Meet & Greet at Pike Street Suites

By Leslie L. Morgan


University of Notre Dame

The New Members Round Table hosted a "meet and greet" at the Pike Street Suites hotel breakfast room on January 19. In a funny situation, the hotel staff at first did not seem to know where the event was being held. I realized this is what NMRTers all about: we love being librarians, we love having opportunities to share a quip, and despite the lack of refreshments, a good laugh was the best medicine for an evening that served as the best introduction to attending the midwinter conference.

About 45 new and current librarians came to introduce themselves, share a joke or two, and talk briefly about their work in librarianship. Amanda Roberts, president of NMRT, and her dynamic team of leaders enthusiastically encouraged all present to get active by volunteering for NMRT committees and get active in the larger American Library Association as well. Organizers made membership applications available and provided informational handouts highlighting the benefits of membership.

What made this evening impressive were the various introverted and extroverted personalities that make up the NMRT membership. Everyone laughed! The "well-seasoned" NMRTers amused everyone with a public service announcement about the lack of refreshments and kept new librarians like me from retreating to the back of the room. They made you feel you are a part of something wonderful and dynamic. I found that the highlight of this evening was meeting the stars of the listserv! You know who you are. It was great to finally put the name with a face, an awesome experience.

Attending the "meet and greet" also gave librarians who traveled to the conference without colleagues an opportunity to get a conference buddy or buddies to hang out with. As a result, I no longer felt like a lonely traveler all the way from Indiana. I took pictures of this event to go along with this article, but alas, the pictures were misplaced at the photo developer. Note to self: I must have a digital camera the next time!