Menu:
College Library Directors' Mentor Program Enters Tenth Year
by Larry Hardesty
Who would have thought almost fifteen years ago that an informal dinner conversation among a few college library directors would lead to a mentoring program in which more than 200 college library directors have participated? After all these years, it is easy to forget about the initial efforts. (The full history of the program has been documented elsewhere.1) Nevertheless, after its first decade of existence, the College Library Directors' Mentor Program has evolved into a highly successful mentoring and networking program.
Development of the Program
The program began because leaders of the College Libraries Section of the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) saw the need to enhance the leadership capabilities of new college library directors. They understood from their own experiences that new directors often feel isolated and in a position for which their previous experiences had not prepared them. While financially administered by Austin College, the program continues to operate under the aegis of the Leadership Committee of the College Libraries Section of ACRL.
Program Elements
There are two major elements to the College Library Directors’ Mentor Program. The first element is a match between the first-year college library director and an experienced college library director. This is to provide the first-year director with an experienced "listener" who wants to "help," but not to "tell," the new director how to manage a college library. Each director is to visit the other director’s library at least once during the year.
Typically, experienced directors not only listen, but also share forms, offer to meet with the first-year director's staff and administration -- and even occasionally host the first-year director in an evening meal at the mentor's home. A recent participant notes: "From the very first meeting with my mentor, I realized that he was genuinely interested in my concerns and questions about leading a small college library. He helped me to prioritize the most important issues that I faced and gave me tips and ideas about how to turn challenges into successes."
The second element of the program is a three-day seminar held prior to the Midwinter ALA Conference. Three experienced college library directors conduct the seminar for the first-year directors: Mignon Adams, Director of Library Services at the University of the Sciences at Philadelphia, Larry Hardesty, College Librarian of Austin College, and Evan Farber, College Librarian Emeritus of Earlham College. While particular topics vary with the interests of the participants, all relate to how to deal successfully with the challenges at a small college. A recent participant provides a typical comment on the seminar: "Having the opportunity to meet other new directors was invaluable. Being able to freely discuss issues, concerns and challenges was incredibly empowering."
Program Benefits
The program facilitates networking in several ways. Each year, the first-year directors have a cohort of peers who bond through the seminar experience. Their mentors frequently introduce the first- year directors to other college library directors, and the program has an Internet discussion group open only to program participants (mentors and first-year directors). First-year directors can pose questions on this discussion group with confidence that they will receive thoughtful responses from other college library directors who understand their situation.
During the first nine years of the program, forty-four men and eighty-six women have participated as first-year directors. Their average age of participants is in the early 40s, but ranges from directors in their early 20s (and only a few months out of library school) to first-time college library directors in their late 50s (after years of varied experiences, often outside of academic librarianship). One can be neither too young or too experienced to participate and benefit from the program. A list of all the first- year participants is available at the College Library Directors' Mentor Program's web page so individuals interested in participating can contact earlier participants to discuss the benefits of the program.
Mentors are experienced college library directors who are willing to serve as good listeners and helpers. Many of the early mentees are now serving as mentors. During the first nine years of the program, thirty-nine men and thirty-nine women have served as mentors. They also typically report how they benefit from the program.
Program Participation
The main criterion for program participation is that the individual must be in his or her very first year as a college library director. The program is designed for library directors at small colleges, usually institutions of fewer than 2,500 students. Also, the participant must have a master's degree in library science from an ALA-accredited library school. The maximum number of participants allowed in the program per year is fifteen. When this number is not reached there is some flexibility in allowing participation by interim directors and/or individuals actively working on the master's degree in library science.
The program is self-supporting, and at present $650 is required as an front cost to cover the travel between the first-year director's and mentor's institutions and some of the seminar cost. Travel to the seminar and housing and evening meals at the seminar are the responsibilities of the participant. Every effort is made to keep the total costs as modest as possible.
Chief academic officers have been most supportive of the program, mainly, I believe, because there is an affinity between their position and the library director's position. Both serve a variety of clientele. Both usually have little formal training for many of their responsibilities. In addition, both can be in somewhat isolated positions with few or no peers on campus with whom to consult or confide.
When first-year library directors are hesitant about seeking funding, I remind them that not only does the chief academic officer understand their situation but he or she also wants them to be successful since the success or failure of the library director can be a reflection on them -- and a significant investment of institutional time and money. One chief academic officer observed to me: "The College Library Directors' Mentor Program was of great benefit not only to our library director but to our entire campus. I would strongly recommend to any institution that new library directors be encouraged to participate in this program."
Further information is available at the web site, or contact the program director:
Dr. Larry Hardesty
College Librarian
Abell Library, Suite 6L
Austin College
900 North Grand Avenue
Sherman, Texas 75090
Phone: 903-813-2490
Fax: 903-813-2297
e-mail: lhardesty@austinc.edu
1. Larry Hardesty, "College Library Directors Mentor Program: 'Passing It On:' A Personal Reflection." The Journal of Academic Librarianship 23 (July 1997): 281-290.