALA and the
relationships I've built during that time
Mar 14 2012 7:13PM
Emily Prather-Rodgers: In addition to that, though, I've served on
numerous committees in both the ALA and local organizations during my career thus far, so I
know how to work with all types of librarians and, more generally, people.
Mar 14 2012 7:13PM
Emily Prather-Rodgers: My experiences
serving on and chairing NMRT committees have helped me learn how the organization works and
what its needs are. I'm especially looking forward, though, to the even greater understanding
I'll gain during a year as Vice President before taking over the role of President.
Mar 14 2012 7:14PM
Emily Prather-Rodgers: I think that covers it.
Mar 14 2012 7:14PM
Deborah Tritt: Thank you. Question 3: What do you hope to learn if elected?
Mar 14 2012 7:15PM
Emily Prather-Rodgers: I'm sure I can't even begin to imagine all that I will learn, but...
Mar 14 2012 7:15PM
Emily Prather-Rodgers: My favorite thing about NMRT has always been
that I feel as though I get as much if not more back as I put
into the organization.
Mar 14 2012 7:15PM
Emily Prather-Rodgers: If I'm elected, I look forward to gaining an even deeper understanding of
the work of the ALA and how I, personally, can contribute to that work and use that knowledge
to improve the work I do in my own library--while, of course, continuing to advance in my
career.
Mar 14 2012 7:16PM
Emily Prather-Rodgers: And, of course, I look forward to building relationships with the membership and other members of the Board
Mar 14 2012 7:16PM
Deborah Tritt: Excellent. Are there any follow-up questions for Emily Prather-Rodgers ?
Mar 14 2012 7:17PM
Easter DiGangi: Aside from the budget, what do you anticipate will be NMRT's biggest challenge in the future?
Mar 14 2012 7:18PM
Emily Prather-Rodgers: I think one of our biggest challenges will be maintaining our traditional role as the place to start your "career" in ALA
Mar 14 2012 7:18PM
Emily Prather-Rodgers: I think that the best place to ensure our relevance is to build on Linda's work of building relationships with other RTs and divisions.
Mar 14 2012 7:18PM
Emily Prather-Rodgers: Many of them have started offering Division 101-type events at Annual.
Mar 14 2012 7:19PM
Emily Prather-Rodgers: Which I think is wonderful!
Mar 14 2012 7:19PM
Emily Prather-Rodgers: We can support the role that they're playing by working to build resources for members who aren't quite sure what they're direction in librarianship is
Mar 14 2012 7:19PM
Emily Prather-Rodgers: and to make sure that new members get exposed to ALL of their options within ALA
Mar 14 2012 7:20PM
Bohyun Kim: Q - Where do you plan to focus the greatest effort as NMRT president during your term as vice-president and president?
Mar 14 2012 7:20PM
Easter DiGangi: Thank you Emily!
Mar 14 2012 7:20PM
Emily Prather-Rodgers: Well, the good news is that, if elected, I'll have a year as VP to narrow it down a little bit and identify the greatest areas of need.
Mar 14 2012 7:21PM
Emily Prather-Rodgers: If I had to choose one area now, though, it would be to...
Mar 14 2012 7:21PM
Emily Prather-Rodgers: work on getting those NMRT members who aren't highly involved in other areas of the organization to think about where they fit.
Mar 14 2012 7:22PM
Emily Prather-Rodgers: And then to help them utilize the skills they learn as NMRT committee members and chairs to make the leap to greater responsibility and action.
Mar 14 2012 7:22PM
Emily Prather-Rodgers: I know a lot of newer ALA members who are timid.
Mar 14 2012 7:23PM
Deborah Tritt: Indeed.Any other questions for Emily?
Mar 14 2012 7:24PM
Natalie Clewell: @Candidates - I think you all had some very thoughtful answers. I really look forward to reviewing the transcripts.
Mar 14 2012 7:24PM
Deborah Tritt: If there are no other questions, that concludes our chat. Thank you all for joining us tonight. I know I've enjoyed hearing from you all. For more information on each candidate, please take a moment and watch their YouTube presentations at
http://www.youtube.com/user/NewMembersRT
Also, if you have further questions, please send them to the NMRT Nominating Committee at
NMRTNominations@gmail.com. We’ll have the candidates answer the questions after the chat and will send a full transcript to the listserv and post it in Connect.
Don’t forget to vote! Polls will open March 19, 2012 & close April 27, 2012.
Mar 14 2012 7:24PM
Emily Prather-Rodgers: Thank you for giving us the opportunity to chat here!
Mar 14 2012 7:24PM
Jonathan Lu: See you guys at the next midwinter.
Mar 14 2012 7:24PM
Deborah Tritt: Good evening and thank you!
Mar 14 2012 7:25PM
Deana Groves: Thanks everyone!
Mar 14 2012 7:25PM
Jessica Pryde: Thanks, see some of you in Anaheim!
Mar 14 2012 7:25PM
Easter DiGangi: Thank you!
Mar 14 2012 7:25PM
Bohyun Kim: Thanks everyone!
Mar 14 2012 7:25PM
Natalie Clewell: Thank you all for coming.
Mar 14 2012 7:26PM
Natalie Clewell: @Deborah, thanks for being a phenomemonal moderator!
Mar 14 2012 7:26PM
Deborah Tritt: :) Thanks Natalie.
Mar 14 2012 7:26PM
Natalie Clewell: Goonight everyone.
Mar 14 2012 7:26PM
Natalie Clewell: *good*