By Joy Urbina, Information Literacy Librarian, University of Texas at El Paso Library Over the years, I have been a mentee and a mentor, in which I have gained several insights. A mentorship is not just for the benefit of the mentee, it is a vehicle for communication between two individuals interested in sharing and appreciating knowledge. I have personally learned just as much from my mentees as I have from my mentors; however, it is crucial to choose the right mentor or accept the right mentee. One place to start is in local library associations, which normally have student...
Intersections
About Intersections
Intersections, the blog of the ALA Office for Diversity, Literacy, and Outreach Services (ODLOS), highlights the work of library and information science workers as they create safe, responsible, and all-inclusive spaces that serve and represent the entire community, as well as initiatives and projects supported by the office that promotes their work. Please note that these blog posts are by individuals and do not reflect the views of their employers.
By: Christina Giovannelli Caputo, Youth Services Librarian, Arlington Heights Memorial Library Fostering employee growth through mentorship accelerates learning and leads to success in the workplace. Whether in professional or private worlds, a feeling of support aids development when transferring to a new role. Throughout my career, I have been fortunate to have strong mentors. I am very privileged to have grown as a professional under their guidance and expertise. Building relationships is an important aspect of a healthy work environment. Emily Loeffler and I met in 2017 when...
By: Veronica Leigh Milliner; NNLM All of Us Community Engagement Coordinator; National Network of Libraries of Medicine, Middle Atlantic Region; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania The library professional is comprised of many people who deeply care. It is noted that many in the profession at all levels commit a lot of themselves to the work they do, helping others, and continuously finding new ways to support patrons. However, this commitment can also result in compassion fatigue or burnout that can not only affect job performance but also mental health of staff. Although some may scoff at its...
By: Danielle DuPuis, Media Specialist, Hammond High School, Columbia, Maryland Each week, I spend some time browsing our library collection to pull books that students have requested or books that I think a particular student will like. I load up the titles onto two carts: one smaller cart with a wooden shelf crafted by one of our Tech Ed teachers and a larger cart where I can stock up plenty of books for students to browse – some shelved, some outward facing and on display. At approximately 12:35 p.m. every Tuesday and Wednesday, a small excited group of students from our...
By Laura Birkenhauer, Student Success Librarian for Campus Engagement, Miami University Libraries I’ve served in a formal capacity as both a mentor and a mentee, inside and outside of librarianship. We all know that mentoring is unquestionably hard work, but so is being a mentee — all that active listening, notetaking and actually showing your mentor you learned something by transforming your invisible, internal growth into a tangible product or plan. No matter what, though, there is an element of imbalance, as much as we might try to avoid it. Inside the traditional...
By: Heidi Rabinowitz, Past President of the Association of Jewish Libraries History was made this year when the ALA Youth Media Awards press conference kicked off by naming the winners of the Sydney Taylor Book Award. Who’s Sydney Taylor and what IS this award, anyway? Sydney (originally Sarah) Taylor grew up in a large, bustling Jewish family on the Lower East Side of New York. As an adult, she shared stories of her childhood with her daughter Jo, writing them down and stuffing the pages into an underwear drawer. Her husband secretly submitted the manuscript...
By Twanna K. Hodge, Academic/Research Librarian, SUNY Upstate Health Sciences Library As part of the Diversity Research Grants Program sponsored by ODLOS, we've started a monthly spotlight on research advancing issues of equity, diversity, and inclusion in libraries. We welcome your submission of research for inclusion in future spotlights, email us at diversity@ala.org. This month's Spotlight features an interview with Dr. LaTesha Velez and Dr. Melissa Villa-Nicholas around their work “Mapping Race and Racism in the U.S. Library History Literature, 1997-2015...
By: Mary Hubbard, Assistant Director, Peterborough Town Library Talking about race respectfully and effectively is a daunting prospect. Last summer at the Peterborough Town Library in Peterborough, New Hampshire, I had the opportunity to create a program called “Talking about Race: Staying Curious, Moving Forward and Being Part of the Solution,” which did just that. It was hugely successful and has been repeated at other libraries and community centers in New Hampshire and Massachusetts. It is a program that can easily be replicated at any library and I encourage you to...
By Carla Davis-Castro, Research Librarian, Library of Congress When it comes to self-care, I have learned a lot from my dogs, Salsa and Tango. Our busy lives may leave us last on our priority list, but here are some things you can do for yourself in order to find renewed focus and energy. 1. Take a break from the screens We use screens for work, socializing, and entertainment. Screens take a toll on our eyes, experts tell us, so give them a break every once in a while. Books don’t produce glare, so I try to read during my work commute instead of checking my phone....
By Christine F. Smith, Collections Services Librarian, Concordia University With the library profession being referred to as a highly stressful job, it’s important for those who work in libraries to develop a toolkit to keep oneself healthy and happy, at work, at home, and generally in life. But, the more we have on our plate, the less time we may have, and the harder it may be to find new ways to improve our lives. With that in mind, this post aims to provide four quick, widely-recommended, tried-and-true tips from the experts and fellow library professionals, to stay centered...