Mentoring Award
Awarded to a person, person(s), or group who is recognized as building a cooperative and nurturing relationship between themselves (a more experienced library employee) and a newer library employee. This relationship should include some or all of the following:
-
Providing opportunities for the mentee to learn how the UGA Libraries works and to gain valuable insight into some of the unspoken subtleties of the organization or the institution in a safe and nurturing environment,
-
Passing on valuable lessons, knowledge, and attitudes to the mentee,
-
Sharing ideas and opportunities for growth (training, professional/staff development), and
-
Encouraging a mentee to develop to his/ her fullest potential
Ruta Abolins and Margie Compton, Media
Upon coming to work at the Libraries, both Margie and Ruta were very friendly and welcoming. While working with them in various capacities, they never cease to amaze me with their knowledge and skill in their given field as well as their willingness to share it with me and others.
When assigned a school project that involved working with a department other than my own, theirs was the first that came to mind. Both women were extremely open to the idea of my working with them, be it sharing their space or sharing ideas. They were flexible about the work I did and were excellent instructors in the art of handling, cleaning, repairing, and inspecting film. Margie and Ruta always took time to answer any questions that I had and always had a bit of trivia or a fun story to share about their profession and respective educational experiences. Besides giving me their time, they gave me articles to read, videos to watch, and websites to consult.
All of this supported me in my schoolwork and confirmed that librarianship/archives was the profession I wanted to enter. Working with them also gave me an opportunity to see an efficient work dynamic as well as how departments other than my own function within the library.
Although the project is over, Margie and Ruta’s mentorship has continued. I know that their door is open whenever I need feedback, advice, a listening ear, or a good laugh. Their willingness to include me in library activities and discuss professional issues, ideas and aspirations is encouraging.
Susan Field, U.S. Regional Depository Services
Susan Field has been both a mentor to me on both a professional and a personal level. Her skills in organization are invaluable, as she deals with people and collections not only here in the Libraries but throughout the state of Georgia. Yet she is never too busy to apply herself to questions concerning the details of processing the many documents that pass through her hands. She carefully considers what needs to be done on a particular project, and is then able to organize it in such a way that I and others can carry through. An example is a large amount of material that Georgia State University wished to dispose of last year. Susan was able to create a streamlined process and add the material to an already full workflow in such a way that it became manageable.
Her attitude towards her life and her work are remarkable and I greatly admire the courage with which she has dealt with some physical setbacks this year. She quickly mastered the art of writing with her left hand after an unfortunate fall, and was back at work in no time. Her attitude and manner of dealing with this accident have been an inspiration to me.
In addition, she has encouraged me in many ways to develop my potential on both a professional and personal level. She is unfailingly cheerful and steady, and I have come to depend on her to brighten my workday. She is a mentor both by advice and by example, and is an asset both to me and to the Libraries.
Suzanne Graham
I am pleased to nominate Suzanne Graham for Mentor of the Year in her role as Part-time Training Facilitator at UGA Libraries. In seeking the appropriate category in which to nominate Suzanne’s work, I selected Mentor of the Year because a mentor is a person who acts as guide and adviser to another person (s), or more generally: a person who offers support and guidance to others; an experienced and trusted counsellor or friend; a patron, a sponsor. Although much of her work has to do with staff instruction and developing skills, in the first year and a half, the role of a good training facilitator is to lead, guide, and build organizational trust and acceptance. Suzanne has done this beautifully.
In 2005, Ms. Graham approached Libraries HR to discuss opportunities in the library to learn about library administration. Knowing her interest in organizational training and professional growth, we worked with her current department and agreed on a six-month trial with her as a part-time Training Facilitator. Suzanne began working with the Libraries HR Department in November 2005 as a part-time Training Facilitator spending approximately 5 hours per-week in planning, implementing, or coordinating Training activities. By having well executed goals, the Libraries Training program has gained strength and recognition through Suzanne’s contributions.
Happily, she has chosen to continue her work in this area after that initial six months.
As the Training Facilitator, many things have been accomplished in a year and a half which point out very clearly Ms. Graham’s strengths as an organizer and as a creative source for ideas, as well as her consistent follow-through and caring that programs are well-received. Accomplishments include a new name and logo for our program--S.T.E.P. (Staff Training and Enrichment Program) along with a review of the goals of the training program (found at http://www.libs.uga.edu/humres/training/index.html. Procedurally, we developed flyers and evaluations that have allowed us to gauge how well the programs are meeting the needs of the staff and have provided us with ideas for future training opportunities.
Activities on which we have focused have included the following – a full listing appears at the bottom of this nomination-: We built on the teleconferences offered by the College of DuPage by adding facilitators to lead discussions following each session; we developed a supervisors’ video forum using 5 videos from the UGA’s Training and Development Seminars to Go that provided practical and useful information for new and senior supervisors alike. In addition to these activities, she has sought out other in-house training opportunities, assisted with teleconferences, orientation programs for new staff and faculty, and fostered collegial networking through local electronic lists and brown bag lunches.
What has earned my greatest respect is how easily Ms. Graham has become identified with the training program for the Libraries. She has done this by meeting one-on-one with people and by presenting herself with professionalism, caring, consideration and as a true listener to those she meets with. Individuals and groups alike feel comfortable talking with her; they know that she will bring forward ideas and communicate back to them with a response.
There is one other activity which was coordinated and fostered by Ms. Graham which has been very important for our organization. She brought forward the need to survey the Libraries' faculty on their job satisfaction following a similar survey that was conducted for the staff in the library job classification. This activity gave her another chance to hone her technical survey abilities and I know she learned much about analyzing data through the process. Through her work with Florence King, Nan McMurry, and Caroline Killens, her work was able to bring forward much that was good about our organization. It has also given us a reason to examine areas that needed attention.
It takes a great deal of effort to make all these activities happen. Time and time again, she has proven her willingness to devote her energy to the greater good for the staff in the Libraries. Through her efforts, she has contributed enormously as a mentor in our organization. This level of achievement and success on a library-wide level is unusual for any employee.
Below are listed some of the goals of the program and the programs that we have developed to support those goals.
Goal #1. Develops a cohesive training program by determining programmatic needs through observation, surveys, needs assessments or contact with resource persons/groups; outlines and provides resources, materials, supplies and equipment to support the programs; identifies and evaluates programs to meet those needs whether in-house, campus, or professional associations such as SOLINET and ARL.
2006
• Developed a new logo and name for the program: Staff Training and Enrichment Program or [STEP]; review and enrich the Training website as appropriate.
• Publicized the Soaring to Excellence (now Library Learning Network) Teleconference series; provided a facilitator for each and advised and supported that person to enhance the information received from the teleconference. Seek out other opportunities of this nature that we can bring in-house.
• In 2006, conceptualized and implemented a program that addresses skills required of all supervisors, focusing especially on the management and supervisory training at T&D. This was a 5 session Supervisors Video Forum that had approximately 100 participants.
• Participated in the redesign on New Employee Orientation; designed and planned a New Faculty Orientation for 2006 and will begin one for 2007 in the summer and Fall.
• Created an evaluation tool to be used after every program/presentation, respond and react to suggestions. Communicated with attendees at training programs to get feedback from them on the experience.
2007
• To address the areas of concern staff mentioned in the two job satisfaction surveys (one of which Suzanne conceptualized and provided the analysis for on her own), the Abbott report, and in the University Librarian's 5 year review, we have developed a training “theme” for 2007 of ‘Communication and Connections'. It will be our goal to tie all of our activities into this theme and to find a way to assess whether our activities have helped to more highly develop organizational communication.
• Develop and implement the Library Basics (Library 101) Series. Coordinate the details of presentation, logistics, evaluation, and assessment of these programs. These have begun and consisted of Basic Preservation techniques, Basic Systems information, Development Update, GIL and GALILEO sessions, ASK Margaret and Becky (travel information and ASK UGA), FMLA overview, etc., and Library History presentation.
• Coordinate the 2007 College of DuPage Library Learning Network teleconference series. provided a facilitator for each and advised and supported that person to enhance the information received from the teleconference.
• Coordinate special events or speakers (such as the Archivist Toolkit presentation scheduled for March 2007).
Goald # 2. Consults, assists and advises staff in training matters by promoting, encouraging and actively engaging in the exchange of needed information, reacting and responding to training requests, developing needed policies or procedures and by maintaining an awareness of the training needs.
Our hope was that by June 2006 this should result in most staff and colleagues understanding Suzanne's role in facilitating training and feel comfortable coming to her directly with ideas. This actually happened before June. I was amazed at how quickly I began to hear “S.T.E.P.” and “Suzanne” on the lips of staff and faculty. It is quite apparent that most Libraries staff feels comfortable and confident in seeking training advice and assistance from Suzanne. She is a champion for organizational communication and has a proactive, helpful, diplomatic and professional style in dealing with all levels of staff.
Goal #3. Develops avenues for learning about this area of the profession. Learn about opportunities at ALA , ARL, ACRL; participates in appropriate training or self-training, finds readings that are pertinent to developing a background in the area.
Suzanne has made a huge leap toward learning about this area of librarianship. Suzanne's knowledge base has been expanded; she has researched and sought out resources on her own, as well as investigated those that have been suggested to her. She has begun to network on campus and in the profession in the area of HR and administration. Specific activities included
• Joined the PERS-L listserv
• Attended the Personnel Administrators and Staff Development Officers Discussion Group at ALA
• Continued SOLINET contacts
• Joined the new Georgia CUPA association
• Worked with library faculty who are officers in various associations to develop programs (e.g., Society of Georgia Archivists, ALA Emerging Leaders)
Summary
Suzanne's contributions have brought renewed energy and organization to the training and “mentoring” function of the Libraries Human Resources department. She has made a distinct difference in the life of our organization and deserves this recognition for her work.
Bob Kobres, Hargrett
Bob Kobres is always happy to mentor co-workers in the effective use of technology, anticipating problems and answering questions with both patience and enthusiasm. His strong work ethic, equanimity, and kindness serve as an example for others. While working hard on his own projects, he is never too busy to help and enjoys addressing technological challenges. Fundamentally an inventor, Bob is a source of intellectual inspiration in a production focused environment, providing a fresh perspective on the many challenges posed by software and hardware. In addition, he provides a view into the world of software development, giving us a practical understanding of the sort of technical support we might expect from software developers.
Katha Massey, DLG
Katha Massey is always happy to counsel and teach younger co-workers about the ways of the library. A diligent cataloger, she nevertheless makes herself available to answer questions and assist with training. She contextualizes our experience within the history of the university libraries, contributing positive energy and perspective to a production oriented environment. She played an instrumental role in my decision to attend library school.
Teaching Circle (Coordinated by Caroline Barratt, Ian Thomas, and Thomas Knowlton),
Reference
This year the Teaching Circle continued to foster valuable conversation and idea-sharing opportunities amongst the many individuals and Libraries’ departments who make teaching part of their mission. The mission of each Teaching Circle is to provide attendees with a comfortable place to share ideas and concerns and to work together to create concrete, actionable tips and tools that will help participants improve their teaching or just try something new and record numbers of Libraries’ faculty and staff attended brainstorming and information sessions this year to share their successes and their woes. Several initiatives came out of meetings that will provide mentoring and teaching tools for us now and in the future. Additionally, this year saw the start of the Focus on Special Collections series, which brought together members from Special Collections, Reference, DLG, Collection Development and others to brainstorm ways to broaden the use of these sources in library instruction. The Teaching Circle is the essence of mentoring as it grew out of individuals’ need to share ideas and continues to be a dynamic collaborative resource as it includes members from all sorts of departments and from all stages of their professional careers. The Teaching Circle is about colleagues mentoring colleagues and is a valuable part of our shared mission as a teaching library.
Sheryl Vogt, Russell
There has been much discussion in the profession and here in the Library about ways that the current generation of leaders in archives and libraries can share the skills, experience, and wisdom they possess to future generations of archivists and librarians. Sheryl Vogt has always had these interests--mentoring and leadership--squarely in her sights as director of the Russell Library. She challenges her staff--myself included--to experiment, innovate, and take initiative. She is open to feedback from all her staffmembers in ad hoc discussions and in staff meetings. She encourages her staff to participate in professional activities such as serving on state and national committees, publishing, presenting papers, and consulting with organizations in need of advice and assistance. Currently, four Russell staff are giving papers at national meetings, 3 are elected or appointed officers on state and national professional organizations, and two are completing additional advanced degrees in relevant fields. Mentoring and leadership are always most evident under pressure and this has been a challenging year for the Russell with two key vacancies and two new staff members, but Sheryl has kept the Russell together and looking forward. Perhaps her greatest gift to all of the Russell staff has been her unfailing humility and good humor in the face of challenging circumstances. She knows above all that the ability to laugh together is one of the greatest strengths of an organization. She is as passionate a participant in Russell Library film productions for asset awards week as she is in plans for new initiatives and new goals for the Russell Library. She has charted an exemplary course that I for one am pleased to follow.