The Academic Librarianship Committee (ALC) is interested in making a contribution to proactively fostering a learning and supportive environment for both librarians and staff at the UCI Libraries. We are especially cognizant of three opportunities for mentoring that are not currently formally being met, that of 1) new and/or junior librarians in the UCI Libraries, 2) UCI Libraries staff contemplating pursuing a graduate degree in librarianship, and 3) UCI students interested in pursuing a career in librarianship.

Junior librarians especially, but also those less junior librarians who are new to the UC system, would benefit from mentoring with a UCI librarian who is not their review initiator. Mentors would be available to discuss a variety of issues and topics that do not concern the librarian's primary position responsibilities, such as getting involved in professional organizations, launching a research or writing project, doing a poster session or talk at a professional conference, or figuring out how best to participate in library-wide or system-wide opportunities available to UCI librarians.

Additionally, several current Library Assistants and undergraduate students have expressed an interest in pursuing a career in librarianship. These individuals would benefit greatly from a mentoring relationship with one or several library professionals in the UCI Libraries. Mentors could help these individuals to gain information and/or experience through activities such as discussing basics of a professional graduate program; strategizing about various graduate program options; arranging interviews, shadowing, interning, or employment with various colleagues, or in various areas of the UCI Libraries to assist the mentee in gaining perspective on the variety of things that academic librarians do; or reading over graduate program application materials and serving as a reference for the applicant.

We propose, pending approval by the LAUC-I EB, to implement a 1-year pilot LAUC-I Mentorship Program to be launched during Winter or Spring quarter 2002. We feel strongly that a formal mentoring program would benefit individual mentees and mentors, as well as LAUC-I, the UCI Libraries, and the UCI campus.

Goal: To proactively foster a supportive environment for new UCI librarians and those at UCI interested in pursuing a career in librarianship by:

  • Providing training for all interested UCI librarians in the basics of mentoring that can be used in a variety of situations.;
  • Matching up a maximum of twelve pairs of mentees/mentors for a pilot mentoring project.

Process:
1. January/February 2002: Discussion of proposal and approval of LAUC-I EB to proceed.
2. February 2002: ALC presents Mentorship Program pilot proposal to LAUC-I general membership for discussion.
3. February-March 2002: Invite an expert with extensive mentoring experience, an understanding of academic librarianship, and an appreciation of the effectiveness of a mentorship program to kick off the project with a half-day training session for interested UCI librarians. We propose to contact Janice Koyama of UCLA Libraries (who has significant experience with mentorship programs) to see if she is willing to serve as trainer for this session, or has any recommendations for trainers. LAUC-I funding would be required to cover lunch and travel for trainer and snacks for training attendees (approx. $300.00).
4. March-April 2002: Identify a maximum of twelve mentors (volunteers from LAUC-I membership) and twelve mentees (new UCI librarians starting work in 2001/2002, current Library Assistants or UCI students interested in pursuing a graduate degree in librarianship or a related field during the next 1-2 years).
5. April 2002: Launch pilot LAUC-I Mentorship Program.
6. May-June 2002: Provide LAUC-I funding (up to $15.00/person reimbursement for up to 24 lunches = $360.00) to encourage mentee/mentor pairs to meet once for lunch during Spring quarter.
7. October-December 2002: Provide LAUC-I funding ($360.00, see above) to encourage mentee/mentor pairs to meet again for lunch during Fall quarter.
8. January 2003: LAUC-I ALC early bird or brown bag on Mentorship Program. Collective summaries of experiences, thoughts, suggestions by group of mentors and group of mentees, discussion, ideas on how to proceed. LAUC-I funding for refreshments ($100.00).
9. January 2003: Each mentor and mentee submits a short written report to ALC on their mentorship experience and recommendations for changes and/or enhancements to the program if it is continued by the LAUC-I EB.
10. February 2003: LAUC-I ALC submits final report on the pilot program to the LAUC-I EB by its meeting on the first Monday in February. Final report to incorporate reports from individual mentors/mentees, as well as suggestions from early bird/brown bag and other sources for regularizing the Mentorship Program, recruiting mentors and mentees, updating training of mentors, and other ways of fostering/facilitating communication among mentors and mentees.
11. March 2003: If LAUC-I EB decides that pilot has been successful and should be continued, ALC begins to recruit new mentors and mentees.
12. By April 2003: Launch a new round of mentor/mentee pairs.

Budget implications for LAUC-I:

FY 2001/2002--
$300.00 Half-day training session on mentoring
$360.00 Mentee/mentor lunches
$660.00 TOTAL

FY 2002/2003--
$360.00 Mentee/mentor lunches
$100.00 Refreshments for brown bag
$460.00 TOTAL