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The ALSC Mentoring Program, administered by the ALSC Membership Committee and the Managing Children's Services Committee, is currently undergoing a review and revamp. More information will be coming in the future.

If you are independently engaged in a mentorship relationship or considering one, you may find the resources below helpful.

Goals | Sample Activities | More Resources

Goals

The work between a mentor and mentee can be greatly enhanced by setting specific goals. Here are some examples:

• Learn more about the common challenges we all face in libraries
• Make new contacts and network within the profession.
• Work together to come up with 6 crafts for the Bookbag program (ages 6-12).
• Learn more about school librarianship.
• Discuss the qualities that make an effective manager/director.
• Look for opportunities to attend more conferences and trainings that are relevant to my career development.

Sample Activities

Create!

• Create a shared document/spreadsheet of inclusive program ideas. Encourage others to enter their own ideas/suggestions.
• Create a book list of diverse titles that you both enjoy. Discuss why you enjoy these titles, what values do they promote?
• Conduct a survey with your match! Come up with a topic, questions, and then create a form.

Practice Interviews

• Do a resume/CV review. Share/critique job experiences and skills.
• Perform a mock interview. Take turns asking each other difficult interview questions (i.e. “Where do you see yourself in 5 years?”). Afterwards give written feedback.
• In advance of your meeting, each come up with 3-5 questions for the other to answer. Make sure to forward to the other person a few days before your meeting to give that person time to come up with appropriate answers.

Topic Discussions

• Discuss the qualities that make an effective manager/director. Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of managers you’ve both encountered in your previous jobs.
• What steps are you taking to address Equity, Diversity and Inclusion at your library or in your work space?
• Read an article about mentoring (see resources below). Discuss how it applies to your match.
• How have either of you been involved in ALSC? Have you downloaded any of ALSC's resources or attended an ALSC event in the past?

Reading and Writing

• Read and discuss an article from a professional journal such as . What did you like? What didn’t you like?
• Co-author a blog post for a professional organization.

Participate in Association Events

• Participate in an ALSC Community Forum. Each come up with a question to ask the ALSC President and ALSC Board of Directors.
• Attend one of ALSC's live webinar sessions!

More Resources

• from ALSC Mentoring Program participants.
• Bradford, Laurence. "." Forbes. January 2018.
• Byington, Teresa. "." Journal of Extension. December 2010. Volume 48. No. 6.
• Horoszowski, Mark. "." Harvard Business Review. January 2020
• "." Together. June 2020
• Ross, Kevin M. "." Journal of Library Administration. 2013. Volume 53. Issue 7-8, pp 412-428.