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ALCTS Mentoring Program: Suggested activities for Mentor and Mentee

Resources for mentors and mentees as they participate in the ALCTS Mentoring Program.

Activities

  1. Mentors and mentees can share a “day in the life” and discuss typical daily duties and requirements for their position
  2. Read 2 articles on mentoring and discuss them. Suggestions:
    1. Oregon Library Association Quarterly vol. 23 no. 3 (2015), https://commons.pacificu.edu/olaq/vol21/iss3/?utm_source=commons.pacificu.edu%2Folaq%2Fvol21%2Fiss3%2F4&utm_medium=PDF&utm_campaign=PDFCoverPages
    2. Hussey, L. K., & Campbell-Meier, J. (2017). Is There a Mentoring Culture Within the LIS Profession? Journal of Library Administration, 57(5), 500–516.
    3. Williams, G. H. (2019). Mentoring Mid-Career: Reflections on Fostering a Culture of Mentorship for Experienced Librarians. Journal of Academic Librarianship, 45(2), 171–173.
    4. Murphy, S. A. (2008). Developmental Relationships in the Dynamic Library Environment: Re-conceptualizing Mentoring for the Future. Journal of Academic Librarianship, 34(5), 434–437.
    5. Eldredge, J. D. (2014). The Long Reach of a Mentor’s Influence. Hypothesis: Journal of the Research Section of MLA, 26(1), 14–19.
    6. Mavrinac, M. A., & Stymest, K. (2012). Pay it forward: Mentoring new information professionals. Chicago, IL: Association of College & Research Libraries
  3. Share résumés and:
    1. Provide suggestions to develop career goals
    2. Evaluate the overall appearance and content
  4. Think about a project or skill the mentee wants to develop and come up with a rough plan/schedule for pursuing and accomplishing that goal
    1. Can be job related, i.e., revising workflows
    2. Examples also include soft skills, networking, professional service and engagement
  5. Read up on a recent trend (new research, suggested resources, etc.) in your field and discuss its significance
    1. Examples include, linked data, critical cataloging
  6. Watch or participate in an online workshop/webinar together and discuss it
  7. Organize a mentor/mentee meet up at a conference (such as Midwinter or Annual) that you both plan to attend

 

Conferences and Events

ALA Midwinter 2020 (Philadelphia, Jan. 24-28, 2020)

​ALA Annual 2020 (Chicago, June 25-30, 2020)