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CHICAGO—The Association for Library Collections & Technical Services (ALCTS) is now accepting applications for the second cohort of the .

Established last year as an initiative between the ALCTS New Members Interest Group and the ALCTS Leadership Development Committee’s ALCTS Mentoring Subcommittee, the ALCTS Mentoring Program coordinates and promotes the professional development of ALCTS members throughout the various stages of their careers and in any of the areas related to our work. The program aims to develop strong leadership in areas of librarianship covered by ALCTS; support members in developing their professional skills; cultivate leadership and involvement in ALCTS; provide networking opportunities and expand members’ professional learning circles.

The 2017 cohort of the ALCTS Mentoring Program was comprised of 41 mentor/mentee pairs throughout the U.S. and the territory of Guam. Areas of interest include career development, leadership and management, cataloging and metadata, acquisitions, electronic resources, collection management, preservation and public librarianship. The program consisted of mentors and mentees from a range of professional backgrounds, such as academic institutions, public libraries, vendors and library school faculty.

“The ALCTS Mentoring Program is long overdue and the number of mentor and mentee applicants for the first cohort speaks to the pent-up demand for mentoring among our membership,” said Regina Gong, chair of the ALCTS Mentoring Subcommittee. “Our mentees tell us that it has been going very well for them and that they are seeing the immense benefits of having mentors they can learn with, draw inspiration from and seek advice on their work and professional lives. With this second round of applications we hope to expand and promote the importance of mentoring to ALCTS members and how it can potentially benefit them not only professionally but personally as well.”

Applications are now being accepted for the second cohort of and . The application deadline is March 2, 2018, with the mentor and mentee pairing process to be completed by May 14, 2018. The actual mentoring program for the second cohort will begin June 1, 2018 and end April 30, 2019.

The ) is the national association for information providers who work in collections and technical services, such as acquisitions, cataloging, collection development, preservation and continuing resources in digital and print formats. ALCTS is a division of the 91´«Ã½ (91´«Ã½).