State Library Victoria and Public Libraries Victoria have secured places for up to ten public library and State Library staff to participate in a library industry mentoring program between April and November 2022. Expressions of interest are invited by Friday 11 February 2022 using this Mentee Application Form.
About the program
The CAVAL Cross-Institutional Mentoring Program has been running for nearly ten years and is very highly regarded. Until now, participants have been drawn almost exclusively from academic libraries. In 2022, for the first time, Victorian public library staff will have the opportunity to be mentored. Each mentee will be paired with an experienced senior library manager and leader whom they will meet with regularly over a seven-month period. These meetings will be driven by the professional needs of each mentee. Mentees will also have the opportunity to participate in seminars and networking events with the full cohort of mentees and mentors; and, to kick-off the program, they will attend a two-hour preparation session.
The entire program will be facilitated by Linda Betts, a well-known specialist in organisational development and change. Feedback on her work from previous participants in the program has been exceptionally good, for example:
This was hands down the best facilitation of a development program I’ve experienced. The clarity of expectations, process and methodology were outstanding
Who should participate?
We are targeting:
- people who are emerging library leaders in public libraries and at the State Library;
- people who are thinking about the next step in their careers, upwards or sideways, and are looking for advice;
- people who are keen to increase their leadership and communication skills, are open to constructive feedback and are willing to ask for help and show vulnerability;
- people who are keen to expand their knowledge of and increase their engagement with the wider library sector.
People who have been involved in some of SLV’s and PLV’s other leadership development programs might be particularly interested, for example: Ramsay and Reid Scholarship recipients and alumni of the Shared Leadership Program or of the Managing Self Managing Others program. However, participation in any of these programs is not a prerequisite for participating in this mentoring program. It is open to all.
The SLV/PLV partnership
The State Library and Public Libraries Victoria have worked together for over twenty years to deliver a wide range of initiatives supporting development of library services across the State. We do this under the banner of the Statewide Public Library Development Projects. The mentoring program is another initiative of the SPLDP and all fees charged to participate in the program are covered by these projects.
To find out more about the mentoring program, please read the Mentee Application Form. If you have any questions, please contact Kyleigh Langrick.
We look forward to receiving your applications by Friday 11 February 2022.