Membership Report

Posted on December 7, 2021 by anitaslack

The current membership of ALAO includes a total of 312 members consisting of 284 regular members, 5 retiree members, and 23 student members. We are excited to welcome new members who joined between August 30, 2021 and November 30, 2021.

Luann Edwards, Tiffin University

Kathleen Flores, Kent State University, Student

Marcella Gonzales, Tiffin University, Student

Zhanna Griffin, Valdosta State University, Student and Cincinnati State Technical and Community College

Kristen Kirchgesler, Case Western Reserve University

Tamara Means, Cleveland Public Library

Taryn Mirabello, Valdosta State University, Student

Ryan Mulholand, Dominican University, Student

Simon Robins, University of Dayton

Jill Spreitzer, University of Detroit-Mercy

Derek Wilmott, University of Toledo

–Maureen Barry, Membership Chair, Bowling Green State University

Posted in Vol. 39 no. 4 (Dec 2021) | Tagged | Leave a comment

Funding Opportunities

Posted on December 7, 2021 by anitaslack

Call for the ALAO Research Grant applications

As an ALAO member, you have the opportunity to apply for up to $2,000 in grant funding in support of your research.  The Academic Library Association of Ohio (ALAO) Research Grant is awarded each year to help in funding costs associated with research investigations related to issues in libraries, librarianship, and information science and technology.  

  • Eligibility:  Applicant must be a current member of ALAO.
  • Application Deadline:  February 4, 2022

Apply online here. NOTE: You will need to sign into your Gmail account to apply for this grant.

For more information go to the ALAO Research & Publications Committee website.

If you have questions, please contact the ALAO Research & Publications Committee Co-Chairs, Katy Tucker or Paul C. Campbell.  

–Katy Tucker, Research & Publications Committee Co-Chair, Xavier University
–Paul C. Campbell, Research & Publications Committee Co-Chair, Ohio University

Call for Submissions for the ALAO Continuing Education Grant

The Academic Library Association of Ohio (ALAO) Continuing Education Grant is awarded each year to support the cost of participating in professional development opportunities such as conferences, workshops, seminars, which are related to the member’s current position or in pursuit of a professional library degree. Current ALAO members are eligible to apply for funds to defray the costs of attending any library-related educational opportunity occurring during the calendar year.

Eligibility:

Applicant must be a current member of ALAO.

Applicant may not have received this grant in the previous three award cycles.

Application Deadline: February 4, 2022

Notification & Payment: The ALAO Professional Development Committee will notify grant recipients by March 31, 2022 and will arrange payment through SWON, the ALAO fiscal agent.

Apply here

For more information click here. If you have any questions, please contact the ALAO Professional Development Committee Chair, Elizabeth Sullivan, at elizabeth.sullivan@oberlin.edu

–Elizabeth Sullivan, Professional Development Committee Chair, Oberlin College

Support Staff Grant 

The Academic Library Association of Ohio (ALAO) seeks to encourage support staff development and participation in ALAO activities through the Support Staff Grant. To that end, the ALAO Executive Board may award up to $150 annually to assist and encourage support staff to attend the ALAO Annual Conference. All support staff currently employed in an Ohio academic library are eligible to apply. Priority is given to applicants with an accepted 2022 ALAO conference program proposal.

–Elizabeth Sullivan, Professional Development Committee Chair, Oberlin College

Student Presenter Grant 

The Academic Library Association of Ohio (ALAO) seeks to provide opportunities for students and new librarians to grow professionally and encourage participation towards a career in academic libraries. ALAO also recognizes the need to spotlight current research, particularly if the research is in new and emerging fields and technologies. To that end, the ALAO Executive Board may award up to $150 annually to a student to present at the ALAO Annual Conference. Grant monies are intended to assist with the costs incurred in preparing the presentation and modest travel costs associated with the presentation. An ALAO Executive Board member or volunteer from the membership will be assigned to mentor with the recipient on preparing the program, highlight membership benefits, and facilitate networking opportunities at the conference.

–Elizabeth Sullivan, Professional Development Committee Chair, Oberlin College

Posted in Vol. 39 no. 4 (Dec 2021) | Tagged | Leave a comment

Interest Groups News

Posted on December 7, 2021 by anitaslack

Get Involved with ALAO Interest Groups

Looking ahead to the new year and ways you can get involved? ALAO has something for everyone! ALAO has 12 active special interest groups. These interest groups meet to discuss concerns and issues related to academic librarianship in Ohio. Interest groups hold regular events and offer a variety of leadership opportunities. Joining an interest group is a great way to get involved and network with fellow librarians and library staff. For more information visit the ALAO website. 

–Sara Klink, Interest Groups Coordinator, Stark State College

Collection Management Interest Group News

CMIG would like to have a meeting or workshop in the spring or summer of 2022. Brainstorming has started. 

One idea that developed was a session to introduce “read & publish journal deals” to those that are not familiar with this fairly new model. Generally, the cost moves from traditional journal subscriptions (read) to publishing costs (OA authoring of articles). In this session, we would include a discussion of the logistics and effects on institutions that do not publish much content but still need access to read the content. Do these deals work for all institutions? If publishers transition to this model as the only option, what does it mean for “read-only” institutions?

Send ideas for other topics or support for this proposed topic to Brian Gray and Kevin Messner.

–Brian Gray, Case Western Reserve University

Community and Two-Year College Libraries Interest Group News

Book Discussion Series

The Community and Two-Year College Interest Group (C2YCLIG) is hosting a book discussion series this year, focusing on academic library trends/hot topics. Discussions will now be held asynchronously using Padlet. Please see details for the second discussion in the series below.

Discussion #2: Programming, service, and outreach – closes on February 21, 2022 @ 2pm

Article citations:

Kasten-Mutkus, K. (2020). Programming as Pedagogy in the Academic Library. portal: Libraries and the Academy 20(3), 425-434.

Lamøy, L. & Kilvik, A. (2021). May I Borrow a Stapler? Is This All Students Ask at the Service Desk in a University Library? Evidence Based Library and Information Practice, 16(3), 32–45.

Oldenburg, K. (2021). Student Work in VCC Libraries: From Mannequins in the Library to a Car on the Third Floor. Partnership: The Canadian Journal of Library and Information Practice and Research, 15(2), 1–8.

Padlet link: https://padlet.com/c2ycligchairs/discussion2

Everyone is welcome to participate in the discussion. Please email C2YCLIG co-chairs at c2yclig-chairs@alaoweb.org.

–Ragan Snead, C2YCLIG Co-Chair, Northeast Ohio Regional Library System
–Megan Mamolen, C2yCLIG Co-Chair, Lakeland Community College

Instruction Interest Group News

The Instruction Interest Group (IIG) is moving into the brainstorming phase for our spring/summer workshops and webinars for 2022. We always welcome ideas for sessions from our members. We also encourage members to join the workshop planning committee. Please feel free to contact iig-chairs@alaoweb.org with any questions. 

–Abi Morgan, Instruction Interest Group Co-Chair, Miami University
–Stefanie Hilles, Instruction Interest Group Co-Chair, Miami University

Special Collections and Archives Interest Group News

The co-chairs of the Special Collections and Archives Interest Group held a small Friday lunch hour discussion during ALAO’s 2021 conference, and would like to thank the attendees for sharing their perspectives on the conference, and what ideas they’re taking with them. Thanks also to those who completed the short poll on format and topic for SCAig’s 2022 workshop in November! More information on the workshop is forthcoming, including an official call for planning committee volunteers. We’re glad to have already heard from folks interested in contributing and welcome others, including MLIS students, who’d like to get involved in SCAig!

-Henry Handley, Special Collections and Archives IG Co-Chair, University of Dayton
-Josh Zeller, Special Collections and Archives IG Co-Chair, Mount St. Joseph University

Sustainability Interest Group News

The Sustainability Interest Group is rolling out a new form to collect information on recycling programs in Ohio. Libraries often have items–from batteries to DVD cases–that can’t be recycled through curbside programs. There are many guides online on how to recycle such items, but they may not be specific to certain localities and may not have recent information. In an attempt to solve these problems, the Sustainability Interest Group decided to create a form to solicit information from library workers in Ohio on programs and services they have used to successfully recycle these types of items. We encourage you to submit programs or services that you’ve used to the form, here. Once we start getting submissions, we will add them to a Google Doc that we’ll link to from the SusIG page on the ALAO website.

–Bethany Spieth, Sustainability Interest Group Co-Chair, Ohio Northern University
-Kimberly Hoffman, Sustainability Interest Group Co-Chair, Miami University

Technical, Electronic & Digital Services and Sustainability Interest Groups News

Join TEDSIG & SUSIG for a Collaborative Workshop on Speculative Library Responses to Climate Change

Join TEDSIG and SUSIG for the co-sponsored workshop, Creating Radical Hope: Artistic and Speculative Library Responses to Climate Change. The full description for the event and the list of presenters can be found below. The workshop will be held on Monday, January 10, from 11am – 12pm. Interested attendees can register for the workshop by using the following URL: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUsfu-vrT0pE9C0PM6YC4KL9RPB6MEasThP. Please note that space is limited to the first 15 participants, so be sure to register early!

Workshop Description
Heat waves and wildfires, global pandemics, floods, and droughts. We are already experiencing the damaging impact of climate change, particularly communities of color. Young activists are demanding systemic change while governments and local leaders grapple with neighborhood migration and global displacement. Natural disasters will continue to put library facilities and collections at risk and will alter who uses libraries and what they are needed for. What can we do to envision library futures that respond to the hopes, fears, and needs of our patrons, both today and tomorrow?

Focused on the real-world challenge of climate change, this SUSIG & TEDSIG co-sponsored workshop offers participants the chance to imagine libraries from the perspective of future patrons’ needs as well as other responses to the crisis. Using speculative and critical design methods, the presenters will provide attendees with an exploratory framework from which to engage in small group discussions. From these engagements, we’ll brainstorm critical, activist, and artistic responses library staff might take to current and future environmental issues. While we can’t “solve climate change” in one workshop, small actions taken together are powerful antidotes to the paralysis of fear and uncertainty. 

Together, we will generate ideas, both practical and fanciful, while learning from one another and building alliances. Participants will leave the session with an understanding of the benefits and drawbacks of design thinking, seed ideas for micro-tasks, and opportunities to continue the conversation and deepen their exploration of speculative library futures.

Presenters

Shannon Robinson
Assistant Director, Fisher Fine Arts Library
University of Pennsylvania

John Jung
Senior Programmer/Analyst
The University of Chicago Library

Heidi Beke-Harrigan
Technical Support Librarian
OhioNet

–Chris Deems, Technical, Electronic & Digital Services Interest Group Co-Chair, Ohio Northern University
–Jerry Yarnetsky, Technical, Electronic & Digital Services Interest Group Co-Chair, Miami University
–Bethany Spieth, Sustainability Interest Group Co-Chair, Ohio Northern University
–Kimberly Hoffman, Sustainability Interest Group Co-Chair, Miami University

Posted in Vol. 39 no. 4 (Dec 2021) | Tagged | Leave a comment

People & Library News

Posted on December 6, 2021 by anitaslack

ALAO Planning Committee News

The 2020 ALAO Conference Planning Committee (CPC) faced a significant challenge in spring of 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic made in-person gatherings dangerous. After weighing several options, the CPC decided to go forward with the 2020 conference but take on the daunting task of transitioning it completely online. Many of you attended that first online ALAO conference (and are hopefully the second!) and witnessed first-hand the decisions and results of the CPC’s work. By many accounts, the conference was a success.

ALAO was not alone in its need to make a quick transition of its events to an online venue. To help other organizations who might need to move their professional development offerings online, a subset of 2020 CPC members collaborated to write an article about their experiences. We are excited to announce that our article, titled “Going digital: Strategies for transitioning a conference to an online format” will be published in the Journal of Academic Librarianship later this year! A corrected proof is currently available on the Journal of Academic Librarianship website: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acalib.2021.102433. Thank you to all of the 2020 CPC members for contributing to the success of the conference, and we hope you will all take a look at the article when it is published!

–Mandi Goodsett, Past President, Cleveland State University
–Mark Eddy, Case Western Reserve University
–Melissa Hill, Web Manager, Ohio Wesleyan University
–Sara Klink, Interest Group Coordinator, Stark State College
–Stacey McKenna, The Ohio State University
–Marsha Miles, Cleveland State University

Case Western Reserve University News

On Thursday, November 18, 2021, the Kelvin Smith Library hosted Kepler at 450: An Interdisciplinary Celebration. 

Johannes Kepler (1571-1630) was a central figure of the Scientific Revolution of the seventeenth century. His work was interdisciplinary, involving not only astronomy and physics, but he also described musical harmonies that the planets orchestrated in their paths around the sun, offered political advice to the Holy Roman Emperor, and agonized over theological doctrines that led to his excommunication.  KSL Special Collections recently acquired a valuable 1621 edition of Mysterium Cosmographicum, which laid the groundwork for many of Kepler’s pursuits.  This is the 400th anniversary of the publication of the book and the 450th anniversary of Kepler’s birth. Our event brought together scholars from the fields of music, history, physics, astronomy, philosophy, and the library to discuss Kepler’s impact on and across their fields. The celebration included opening and closing music performances featuring guest artist and world-renowned cornettist Bruce Dickey, who performed with faculty and students from CWRU’s Historical Performance Practice program.

A full program of the day’s events can be found here, and a playlist of recordings of the events can be found on CWRU’s YouTube channel here.

On October 12th, Provost Ben Vinson III today announced the appointment of Emory University’s dean and librarian Yolanda Cooper as Case Western Reserve’s vice provost and Lindseth Family University Librarian. She will begin her new role on January 1st. See the full announcement for more details.

–-Brian Gray, Case Western Reserve University

Oberlin College News

Oberlin College welcomed Valerie Hotchkiss as the new Azariah Smith Root Director of Libraries.  For the past five years, Hotchkiss served as university librarian at Vanderbilt University. Prior to that, she led Bridwell Library at Southern Methodist University and the Rare Book & Manuscript Library at the University of Illinois.  Soon after her arrival, Valerie initiated a strategic planning/visioning process, reaching out to every sector of the campus community and to the Friends of the Oberlin College Libraries.  She now chairs the search committee for the long-vacated Associate Director for Collections and Resource Services position. 

Read more about Valerie Hotchkiss here.

–Alison Ricker, Oberlin College

Ohio University News

After more than 25 years of service to the Libraries and Ohio University, Eileen Theodore-Shusta will be retiring from her position as the Libraries’ Director of Planning, Assessment, and Organizational Effectiveness on December 31, 2021.  Eileen’s contributions to the Libraries have been many and varied; and she is known across the university as a respected collaborator and colleague.  Eileen has contributed in numerous ways to ALAO over the years, including helping to establish and serving as the first chair of the Assessment IG; and as a member and chair of the Diversity Committee for several years.

–Eileen Theodore-Shusta

Ohio University Libraries is proud to announce the following staffing changes:

  • Katy Mathuews has accepted the position of Senior Director of Administration. Katy began her new position on August 15, 2021. She formerly served as the Head of Collections Assessment & Access.
  • Seth Sisler has accepted the position of Head of Acquisitions & Collections Services. Seth began his new position on November 1, 2021. He formerly served as the Electronic Resources Librarian.

—Katy Mathuews, Ohio University

Posted in Vol. 39 no. 4 (Dec 2021) | Tagged | Leave a comment

President’s Report

Posted on September 15, 2021 by anitaslack
Jessica Crossfield McIntosh, ALAO President

As the conference quickly approaches, I am excited to share some updates from the 2021 Conference Planning Committee. The CPC has been hard at work putting together a conference that allows for networking, learning opportunities, inspiration, and time to honor our colleagues for their hard work in the last year.

Early bird registration just wrapped up but registration remains open till Oct. 15th. The cost is only $30 for members, and the conference is free for students. We are also offering scholarships, and applications are due on September 27th. All of the registration and scholarship information can be found on the conference website.

We are planning lots of fun social events for the conference this year! A special Ask Me Anything – Working with Art and Cartoons will be held the week before the conference on October 21st. There will be a short orientation session for those new to ALAO on Wednesday Oct. 27th after the pre-conference, as well as a trivia social event on Thursday evening. The awards ceremony will be held during the lunch hour on Thursday Oct. 28th. More information on these events will be coming out in the following weeks.

Our conference service project for this year – Free Press, is an organization that promotes equitable access to trustworthy news and information. Free Press advocacy areas include media and platform accountability, net neutrality and affordable high-speed internet access, and diversification of media ownership. We ask that you consider donating to this worthy organization.

And finally, a huge thank you to this year’s Conference Planning Committee for their hard work planning this year’s conference. In these stressful and chaotic times, this year’s conference is a special opportunity for us to connect with our colleagues and share our good ideas. I hope to see everyone there.

Register to attend the ALAO Annual Conference, October 27-29th

The 2021 conference will take place online and consist of a selection of engaging workshops, live keynote sessions, pre-recorded presentations, and interactive poster sessions. As in years’ past, a pre-conference will kick off the event.

Conference registration deadline is October 15th.

Pre-Conference (Oct. 27th) events include:

  • A free afternoon workshop led by Fobazi Ettarh, Loving thy Neighbor: Creating Coalitions and Deconstructing Vocational Awe. In this workshop, we will learn about vocational awe, how it impacts the work-life balance of library workers, and how to deconstruct it so that we can all truly learn how to love ourselves as much as our neighbor.
  • Included with conference registration
  • New member welcome!

Conference (Oct. 28th & 29th) events include:

  • Opening keynote address by Sofia Leung, a librarian, facilitator, and educator who works towards fulfilling the promise of social justice in libraries and higher education
  • Closing keynote address by Nicole Cooke, associate professor at the University of South Carolina, presenting on Re-Envisioning LIS: Activating Social Justice
  • A choice of 18 pre-recorded, informative, and inspirational breakout sessions from your colleagues in Ohio and surrounding states (program available soon).
  • Approximately 20 virtual poster sessions to browse
  • 10 lightning talk sessions
  • Trivia Night!
  • Opportunities to network and connect with colleagues virtually

ALAO thanks our conference sponsors for allowing us to keep registration costs low.

Registration Rates (includes pre-conference):

  • $30 ALAO/MiALA/OELMA Members
  • $35 Non ALAO Members
  • $15 ALAO Retirees
  • FREE Current LIS students

To register, or for more information, visit: https://www.alaoweb.org/event-4300937

We look forward to seeing you in October! #2021alao

2021 Executive Board Retreat Report

The 2021 Executive Board held its annual retreat on Friday, July 16th, 2021. Like in 2020, this year’s retreat was held virtually, but that didn’t prevent us from having productive conversations, sharing ideas, and training new Board members. Every year, the board retreat is an opportunity for the newly formed Board to conduct strategic planning for the year ahead, and this year we continued revisiting our 2019-2024 ALAO Strategic Focus Areas and Objectives.

Focus 1: Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion

Goal: ALAO will exemplify equity, diversity, and inclusion in daily practices, foster those practices in its membership, and position members to become effective advocates on important issues facing the profession.

Focus 2: Expanding our Horizons

Goal: ALAO will position itself as a regional leader for an array of professional development activities, expanding and innovating upon its well-revered suite of programming.

Focus 3: Efficient and Purposeful

Goal: ALAO will build upon partnerships, management best practices, and sound organizational strategy to refine practices that position ALAO as current, efficient, and valuable.

Continuing the efforts of the 20-21 Board, we will be focusing on areas 1 and 2 in the coming year, and the Board identified several projects in these areas to channel our energy. As specific goals in these areas are formulated in the next couple of months, we’ll keep you updated on the projects that we will tackle.

Posted in Vol. 39 no. 3 (Sept 2021) | Leave a comment

Past President’s Report

Posted on September 15, 2021 by anitaslack

Call for Nominations: Jay Ladd Distinguished Service and Kathryn Venditti Mentoring Awards

Mandi Goodsett, ALAO Past President

The ALAO Awards Committee is now accepting nominations for the 2021 Jay Ladd Distinguished Service Award and the Kathryn Venditti Mentoring Award.

The Jay Ladd Distinguished Service Award recognizes an individual who has:

  1. been an Academic Library Association of Ohio member for at least 5 years
  2. promoted academic libraries and librarianship on his or her own campus and within the state 
  3. provided sustained leadership in the promotion of Academic Library Association of Ohio, e.g., committee service, interest group chair, position on the Executive Board

Additional information about the Jay Ladd Distinguished Service Award is available at https://www.alaoweb.org/aboutalao/jay-ladd-award.php. 

Please submit nominations for the Jay Ladd Distinguished Service Award through the Jay Ladd Online Nomination Form. 

The Kathryn Venditti Mentoring Award recognizes an individual who has: 

  1. demonstrated excellence as a mentor to a librarian, library worker, or library science student
  2. a sustained record of effective mentorship, as demonstrated by activities that may include but not be limited to advising, developing, coaching, sponsoring, advocating, guiding, and/or supporting librarians, library workers, or library students

Additional information about the Kathryn Venditti Mentoring Award is available at https://www.alaoweb.org/Venditti-Award.

Please submit nominations for the Kathryn Venditti Mentoring Award through the Kathryn Venditti Online Nomination Form. 

NOTE: You may nominate more than one person for each award! Your reasons for nominating your candidate(s) will be especially valuable to the Awards Committee so please be as detailed as possible.

Please submit your nominations by Friday, September 24, 2021.

Questions? Please contact Mandi Goodsett, ALAO Past President and Awards Committee chair at a.goodsett@csuohio.edu

Posted in Vol. 39 no. 3 (Sept 2021) | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Vice President/President Elect Report

Posted on September 15, 2021 by anitaslack
Jerry Natal, Vice President/President Elect

A hearty hello to the ALAO membership! In addition to the overall buzz I acquire at the start of a new semester, I am excited to begin my tenure as your Vice President/President Elect. This means, of course, that I must begin to devote a portion of my thought processes to 2022 and ALAO’s 48th annual conference, which at this early stage is being planned as an in-person event for early November. This decision was made before the COVID-19 pandemic took its current turn in the wrong direction, and in fact was based on the results of the poll that was sent to ALAO members back in June 2021 (see below).

Since my powers of prognostication are ineffectual when it comes to the behavior of viruses, I can only hope that the Era of COVID will exist only in the history books in fall of 2022. And so I look forward to the 2022 conference with optimism. If nothing else, planning committees are getting accustomed to hosting conferences online, and we should be in good shape for that eventuality.

If there is an interest, this is how 37% of ALAO members felt about future conference options. First choice (by a slim margin over a “Live conference with recorded presentations shared virtually for a cost”) was to “Alternate live and virtual conferences each year,” followed by “Live conference; offer selected sessions after the conference as live webinars for a cost,” and lastly offering “Hybrid/Flipped (Pre-recorded content with in-person activities).” The pandemic has had an indelible impact on conference planning—it is certain this question will be revisited in the future.

In my experience, the conference planning committee members typically come up with the ideas for a theme and keynote speakers. I would also like to tap into the collective wisdom of our knowledgeable and resourceful ALAO membership and welcome any and all ideas for a theme or dynamic speakers for consideration. Additionally, I’d be happy to hear from anyone who might be interested in being on the 2022 team.

Here’s wishing you a great fall semester!

Posted in Vol. 39 no. 3 (Sept 2021) | Tagged | Leave a comment

ALAO Virtual Conference Event: Save the Date!

Posted on September 15, 2021 by anitaslack

ALAO Virtual Conference Event: AMA – Working with Art and Cartoons

October 21st, 2021, 3:30-4:30 – Online

This free event will be offered in an AMA (Ask Me Anything) format. This is your opportunity to learn what it is like to work with visual collections! Have you wondered what it is like to feature comic strips, or the best way to present art? Curious about the resources available to support art and design research? Learn about two unique Ohio libraries, the Jessica R. Gund Memorial Library and The Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum from two of their librarians!  Join us for this fun virtual event and bring your questions. Conference registration not required. Meeting details forthcoming.

–-Katy Tucker, Research & Publications Committee Co-Chair, Xavier University

Posted in Vol. 39 no. 3 (Sept 2021) | Leave a comment

Find ALAO on Social Media

Posted on September 15, 2021 by anitaslack

Follow, like, and share ALAO on social media. Have content ideas? E-mail Melissa Cox Norris, ALAO Public Relations Coordinator, at publicrelations@alaoweb.org.

https://www.facebook.com/ALAOorg/

Posted in Vol. 39 no. 3 (Sept 2021) | Leave a comment

Call for Mentors

Posted on September 15, 2021 by anitaslack

Call for participation in the 2021-2022 ALAO Mentoring Program

The Academic Library Association of Ohio’s Professional Development Committee (ALAO PDC) is excited to announce a call for participation in the 2021-2022 Mentoring Program. 

Program Overview

The Academic Library Association of Ohio Professional Development Committee reviews registration information and matches mentoring pairs. The annual program typically runs from October 1 through September 30. 

The mentor application contains a few fields that will be posted on the ALAO web page as a prospective mentor bio. Mentees will select three potential mentors from the bios and the PDC will match participants and reach out to new mentor-mentee pairs. 

We invite people interested in being mentors to complete the application: https://forms.gle/DL71UzdtysdPcqfs9  

Applications are due September 14, 2021

  1. Mentor bios will be posted to an ALAO web page.
  2. Prospective mentees review the list of available mentors and identify three mentors they would like to work with.
  3. Prospective mentees complete an online application listing their top three mentor choices.
  4. ALAO PDC will then work to create a match. When a match is confirmed, both parties will be notified.
  5. Prior to your first mentoring meeting, ALAO PDC will provide some guidelines and suggestions to help get the mentoring relationship off to a good start.
  6. Typically, most mentoring relationships meet for at least four sessions based on mentor/mentee availability and scheduling preferences.
  7. At the end of the mentoring relationship, a program evaluation will go out to both parties.

Who Can Be a Mentor?

We welcome mentors from all levels of professional experience in academic libraries. Mentoring offers a meaningful way to engage with a colleague, be a supportive listener, and help them identify and achieve their professional goals.

Questions? Please contact Melissa Bauer: mbauer10@kent.edu, Michelle McKinney:  michelle.mckinney@uc.edu, or Kristen Peters: petersk@wittenberg.edu 

–Melissa Bauer, First Year Board Member, Kent State University-Stark Campus

Posted in Vol. 39 no. 3 (Sept 2021) | Tagged | Leave a comment