Mentoring: It's a Good Thing: what we learned partying with student librarians

Mentoring: It's a Good Thing: what we learned partying with student librarians

Nicole Saylor

Jen Wolfe

Paul Soderdahl

2011

eng

Journal Article

Nicole Saylor

Jen Wolfe

Paul Soderdahl

Journal Article

10.5860/crln.72.10.8650

0099-0086

Party hosting is an exercise in preparation and personal finesse. The ambiance and menu must be exciting, the guests lively and engaging. As host, you must set the tone and connect newcomers with those already at the party. No matter how charming or prepared you think you are, once the party starts anything can happen. Uninvited guests can come crashing, Uncle Gene can go heavy on the Riesling and start telling inappropriate jokes, and timid, tired Tina can suck the air right out of the room. But when conditions are right, and host and guests find their flow, the experience is a delight for everyone. Last fall marked the end of a two-year digital librarianship mentor program where the University of Iowa Libraries’ Digital Library Services (DLS) played host to a total of 18 fellows. We’re exhausted but stimulated by the experience, savoring a number of successes and, well, blotting up a few messes. While the students’ experiences were no doubt fascinating with the usual mix of classes, seminars, and project work, our story here describes the party from the host’s point of view – the planning that worked and the unexpected surprises, the effect on staff dynamics, the unimagined strides made in growing a relatively young digital library program, and the impact of the students’ departure forcing us to realign workflows and develop a new plan to sustain and move forward.

2011

10

eng

566 - 570

College & Research Libraries News

Mentoring: It's a Good Thing: what we learned partying with student librarians

72