The Libraries Assembly Mentorship Program is designed to provide an opportunity for Duke library staff to receive guidance and support from within our own campus community. All staff from Duke’s libraries (including Perkins, Bostock, Rubenstein, Lilly, Music, the Marine Lab, Business, Divinity, Law, Medicine, and the LSC) are encouraged to participate, regardless of job family or designation.
The committee will open the program to a new cohort starting May 1, 2024. Please complete one or both of the following mentorship profiles by 5pm Wednesday, May 15th:
For Mentors: https://forms.gle/yx4zAMA6eXWBhLKt7
For Mentees: https://forms.gle/x4ctWoJvNrk8CmQR9
The profile questions ask about areas of professional interest and any considerations the committee should take in finding a compatible match in either a mentoring pair or small group. Each form can be completed in just a few minutes. The committee will review all the applications and try to find compatible mentoring partner(s) from different departments or divisions. All participants will have the opportunity to approve the match before moving forward. Please note that there may not be enough mentors or mentees to meet demand, but applications will open again each semester so that others can participate.
To get the greatest benefit from this program, the committee suggests mentoring pairs or groups meet for about an hour each month for 12 months. The program is designed to flexible, though, so participants may exit their match or the program at any time. A committee liaison will be assigned and training materials will be provided to help participants establish goals and get started.
History
The Libraries Assembly Executive Committee (LAEC) charged a small working group (Joyce Chapman, Emily Daly, Ciara Healy, Henry Hebert (chair), Mandy Hurt, Jovana Ivezic, and Bill Verner) in March 2021 to investigate the creation of a mentorship program for library staff across Duke’s multiple libraries. After a year of research, consultation with Duke library staff, and speaking with representatives from mentorship programs at other academic libraries, the Working Group released a proposal for a formal program:
In early 2022 LAEC charged a Mentorship Committee (Giao Luong Baker, Valerie Gillispie, Arianne Hartsell-Gundy, Ciara Healy, Henry Hebert (chair), and Sigrid K. Kjaer) to administer a small pilot program of seven mentoring pairs. The pilot program lasted for 12 months and, at the end, the committee conducted an assessment with the remaining 12 participants. The committee produced a full report on the details of the successful pilot program and the generally positive feedback received from participants:
Mentorship Committee Charge
The Mentorship Committee, composed of five members, shall be appointed by the Executive Committee and serve until June 30, 2023. The Committee shall have such duties as are assigned to it by the Assembly or by the Executive Committee, including: matching current library staff in mentorship pairs or groups according to staff needs and areas of interest (e.g. continuing appointment & promotion, scholarship, leadership development, career advancement, or psychosocial support); developing guidelines, procedures, and expectations for participating in the program; organizing resources relating to good mentoring practices and training events such as orientations, workshops, or other informal meetings for new mentors and mentees; defining goals and measures of success for the program; establishing a process to assess the mentoring program’s efficacy. The Committee shall administer a pilot program consisting of 7 mentorship pairs for a period of six to twelve months. The designated term of the committee may be extended and additional participants may be added to the program based on assessment of the pilot.
Committee Members:
- Henry Hebert (chair)
- Giao Luong Baker
- Arianne Hartsell-Gundy
- Ciara Healy
- Sigrid K. Kjaer
- Beverly Murphy
