starting a mentorship program for academic librarians
DESCRIPTION
Starting a Mentorship Program for Academic Librarians. An abbreviated version Of the luc 2008 presentation Rob bremer Mike matthews Megan lowe. Who We Are. Rob Bremer: LLA Academic Libraries Section Liaison with ACRL-LA User Services Librarian, Louisiana Tech University Library - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
AN ABBREVIATED VERSIONOF THE LUC 2008 PRESENTATION
ROB BREMERMIKE MATTHEWS
MEGAN LOWE
Starting a Mentorship Program for Academic
Librarians
Who We Are
Rob Bremer: LLA Academic Libraries Section Liaison with ACRL-LA User Services Librarian, Louisiana Tech University Library
Megan Lowe: Chair, Mentoring Committee Reference Librarian, University of Louisiana at Monroe
Mike Matthews: President, ACRL-LA Information Literacy/Online Learning Services Librarian,
Northwestern State University of Louisiana
What This PowerPoint Includes
The Working HypothesesThe Survey DataAdditional Data Compiled by Mike MatthewsThe Next Steps LLA’s Connection What Can You Do?
ACRL-LA’s Working Hypotheses
Older librarians will be retiring at an alarming rate; 79% will retire by 2024
Younger librarians need guidance in the cultures and philosophies of the academic librarian profession
Older librarians will want to share their knowledge with their younger colleagues
Younger librarians could (should?) learn how to perform complex tasks on the job; an older librarian’s guidance could be the solution
Librarians, regardless of age, are interested in improving their skills
WITH OBSERVATIONS
The Survey Data
Majority Do Not Have Mentoring Program
An Experienced Workforce
With a Strong Sense of Professionalism
Who Want to Help
And Who Need Skilled Colleagues
But who are too busy or feel they don’t know enough to be of assistance. (Huh?)
Librarians Know What They Need/Want
What the Survey Data Tells Us
66% of respondents have 5 or more years of experience Yet, 37% do not believe they are experienced enough
to be mentors And, 37% are simply “too busy” to be a mentor
50% of respondents want to be a mentor Only 15% (6) want to have a mentor Yet, 61% would like to participate in a continuing
education opportunity directed to mentees
COMPILED BY MIKE MATTHEWS
Additional Data
Kirkland, Janice. The Missing Women Library Directors: Deprivation versus Mentoring C&RL July
1997
Possible Long-term Benefits of a Mentoring Program
Possible Long-term Benefits of a Mentoring Program
The Next Steps
Revisit the Hypotheses
The graying of the profession is undeniable – but librarians retiring doesn’t mean that new librarians are taking the empty places
Seasoned librarians are moving into vacated positions – they are librarians in transition
The need for mentorship is not limited to new or young librarians – more seasoned librarians are looking for assistance as well
The traditional new professional-experienced professional model does not seem appropriate for the needs of Louisiana librarians
The Last Thing First
The traditional model won’t work – seasoned librarians in transition might chafe at the idea of someone telling them “the business”
Librarians willing to be mentors may only feel comfortable mentoring in certain areas
Librarians who want mentors may not need wholesale help
Peer assistance may be the answer
What Peer Mentoring Looks Like
Related Possible Options
Directory of experts Allows the person seeking assistance to seek help from
multiple professionals Allows librarians who may not feel comfortable mentoring
in all areas to mentor in areas where they do feel comfortable
Allows librarians who may not feel that they have the time to mentor one person one-on-one the opportunity to mentor in other ways
The peer-colleague model, as well as the directory of experts, is a more informal structure; a casual model is more flexible and adaptable
But to implement the model effectively…
…we need more informationWe’ve done one survey – but one was not
enough The survey did not affirm our hypotheses The survey opened our eyes to other issues
Other surveys we have in mind Mentorship Committee Inventory Demographics Career Information Expertise
Changes Based on the Survey
The target group, new librarians, has changed to librarians in transition
The structure is changing from mentor-mentee to peer-colleague
The purpose is even changing: in the beginning was pure mentorship, now we’re also looking at continuing education opportunities
Feedback from Pre-LUC and LUC
More immediate solution for SLIS studentsPost resources on the ACRL-LA websiteVolunteers to serve on the mentoring
committeeFocus groups
Definite Outcomes
Planning more workshops like our Pre-LUC workshop, “Publish & Flourish: Writing for Academic Librarians”
Focusing on technology-oriented workshops, covering such topics as Flash, Camtasia, and Moodle
Pursuing our vision of a mentorship program, but adapting as new information becomes available via follow-up surveys and focus groups
SHARING THE VISION
Louisiana Libraries Association
Sharing the Vision
LLA wanted to create a mentoring program to reach new librarians, which led…
…to the LLA Liaison to ACRL-LA, Rob Bremer, to meet with the ACRL-LA Executive Council and throw LLA’s hat into the ring, which led…
…to the joint presentation given at LUC 2008 by Rob Bremer (representing LLA), Mike Matthews (ACRL-LA president), and Megan Lowe (chair of the mentoring initiative) – our first step in collaboration!
Latest Work to Date Between ACRL-LA & LLA
On September 8, 2008, today’s presenters met, shared information … including ACRL-LA’s initial finding that two-thirds of its “new” librarians have no interest in a “mentor” … tossed around ideas, and concluded that more information and suggestions are needed to determine if the Louisiana library community in fact has a need
for a mentorship program and if there is such a need, what should be the nature and
scope of such a program.
What Has Been Gleaned from Sharing
A librarian’s need for a mentor arises when her/his library career is in transition as much as when the established librarian is learning a new skill, as when the newly minted librarian is entering the profession.
A librarian may also on occasion need confidential, unbiased advice in dealing with a workplace issue/crisis not at all connected with any career transition.
The terms “mentoring” and “mentor” may be unnecessarily limiting and have a negative connotation for some “mentees,” who may chafe at the suggestion that, though professionals, they still need a “guide” … perhaps, “conferring” and “colleague” are better terms (“Conferring with a Colleague”).
What Has Been Gleaned from Sharing
To be successful, any mentoring/advising program must be: Need-generated - what do our colleagues need, not
what do we think they need Well-planned - but not so over-planned the program
dies from inaction Realistic - the goal should be to have effective
mentoring/advising available when needed – not all mentors/advisors will be engaged all the time (not being busy is a good thing) and not all mentors/advisors will prove helpful (so assign another one)
HOW YOU CAN CONTRIBUTE TO THE PROCESS
What Can You Do?
What Can You Do?
Join ACRL-LA and LLA – after all, membership in professional organizations is a good way to meet peers and seek help
Take our surveys, when they come down the pipesParticipate in focus groupsVolunteer to serve on committees (like the
mentorship committee!)Serve as mentors/peer colleagues/whatever we
end up calling the participants in the mentorship program
Don’t be afraid to contact us with ideas, input, suggestions, etc. We want to hear from you!
Contacting Us
Rob Bremer: [email protected] Matthews: [email protected] Lowe: [email protected]
LLA: http://www.llaonline.orgACRL-LA: http://www.acrlla.org/
REMEMBER, WE THRIVE ON INPUT – DON’T HESITATE TO CONTACT US!
We hope this has been informative!