MAC Messages Number 97:
January/February 2003

Mentoring: Sharing Experiences for Professional Growth
Submitted by Irene Lovas and Tovah Reis, Co-Chairs, MLA Joint Section/Chapter Council Committee for MLA '03;
Edited by Roberta Bronson Fitzpatrick

Mentoring has become a national movement in business and industry as organizations strive to ensure recruitment, retention and productivity of talented employees. Librarians who have traditionally sought colleagues to share opinions and experiences in an informal manner are finding it necessary to explore more formal approaches to mentoring as we continue to recruit new members to our profession.

At MLA '03 in San Diego, there will be a three-hour program on Wednesday, May 7, from 9 am to 12 noon where members can learn about and discuss how to further develop, implement and maintain mentoring activities in our organization. The committee responsible for planning this program is the first to be composed of members from both Section Council (Stephen Greenberg, Jett McCann, Tovah Reis) and Chapter Council (Irene Lovas, Paula Raimondo, Debbie Sibley).

Karen Garman, Ed.D., who spoke at the November 2001 joint meeting of the Association of Academic Health Sciences Librarians (AAHSL) and the Association of Medical Colleges, will set the stage for the program by providing an overview of mentoring. Dr. Garman is a nationally recognized speaker and consultant who specializes in the fields of mentoring, healthcare education, leadership, and performance.

To share some of their unique experiences of professional growth, a distinguished panel of health sciences librarians will bring their perspectives of mentoring to the discussion. Panelists will include Sue Trombley, Arizona Health Sciences Library-Tucson, a recent graduate; Ruth Holst, associate director, NN/LM Greater Midwest Region, a mid-career and a former hospital librarian who has been a mentor as well as a mentee; and Rick Forsman, director, Denison Memorial Library, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, a senior librarian who has mentored librarians throughout his career.

A Town Meeting will cap off the morning program. This will be a time for everyone to express opinions, offer ideas and thoughts, and ask any questions about mentoring. It will also be an opportunity for members to hear about the mentoring activities of MLA, its sections and chapters, and other professional associations and organizations. The Town Meeting will be the place to continue planning mentoring initiatives for our professional organization.

There will be opportunities before the annual meeting for you to assist the committee in planning the Town Meeting. A bibliography of mentoring resources will be posted on MLANET, which will also offer a place for suggestions, comments and questions to be addressed at the Town Meeting. You may also email any ideas or questions to Irene Lovas (irene.lovas@cshs.org) or Tovah Reis (tovah_Reis@brown.edu). Please take this opportunity to participate, as the MLA membership continues to develop and implement mentoring activities for future health sciences librarians.

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