The deadline is less than a week away for the ARLIS/NA Yearlong Career Mentoring Program and this, dear colleagues, is a call to action!

While mentoring may seem like a time consuming venture, it is actually a rather straightforward, yet impactful, way to make a difference in our profession.  All we ask is that you spend an enlightening morning with us at this year’s Pasadena conference getting to know your mentee (or mentor) and learning how to make the most of a mentoring program.  Then it’s up to you and your mentee/mentor to stay in touch periodically throughout the year. Simple as that!

At this time, we are in particular need of mentors.  If you are active in the field of arts librarianship, there is a good chance you could act as a mentor to a burgeoning professional. If you have ever participated in the Career Mentoring Program as a mentee, you are also likely qualified to serve as a mentor. We are also seeking any Spanish or Portuguese speaking ARLIS members interested in the possibility of mentoring our Latin American colleagues who will be in attendance at this year’s conference.     

Potential mentors and mentees can apply between now and next Monday, February 18^th at: http://ow.ly/hGohb. We will be letting folks know about acceptance to the program on March 4th.
Acceptance is based on finding suitable pairs among the applicants.

If you aren’t yet convinced of the power of the mentoring program, check out what some of our past participants have had to say: 

I have the best mentee. I don’t know how intentional the pairing was, but it is perfect in my mind. And I feel really grateful that we were matched up in this formal way, because I don’t know that we would have met otherwise. --Mentor

I cannot think of a more positive experience than what I have shared with [my mentor]. Her kindness, encouragement, and willingness to go out of her way to answer my questions … has been the most useful to me. –Mentee

I am delighted with my mentee. … I’m so glad to have come into contact with this youthful and very vibrant librarian. She gives me great hope for the future of the profession. This is what I have taken away from this relationship. I hope that I have passed along some useful information or a helpful attitude about facing career challenges in the process --Mentor

She [mentor] was really great at helping me work through any issues I had at work or figuring out my plans. She would listen to me talk for a while, and then sort of synthesize what I was saying into something more concise and pretty. That seems to me to be the mentoring gold standard. It was great to be able to discuss things with someone objective who knows the field and has more experience than I do. --Mentee

Questions? Contact Rachel Resnik, chair of the Mentoring Subcommittee.

Mentoring Subcommittee

Rachel Resnik

Jessica Shaykett

Sarah Sherman

Anna Simon

Heather Slania

Jessica Shaykett

Librarian

American Craft Council

1224 Marshall Street NE, Suite 200

Minneapolis, MN 55413

Tel.: 612-206-3118

Email: [log in to unmask]

www.craftcouncil.org