Everyone,

Below is the current info for the Professional Development Grant.

The grant application can be downloaded here.

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This Professional Development Grant is sponsored by
Quality Books Inc. & the TLA New Members Round Table Endowment Fund.

Eligible recipients include those Texas Library Association members
in the first 5 years of their professional career and TLA membership.

This grant provides assistance to attend the annual TLA Conference
by covering conference registration, travel expenses, lodging,
and $50 per diem, up to $1000 total expenses.
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To apply, send the completed application and all attachments to:
Christine Freeman
James C. Jernigan Library
700 University Blvd
MSC 197
Kingsville, Texas 78363

You may also complete the application online at the
TLA NMRT web site: http://www.txla.org/groups/forms/nmrtgform.html

Applications must be submitted on or before January 8, 2010.
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For more information, contact
Christine Freeman at christine.freeman@tamuk.edu

Visit the TLA New Members Round Table web site at
http://www.txla.org/groups/nmrt

Visit the Quality Books Inc. web site at
http://www.quality-books.com

District meetings are a great opportunity for networking with library professionals in your area! There are 10 regional districts within TLA that each hold an annual meeting in the fall. The agenda for each district meeting varies but typically include a business meeting and breakout sessions with speakers on varying topics of interest...like a mini-one-day conference. District meetings are also a much more affordable alternative to Annual Conference since they are held within your district so they are close by, and registration fees are usually around $25 with lunch included.

A few district meetings were held in September, but there are serveral scheduled for October and November. Visit the District Meeting page at http://www.txla.org/html/dist/distmtg.html for more information, including dates, locations, district chairs, and registration.

If you are unsure about which district you are in, login to the Members Only section of the TLA website or visit the TLA District Map at http://www.txla.org/html/dist/distmap.html.

Greetings!

It’s time to start thinking about next year already. The pumpkins are out, and I saw the first fence line go up for a Christmas tree lot this weekend! TLA Elections are right around the corner. This year we will be selecting a new Secretary/Treasurer and Chair-Elect for the upcoming year. Responsibilities will begin after the NMRT business meeting during the 2010 Annual Conference in San Antonio.

The position of Secretary/Treasurer is a one year commitment. This person will be responsible for the minutes of meetings of the Round Table, financial records and general correspondence. The Chair-Elect position is a three year commitment as follows: the first year as Chair-Elect, the next as Chair, and then finally, in the third year serving as Past-Chair. The responsibilities of each position change from year to year during the 3-year commitment. (More details can be found on the NMRT Rules and Procedures page.)

If you are interested in either of these positions, send me an email and let me know. Self nominations are welcome! For more information regard-ing the Secretary/Treasurer position, our current Secretary Susan Chandler [susan.chandler@baytownlibrary.org] would be happy to answer any questions. If you would like to know more about the Chair-Elect position, feel free to send an email to Kelly Brouillard [kbrouillard@mail.twu.edu] or myself.

Thanks to an amendment to our bylaws, we will be voting electronically this year using the TLA electronic ballot system. Candidate information and brief statements will need to be turned into the TLA office by mid December. I will be sending out details about the electronic ballot system and instructions for candidates, as we get closer to the election.

Jennifer Anderson
NMRT Chair Elect, 2009-10
jennifer.anderson@tamucc.edu