Cultivating Community with a Library Mentorship Program

Establishing a Library Mentorship Program can strengthen the roots of longtime library staff and support new growth for new librarians. In August of 2022, Buncombe County Public Libraries launched our first Library Mentorship Program to strengthen and support library staff after COVID. Built around our County values, our Library Mentorship Program (LMP) connects new staff with seasoned librarians to discuss and examine our work in the library.
In this presentation, Anna Booraem, Leicester Library Branch Manager, will share the experience of how Buncombe County Public Libraries developed and continues to sustain a Library Mentorship Program that is values-based and library-focused. We’ll talk about how to work with Library Administration for buy in, how to structure a mentorship program to best meet your library’s needs, and how to use feedback to continuously improve your process.

Attendees will gain:
• An understanding of the five key elements of a Library Mentorship Program
• An overview of the tools and resources Buncombe County Public Libraries used in a program to build a sense of community and belonging
• The knowledge and skills to launch a Library Mentorship Program that will best meet the needs of their organization

Presenter: Anna Booraem is the branch manager of the Leicester Library in Buncombe County and is the chair of the Library Mentorship Program committee. She has been a librarian with Buncombe County for ten years and is passionate about professional development, community building, and supporting her library colleagues in their work.

The recording and handouts will be available on Niche Academy after the live event as well as our library of over 700 recorded sessions. To access Niche, go to: https://my.nicheacademy.com/floridalibrarywebinars

Register here via Zoom for the live event or through the link below.