This is a call for volunteers to be mentors in the newly established local chapter mentoring program. Mentors are not limited to professionals with many years of experience, but rather to anyone who wants to contribute to the education and guidance of library students and budding professionals. I urge you, when considering whether to participate in this program, to think of all of the mentors you have had during your lifetime, and how these relationships increased your skill set, capabilities, and confidence. It takes a surprisingly small amount of time to make a large impact in a person’s life. You and your mentee will design the program, including the amount of time and effort that you both want to commit to the relationship and how to best communicate. The point is to match mentors and mentees with similar interests and let you learn from each other. Remember that mentors often get just as much out of a mentoring relationship as their mentees!
If you are interested in being a mentor, please send the following information to Eden Orelove at edeno@gwmail.gwu.edu:
- Your title and agency where you work (if applicable)
- Contact information
- Major settings/areas/tasks of the art information profession you are interested in/knowledgeable about (i.e. museums, academic, reference, collection development, archives, etc.)
- Any other information you deem important (i.e. if there are specific qualities you are looking for in a mentee, if you can only meet via Skype, etc.)
I thank you in advance for your involvement. I would prefer it if willing mentors would respond by August 15, 2013. I will send out a call for mentees in the fall, around the beginning of the school year. The success of this program is really up to the mentors. Please don’t put off your involvement until next year…the time to act is now!
-Eden Orelove, ARLIS DC-MD-VA Chapter Mentoring Program Coordinator