<span id="docs-internal-guid--17d2242-c0ab-4707-2e1e-ea915e52f5ae"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:13px;font-family:Arial;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">The OLA Mentoring Program is a pilot project designed to help early career librarians grow professionally by being paired with seasoned librarians willing to share their professional experience and guidance. Mentors and mentees will be partnered based on similar interests, professional experience, and/or goals. The mentoring relationship will develop over the course of a year and contact can take place in-person or over phone, email, or web conferencing.</span></p>

<br><span style="font-size:13px;font-family:Arial;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:13px;font-family:Arial;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">If you are an early career librarian with less than five years of professional experience, please consider </span><a href="https://ola.memberclicks.net/index.php?option=com_mc&view=mc&mcid=form_140871" style="text-decoration:none"><span style="font-size:13px;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(17,85,204);text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">applying to be paired up with a mentor</span></a><span style="font-size:13px;font-family:Arial;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">. Our current roster of available mentors come from academic libraries, public libraries, medical libraries and the state library. We hope to recruit more K-12 and public youth services librarians in the near future, but feel free to apply and you’ll be near the top of the list for mentors with those specialties as those mentors become available.</span></p>

<br><span style="font-size:13px;font-family:Arial;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:13px;font-family:Arial;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Our available mentors have expertise in the following areas: job transition, leadership, management, reference and instruction, writing, public speaking, adult services, community assessment and involvement, OLA involvement, marketing and outreach, government information, technical services, library technologies, planning, service to remote and rural libraries, supervision of staff at remote locations, medical librarianship, data science, assessment, professional development, usability testing, and user experience. If you are interested in being mentored in any of these areas, please consider applying. You can also view a map of where the current roster of mentors are located, </span><a href="http://www.olaweb.org/mentor-program" style="text-decoration:none"><span style="font-size:13px;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(17,85,204);text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">http://www.olaweb.org/mentor-program</span></a><span style="font-size:13px;font-family:Arial;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">.</span></p>

<br><span style="font-size:13px;font-family:Arial;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:13px;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(34,34,34);background-color:rgb(255,255,255);vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">To become a mentee, you must meet </span><span style="font-size:13px;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(34,34,34);background-color:rgb(255,255,255);font-weight:bold;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">ALL</span><span style="font-size:13px;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(34,34,34);background-color:rgb(255,255,255);vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"> of the following requirements:</span></p>

<br><span style="font-size:13px;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(34,34,34);background-color:rgb(255,255,255);vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt">

<span style="font-size:13px;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(34,34,34);background-color:rgb(255,255,255);vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">1. Be an OLA Member.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt">

<span style="font-size:13px;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(34,34,34);background-color:rgb(255,255,255);vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">2. Hold an MLIS or equivalent (MSIS, MLS,  school library teaching license, etc.) AND/OR have been in a professional library position(s) for fewer than five years</span></p>

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:13px;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(34,34,34);background-color:rgb(255,255,255);vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">3. Currently be working in a library in some capacity (volunteer, paraprofessional, professional).</span></p>

<br><span style="font-size:13px;font-family:Arial;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:13px;font-family:Arial;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">We will pair mentors and mentees based on the order in which mentee applications are received and the availability of mentors to match a mentee's specific goals. Matches between mentors and mentees will be made on a rolling basis, so if you are not paired with a mentor in the first round, we will pair you when a mentor who is a good match becomes available.</span></p>

<br><span style="font-size:13px;font-family:Arial;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:13px;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(34,34,34);background-color:rgb(255,255,255);vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Additional links:</span></p>

<ul style="margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><li dir="ltr" style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:13px;font-family:Arial;vertical-align:baseline;margin-left:15px"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt">

<a href="https://ola.memberclicks.net/index.php?option=com_mc&view=mc&mcid=form_140871" style="text-decoration:none"><span style="font-size:13px;color:rgb(17,85,204);background-color:rgb(255,255,255);text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Mentee application</span></a><span style="font-size:13px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255);vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"></span></p>

</li><li dir="ltr" style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:13px;font-family:Arial;vertical-align:baseline;margin-left:15px"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><a href="http://www.olaweb.org/mentor-program" style="text-decoration:none"><span style="font-size:13px;color:rgb(17,85,204);background-color:rgb(255,255,255);text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Information about the mentoring program and its requirements</span></a></p>

</li><li dir="ltr" style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:13px;font-family:Arial;vertical-align:baseline;margin-left:15px"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><a href="http://www.olaweb.org/mentoring-guidelines" style="text-decoration:none"><span style="font-size:13px;color:rgb(17,85,204);background-color:rgb(255,255,255);text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Guidelines and best practices for being a mentor</span></a></p>

</li></ul><br><span style="font-size:13px;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(34,34,34);background-color:rgb(255,255,255);vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt">

<span style="font-size:13px;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(34,34,34);background-color:rgb(255,255,255);vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Have questions? Contact us at </span><span style="font-size:13px;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(17,85,204);background-color:rgb(255,255,255);vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><a href="mailto:mentor@olaweb.org">mentor@olaweb.org</a></span></p>

<br><span style="font-size:13px;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(34,34,34);background-color:rgb(255,255,255);vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt">

<span style="font-size:13px;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(34,34,34);background-color:rgb(255,255,255);vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Meredith Farkas, Portland State University Library </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt">

<span style="font-size:13px;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(34,34,34);background-color:rgb(255,255,255);vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Shirley Sullivan, Beaverton City Library </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt">

<span style="font-size:13px;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(34,34,34);background-color:rgb(255,255,255);vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Emily Papagni, Multnomah County Library</span></p><div><span style="font-size:13px;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(34,34,34);background-color:rgb(255,255,255);vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><br>

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