mentors

During ALA Annual 2008, I met up for lunch with my mentor, Rebecca Stuhr. Rebecca is a Collection Development & Preservation Librarian and Associate Professor at Grinnell College. She is my mentor through the ACRL (Association of College & Research Libraries) Dr. E. J. Josey Spectrum Scholar Mentor Program.

I have had quite a few official mentors in the last few years. Susan Frampton, Program Manager, was my mentor during my time as a CIRLA (Chesapeake Information and Research Library Alliance) Fellow at the Smithsonian Institution Libraries. Cheryl Adams and Sheridan Harvey, Reference Librarians, were my mentors during my year at the Humanities and Social Sciences Division of the Library of Congress. I have more mentors, both official and unofficial. I have truly been blessed when it comes to mentors.

While I am grateful to all my mentors, I have to single out Rebecca. She is my mentor because she volunteered to be one through the ACRL program. And she has been so helpful. She has always reached out to me. At the outset, she asked me about what I wanted to get out of our mentoring relationship. And she has more than exceeded expectations.

Last year, when I was applying for jobs, she was always there to give me advice, particularly about the day-long interviews and the required presentations. She gave me helpful hints and useful ideas. And she made herself available, even when she was travelling. Now that I have started my job, she is still there to listen to me and to provide support. What more could I want?

So, thank you, Rebecca! And thank you to my other mentors in the past and in the future!