This month’s spotlight is shared by Jessica Abbazio and Ellen Ogihara, who reflect on serving as Student/Early Career Representatives. Jessica served during the 2019-20 term, and Ellen during 2020-21.
Now in its final year of a three-year pilot, the Student/Early Career Representative to the MLA Board position provides an opportunity for a newer member of the organization to get hands-on experience with the inner workings of MLA. By now, we’ve participated in a range of activities. We’ve attended monthly virtual board conversations, including the formal winter, summer, and fall meetings. In addition to meeting synchronously with the entire board, we’ve also participated in asynchronous email threads that allow this group to accomplish important business between meetings. During all these discussions, we’ve advocated for the student/early career member perspectives, helping shape the direction of various MLA initiatives with the values of inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility (IDEA) in mind. Ellen found her involvement with the Diversity Committee to be particularly helpful, as this appointment coincided with her tenure on the board. Her opportunity to bridge the work of these two important groups opened the door for the possibility of future partnerships centered on IDEA.
Another responsibility of the Student/Early Career Board Representative has been the collection, processing, and publishing of the organization’s Annual Reports – a big job, but a rewarding one! Making these important records available to the membership at large helps to increase dissemination of information about the crucial work happening in all committees, special offices, and other groups within MLA. While working with the MLA Board — and in particular, Recording Secretary Misti Shaw — Jessica helped establish a workflow for processing Annual Report submissions for publication through WordPress. As MLA’s digital presence transitions to a new platform, we hope to make annual reports more accessible to anyone who’s interested in the work of the broader organization.
We were pleasantly surprised by how much of the MLA Board’s work intersects with the experiences and perspectives of student and early career members. From gathering feedback on how to create community and mentorship opportunities for newer members, to discussing membership and registration fees, the Student/Early Career Representative can offer a unique viewpoint. By prioritizing accessibility and inclusivity in all of our contributions, our hope was to make a positive impact for our colleagues, present and future. For us, this experience also demystified the work of the MLA Board, something that may seem very far removed from the day-to-day life of a student or early career member. By learning about the processes and operations that keep our organization running, we were able to develop a more comprehensive understanding about how to advocate for others who are beginning their careers in music librarianship.
MLA’s adoption of a new strategic plan prioritizes advocacy, collaboration, community, growth, and inclusion. Community-building and inclusion are integral parts of serving as the Student/Early Career Board Representative, and we value the opportunity to contribute to fostering an inclusive and supportive environment for emerging members of the profession. We hope that students and early career librarians will continue to contribute to the development of our organization as a whole, and the Student/Early Career Board Representative pilot program has been a strong first step in that direction.