By Sally Bickley
The NMRT Booth at the ALA Annual Conference in Chicago greeted or provided information to 464 conference-goers. We distributed flyers for the NMRT Social, and publicized all NMRT programs and events, including the Resume Review Service. We highlighted winners of the 3M/NMRT Professional Development Grant.
The Booth Committee would like to thank the 29 volunteers who staffed the Booth for 28 hours throughout Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. Without their assistance, we could never have reached so many people with a positive message about NMRT. Thanks to: Lee Adams, Martha Bace, Amanda Bakken, Terry Buckner, Nanette Wargo Donohue, Tim Donohue, Diana Duncan, Tiana French, Amy G. Ferguson, Sally Gibson, Deanna Groves, Jessica Hutchings, Karen Kohn, Beth Kraemer, Dawn Lowe-Wincentsen, Anne Pemberton, Martha Penzer, Sallie Riley, Sarah Robbins, Bruce Stoffel, Michal Strutin, Samantha Thompson-Franklin, Holly Wilson, CJ Wong, Karen Woodworth-Roman, Amanda Yesibas, Kirstin Yotis, Joseph Yue, and Elisa, whose last name we did not record.
The Booth also created baskets to attract more visitors to our Booth. We requested donations from NMRT members for souvenir items from their university, sports team, town or library. Two of the baskets were raffled off at the end of the Conference. Winners of those baskets were Janice Moment, of the Champaign Public Library, and Amy Gehrmann, of Rutgers University. Congratulations to the winners.
The NMRT Booth also donated a Gift Basket to the Silent Auction sponsored by the Exhibits Round Table to raise money for scholarships for library school students. Our gift basket was auctioned for $65.00.
We want to thank those who contributed items to the baskets: Lee Adams, Hawaii Library Association, American Library Association, Public Programs Office, Sally Bickley, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, Terry Buckner, Lexington Lexington (KY) Community College, Sally Leahey, McArthur Library (Biddleford, ME), Michal Strutin and Michael Sinensky, University of Tennessee, Samantha Thompson-Franklin, Lewis-Clark (ID) State College, Toni Tucker, Illinois State University, Dawn Lowe Wincentsen, Florida State University, Courtney Young, Penn State, Beaver.
The Booth Committee would like to acknowledge and thank Quality Books, Inc. for their on-going assistance in storing and shipping our Booth. And a final thank you to members of the Booth Committee 05: Bruce Stoffel, co-chair, Kristin Brand, Consuela Cline, Diana Duncan, Erin Ellis, Tiffany Keagy, Maud Mundava, Anne Robert, Sonia Shearrow, Elisa Tan, Mary Tao, CJ Wong, and Tanzi Merritt Sutton, our NMRT Director.