NMRT (New Members Round Table)

Hello all, 

My name is Laura Birkenhauer and I'm the Chair of the NMRT Online Discussion Forum Committee. Our committee's October 2022 topic is Building Your Network. I hope you'll take the time to participate right here in Connect; simply click on the Reply button to share your thoughts. 

One of the reasons you may have joined ALA NMRT is to grow your professional network. This month, we're talking about developing a network as a new library professional.

Volunteering your time and participating in committee work is one great way to get started in collaborating with library colleagues across the country and meeting others in the profession outside of your organization. (As an aside, NMRT is still looking for volunteers to serve on committees! Sign up at https://t.co/EvLr5eIiwa.)

Outside of NMRT, where else have you been able to form meaningful connections with others in this community? What tips do you have for those brand new to libraries and NMRT for networking? What questions do you have about building a network? 

Social mixers and elevator pitches may be where your mind goes when you think about networking, but there are many ways to connect with others in libraries that fall outside of the conventional wisdom. 

Are there listservs you enjoy being a part of that you want to share with others? Twitter handles and hashtags that are particularly useful to follow? What creative strategies for building a network do you use that you'd like to recommend to those new to the field? 

Share as much as you are comfortable detailing in this space. I look forward to hearing from new and returning members of NMRT! 

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Laura Birkenhauer
Student Success Librarian for Campus Engagement
Miami University Libraries
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Thanks for sharing these Twitter handles, Emily! I added those who I wasn't already following! 

Do others have Twitter handles of LIS folks worth following? Please share and help us add to the list! 

Joining and starting conversations is something I haven't really ventured into much on Library Twitter, either. I used to very actively participate in Twitter chats when I was a brand new librarian, and that was a great way to expand my network in those early years. #critlib is one that I'm aware of. Are there others out there that you'd like to promote? (Some of the ones I used to follow seem to be less active or inactive in recent years.)​

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Laura Birkenhauer
Student Success Librarian for Campus Engagement
Miami University Libraries
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Original Message:
Sent: Oct 04, 2022 08:09 AM
From: Emily Zerrenner
Subject: Online Discussion Forum October 2022 Topic: Building Your Network

I have found that Twitter is particularly valuable for not only networking, but just learning about opportunities. For context, I'm an academic librarian at a public university and have an interest in data viz/digital humanities/etc. I've learned about two different conferences from just being in the LIS twitter space. Some folks I follow are Melissa Wong (@LISafterclass), Fobazi Ettarh (@Fobettarh), Lisa Hinchliffe (@lisalibrarian), Matthew Noe (@NoetheMatt), Claudia Berger (@ClaudiaEBerger), and The Librarian Parlor (@LibParlor). That's not meant to be an exhaustive list or anything - just a few accounts off the top of my head! I'm still working up to actually joining and starting conversations. ��

Emily Zerrenner, MS/LIS

Research and Instructional Services Librarian

Research Help Desk Coordinator

Guerrieri Academic Commons, #133

410-548-3899

Book an appointment with me

She/her pronouns

I think that Emily's suggestion of Twitter (for those that use the platform) is great! I see librarians engaging on Twitter frequently. I'm more of an observer on Twitter- it's never been my platform of choice. Any time I've found success with networking, I've been a member of a book committee. I was a past member of Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers (a YALSA committee), and it was a selection committee that used to meet in person. This really changed the game for me- I'm not sure how valuable ALA conference would have been for me (at that time I was at a smaller library in a more rural area), but as a committee member I automatically had purpose and a place to be. I also did the Texas Bluebonnet Selection Committee and again, these colleagues are ones that I see again and again at TLA (Texas Library Association) conferences, etc. I've always been more of a in -person networker, my career started a while ago, so virtual (Zoom, Teams) were not as big. I really have loved working on selection committees, and definitely encourage anyone to go ahead and apply for one!

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Morgan Brickey-Jones
K-12 Librarian
University of Texas At Arlington
She/Her/Hers
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These are great points, Morgan! Serving on committees is such a great way to network. I like that you point out the positive experience you've had with selection committees, in particular, that is great feedback for NMRT members looking to get involved!

I've always tried to serve on committees that are relevant to my job duties. For example, I am a part of the ULS Academic Outreach Committee because outreach and engagement is a large part of my job. I've also served on the ACRL Instruction Section Membership committee, as instruction is another major element of my work. Both of these committees are filled with professionals in similar positions, working jobs that involve instruction, outreach and engagement! A perfect networking opportunity! 

Committees will vary in size based on number of volunteers and popularity. Even if a committee is quite large, sometimes you have the option to also work with a handful of other committee members as part of a subcommittee/working group dedicated to a particular committee task, and that can be a chance to get to know a few folks even better than you might in the big group setting.

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Laura Birkenhauer
Student Success Librarian for Campus Engagement
Miami University Libraries
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Original Message:
Sent: Oct 05, 2022 04:59 PM
From: Morgan Brickey-Jones
Subject: Online Discussion Forum October 2022 Topic: Building Your Network

I think that Emily's suggestion of Twitter (for those that use the platform) is great! I see librarians engaging on Twitter frequently. I'm more of an observer on Twitter- it's never been my platform of choice. Any time I've found success with networking, I've been a member of a book committee. I was a past member of Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers (a YALSA committee), and it was a selection committee that used to meet in person. This really changed the game for me- I'm not sure how valuable ALA conference would have been for me (at that time I was at a smaller library in a more rural area), but as a committee member I automatically had purpose and a place to be. I also did the Texas Bluebonnet Selection Committee and again, these colleagues are ones that I see again and again at TLA (Texas Library Association) conferences, etc. I've always been more of a in -person networker, my career started a while ago, so virtual (Zoom, Teams) were not as big. I really have loved working on selection committees, and definitely encourage anyone to go ahead and apply for one!

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Morgan Brickey-Jones
K-12 Librarian
University of Texas At Arlington
She/Her/Hers
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