Professional Partnerships for New Librarians: Making a Case for Mentoring Nikki Tummon McGill University Library Library Research Forum 2013 – Concordia Libraries

Motivation  The purpose of this study is to find out more about current mentoring perceptions and practices at Canadian academic libraries, and to promote a mentorship model (formal or informal) as a key component to help an entry-level academic librarian’s organizational socialization

What is organizational socialization? “Learning the Ropes”

Organizational socialization and mentoring “In a nutshell, we know [mentoring] works; we are still grappling with the why, when, and how.” - Belle Rose Ragins and Kathy E. Kram

New academic librarians adjusting to the workplace OR woman!

Organizational culture  How to deal with library politics  How to work with a difficult supervisor  How to speak in meetings  How to manage conflict  Most different from new librarians’ expectations  Most difficult for them to learn

What’s left for me to discover?

Methodology > survey  Informal scan on Canadian library listservs?  Preliminary interviews with a sample of new academic librarians?  Dissemination of a web-based survey in multiple parts to get at all of the data I am interested in

Next steps Research… Discuss… Collaborate?

Feedback and questions?  Does this study sound too unwieldy?  What do you think of the population I have chosen?  Any suggestions with regard to the methodology for a qualitative study like this?

References  Ballard, Angela, and Laura Blessing. "Organizational Socialization through Employee Orientations at North Carolina State University Libraries." College & Research Libraries 67, no. 3 (2006):  Black, William K, and Joan M Leysen. "Fostering Success: The Socialization of Entry-Level Librarians in Arl Libraries." Journal of Library Administration 36, no. 4 (2002):  Chao, Georgia T. Mentoring and Organizational Socialization: Networks for Work Adjustment. The Handbook of Mentoring at Work: Theory, Research, and Practice. Sage Publications, Inc [in English]. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications.  Chapman, Connie. "Retention Begins before Day One: Orientation and Socialization in Libraries." New Library World 110, no. 3/4 (2009):  Fiegen, Ann Manning. "Mentoring and Academic Librarians: Personally Designed for Results." College & Undergraduate Libraries 9, no. 1 (2002):  Graybill, Jolie O, Maria Taesil Hudson Carpenter, Jerome Offord Jr, Mary Piorun, and Gary Shaffer. "Employee Onboarding: Identification of Best Practices in Acrl Libraries." Library Management 34, no. 3 (2013):  Munde, Gail. "Beyond Mentoring: Toward the Rejuvenation of Academic Libraries." The Journal of Academic Librarianship 26, no. 3 (2000):  Neyer, Linda, and Kathryn Yelinek. "Beyond Boomer Meets Nextgen: Examining Mentoring Practices among Pennsylvania Academic Librarians." [In English]. By Linda Neyer. The Journal of Academic Librarianship 37, no. 3 (2011):  Nofsinger, Mary M, and Angela SW Lee. "Beyond Orientation: The Roles of Senior Librarians in Training Entry-Level Reference Colleagues." College and Research Libraries 55, no. 2 (1994):  Oud, Joanne. "Adjusting to the Workplace: Transitions Faced by New Academic Librarians." College & Research Libraries 69, no. 3 (2008):

Image credits  Rope photo from Wikimedia Commons Rope photo Wikimedia Commons  Telemachus and Mentor in the Odyssey from Wikimedia Commons Telemachus and Mentor in the Odyssey Wikimedia Commons  The new man needs your help from Wikimedia Commons The new man needs your help Wikimedia Commons  By Yathin S Krishnappa (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 ( via Wikimedia Commons Naukluft_Sand_Dunes_(2011).jpg Naukluft_Sand_Dunes_(2011).jpg  By Jtneill (Own work) [CC0], via Wikimedia Commons  By J Alves ( [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons