Mentoring Mysteries: The Wrap Up

ALIA Students and New Graduates Group collaborated with IFLA Continuing Professional Development Workplace Section (IFLA CPDWL), IFLA New Professionals Students Interest Group (IFLA NPSIG) & Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP) for an #IIFS24 Associated event at Brisbane Square Library on Friday, 4th October 2024.

The opening address was made by IFLA CPDWL Chair, Helan Chan.

Lunch was sponsored by Skilltype & CAVAL. That included a photo worthy fruit salad.

Activity 1 & 2 looked at Maximising your potential as a mentee or mentor.

• Benefits for the mentee/mentor
• Skills
• Personal traits

Event attendees wrote notes on post its.

The Panel: The secret ingredients of mentoring programs, now and into the future

Tony Zanders, CEO & Founder, Skilltype

• Skilltype is a software company that focuses on skill development using data. Working with libraries, professional associations, and high schools to help them incorporate data to their skill journey.
• Providing one-on-one mentoring programs.

Jame McCowan, CEO, CAVAL

• CAVAL is a consortium of Academic  Libraries based in Victoria. Has special interest groups beyond Victoria.
• CAVAL started at the State Library of Victoria. Monash University has a link to CAVAL.
• CAVAL has a Mentoring program.

Jacqui Lucas, Professional Learning

• Shared mentoring experience with ALIA Mentoring Scheme.

Alan Brian, CILIP

• Spoke about the CILIP Mentoring program.

Gillian Hallam facilitated the pannel discusion. The first question went to Jacqui Lucus.

Gillian to Jacqui: On work with ALIA Mentoring Scheme.

Gillian: What does successful mentoring look like?

Jacqui: What makes successful mentoring? There are 3 ingredients.

Structure, People & Communication.

• Look at Structure. What structure is the program going to take?  ALIA Mentoring Scheme is a 1 year program.
• Mentoring can be informal. There is reverse mentoring. (group & one-on-one mentoring)
• Thinking & planning goes into the structure to match mentees with mentors.

Gillian: How do you do this?

• Via contacting matches by email and phone.
• Clear communication. The Mentor & Mentee both need to know what to expect of the mentoring relationship. Understand if there are any boundaries that would impact the mentoring relationship.
• Finding mentor that match the mentee
• Evaluating participant results via a survey at the end of each year. Adding option to share what goals worked or did not hit the mark. 40% respondents respond to the survey

People need to be motivated to complete the survey after 1 year. Many who join don’t complete the survey a year later.

Jamie: CAVAL have a survey to evaluate the mentoring program.

Alan shared that the CILIP mentoring scheme is voluntary.

• You need to have an awareness of the mentoring scheme.
• CILIP will match mentees from a different library sector for a difference of opinion.
• CILIP have a written record between the mentor & mentee that states what will happen in mentoring. What goals you have? What you aim to achieve? How mentoring may achieve your goals?

Jamie: CAVAL (Cross-Institutional Library Mentoring Program) goes for 7 months.

Alan mentioned that mentee’s in CILIP mentoring program can shop around for mentor to fit their requirements.

CILIP provides the option to match mentees with mentors from different GLAMR sectors. This provides a chance to gain new insights by hearing feedback from a person with  different sector experience.

Mentoring program has a fee for Full CAVAL Members, Associate  & Non-Members

Tony spoke about AI. Tony spoke about the global shortage that exists in libraries.

Mentees and mentors should be using AI.

AI software can cover the blind spots in mentoring.

AI is not going to take your library job.

Opportunities for mentoring in LIS?

Jacqui mentioned to think of mentoring as a two way street.